Details Behind Former WWE Superstar Andrade’s AEW Contract Revealed

Andrade El Idolo was one of the most talked-about stars last week following his unexpected debut on AEW Dynamite. The former WWE Superstar was expected to contour wrestling in Lucha Libre, but it seems as if he’s decided to take his talents directly to the rival promotion. 

The former United States Champion is booked to face Kenny Omega for his AAA Mega Championship soon, but fans were shocked by his appearance to push up the hostilities. In a recent report from Wrestling Inc, we were given an insight into how contract negotiations really went down with the star.

Following his release from WWE, Andrade quickly became the hottest free agent. It was no secret he was the biggest underutilized talent on the roster and memories of his glorious time in NXT still speak for him. 

He later confirmed on Twitter that he was not bound by the contractual clause of WWE for released Superstars. The clause states that a contract cannot be signed with another promotion up to 90 days of being released. 

This tempted Tony Khan to get his signature even more, and the AEW President began negotiations with Andrade within a week of his release from WWE. Khan wanted him on his side as soon as possible. 

However, the deal was delayed because the Mexican demanded freedom on creative control and veto power on losing. Essentially, this meant that he wanted more power and say in the outcome of his matches than was given to other stars on the roster. 

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Impact Wrestling and ROH also approached Andrade

Impact Wrestling also approached him during this time and agreed to meet his creative demands to a certain extent. However, Andrade was not satisfied with the payment structure offered. Like most of their recent deals, Impact offered to pay him per date rather than a guaranteed downside.

The promotion was also close to sealing a one-off appearance from him. Apart from these two, Ring of Honor also approached him for a deal, but a slowing down in negotiations on that end prompted Andrade to go ahead with AEW. 

Tony Khan managed to secure the big signing and had him debut at the right time on Dynamite. All terms on the contract were reportedly worked on for weeks and he is set to prove himself again as an All Elite.