WWE Allegedly Soured on Andrade Over English Skills and Lack of Connection

Andrade’s WWE release shocked fans, but a new update sheds light on why the company quietly soured on him behind the scenes.

On the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that frustration had built internally over Andrade’s lack of progress with his English and his inability to connect with the audience the way officials had hoped.

Meltzer explained that while nobody doubted Andrade’s talent, he struggled to find his place on the roster.

“There was frustration internally that they wanted him to improve his English. There was no question regarding his talent, but there were a lot of talented people there and he never got the call to be a bigger star. Penta came in and usurped him as the new generation Mexican star and got over much stronger, and Fenix was in as well. The idea was to put he and Fenix together as a team on SmackDown, which was a nice spot because all the teams are good, but also a spot with a ceiling on it, and there were so many teams in that spot.”

Advertising

Advertising

The language barrier wasn’t the only issue. According to Meltzer, some inside WWE felt buyer’s remorse after Andrade jumped over from AEW.

“Some noted to us frustration that his English never got better. One noted to us that there was a buyer’s remorse, in the sense they thought bringing him in from AEW would be huge since talent that had come in from AEW like Cody Rhodes and CM Punk were received so well and figured he’d follow similarly with its fan base, particularly since he came directly off AEW television and was in the mix with the top guys in the tournament. But the fan base didn’t react to Andrade at anywhere near the same level after the initial first-day pop. And it was made worse by not coming in with a focused direction.”

Despite WWE’s belief that Andrade would replicate the success of other high-profile AEW transfers, the crowd never embraced him to the same degree, and creative plans—like pairing him with Fenix—never evolved into anything long-term.

With his WWE run ending amid disappointment, the big question now is where Andrade goes next. Will he return to AEW, head back to CMLL, or take time away before resurfacing in the ring?