Andrade Passed on Double the Money from AEW to Make WWE Return

Andrade just confirmed he walked away from a lucrative offer to stay in AEW back in 2023 — and says he did it all for love.

Speaking with Enmascarados TUDN, Andrade revealed that despite AEW offering nearly double his salary to stay with them, he chose to return to WWE so he and then-wife Charlotte Flair could finally work together onscreen.

“AEW offered me almost double to stay… but I chose WWE because of love.”

Andrade said the idea to return was a joint decision between him and Charlotte — not something she pushed him into or benefited from alone.

“She supported me. We talked as a couple — why not go back to WWE and do something together? Maybe I could help her career, and she could help mine. We’d never done anything together on TV. So we decided: let’s try.”

He also made it crystal clear that it wasn’t about using Charlotte to climb the ladder. It was about building something together.

“It wasn’t just me using her. It was our decision. She was happy. She said, ‘I see you smiling again, you’re in Mexico and doing great.’ But we still thought it’d be good to work together. So I came back.”

Andrade and Charlotte married in 2022, and he officially left AEW at the end of 2023. Unfortunately, the plan didn’t last. He confirmed they divorced in September 2024, less than a year after his WWE return.

This follows his recent interview on El Ring podcast, where he shut down rumors that their divorce had anything to do with his WWE exit in September 2025 — and blasted fans for dragging Charlotte’s name through it.

“She never went to management to get me fired or anything like that. I respect her a lot. She was an incredible woman, a great wife. I wish her the best.”

At the end of the day, Andrade walked away from a bigger paycheck and a comfortable spot in AEW to chase something real. He chose love over money — and while it didn’t work out, he owns the decision completely.

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