Andrade had enough of WWE constantly putting him against other Mexican wrestlers, and he says that frustration played a major role in why he walked away from the company in 2021. After years of facing the same handful of opponents, Andrade wanted something bigger, but he wasn’t getting it.
Speaking on Talk Is Jericho with Chris Jericho, Andrade opened up about what went wrong during his first WWE run. Despite winning the NXT Championship and WWE United States Championship, he felt like the company had him stuck in the same routine. Whether it was Rey Mysterio, Dominik Mysterio, Angel Garza or Berto, Andrade says WWE kept coming back to him whenever another Mexican wrestler needed an opponent.
“I enjoyed every moment, and the guys respected me. I didn’t have any problem with any of the guys, but I feel like I was working a lot with Rey Mysterio and always working Mexican vs. Mexican. I had a story for three or four years where it was Mexican vs. Mexican. Rey Mysterio was for a year or a year and a half. A little story with Dominik. A story with Garza. With Berto. Whatever Mexican was there or came in: ‘Andrade, Andrade.’”
Andrade wasn’t blaming the wrestlers themselves. He enjoyed working with them, but he was tired of WWE seemingly having nothing else for him. After spending years trying to move up the card, he started wondering whether staying with the company was even worth it.
Things reached the point where Andrade began discussing his future with his then-wife, Charlotte Flair. With AEW and New Japan offering other opportunities, he realized he didn’t have to keep waiting around for WWE to give him something different.
“I was talking with my wife and said, ‘I want more. I need something. I’m not thriving in WWE.’ I wanted to go outside because there was AEW, New Japan. My first run in WWE, I wanted and needed more. I felt stuck when moving to the next step. I spoke with my ex-wife and said that I wanted more for myself. I wanted more success, so I felt I needed to leave WWE. I asked WWE for my release, and they agreed.”
Andrade’s frustration had already become obvious by early 2021. As Ringside News covered at the time, he had been sitting on the sidelines for months after his push collapsed. WWE initially wasn’t expected to grant his release, but the company eventually let him go in March 2021.
He landed in AEW just a few months later, only to return to WWE at the 2024 Royal Rumble. That second run didn’t last either, and Andrade eventually made his way back to AEW.
And this isn’t the first time Andrade has called WWE out over its treatment of Mexican talent. Back in September 2026, he blasted the company for giving Samoan wrestlers more opportunities than Mexican stars. His comments caused plenty of drama, with The Usos even appearing to take a shot at him on social media.
Andrade’s latest comments make it pretty clear that his problems with WWE weren’t about money, championships or the people he worked with. He wanted to be treated like someone who could do more than wrestle the next Mexican Superstar coming through the door. WWE kept going back to the same formula, and Andrade eventually decided he’d rather take his chances somewhere else.
Do you think WWE wasted Andrade by constantly putting him in the same type of feuds, or was he given enough opportunities to become a bigger star? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
