Andrade Likely To Win If He Takes WWE To Court Over Non-Compete
Andrade was released from WWE in mid-September 2025 due to disciplinary issues that reportedly occurred during a TV taping.
According to multiple backstage sources, WWE decided to cut him even though he still had over a year left on his contract, and the exit had nothing to do with budget cuts or mutual consent. Soon after his release, Andrade made a surprise return to AEW on October 1, 2025, during Dynamite’s sixth-anniversary episode, where he aligned himself with the Don Callis Family.
However, Andrade hasn’t been able to compete or appear on AEW TV since that debut because WWE sent AEW a cease-and-desist letter, claiming that he was still bound by a non-compete clause in his WWE contract. Reports suggest WWE is attempting to enforce a one-year non-compete period, potentially keeping him out of the ring until September 2026, arguing that his termination was “for cause” (disciplinary).
WWE Cannot Stop Andrade From Working In AEW
In a recent YouTube video, former WWE superstar and Harvard lawyer David Otunga explained WWE contracts allow the company to fire wrestlers anytime, even without cause, and still bar them from working elsewhere for up to a year without pay, something he called unfair and likely illegal.
He said the usual 90-day paid non-compete exists mainly to prevent lawsuits, as paying talent makes the restriction seem reasonable. An unpaid one-year ban, like Andrade’s case, would almost certainly be thrown out in court.
Otunga also added that WWE’s move against Andrade might be strategic, aiming to gain leverage over AEW, possibly linked to Edge’s rumored return for a match with John Cena. Check out Otunga’s comments below:
“There is a lot to be left to interpretation and there are vague clauses. The contract is a lot of contradictions. The whole independent contractors part, it just doesn’t seem legally enforceable to me.”
“Under this non-compete clause, technically, a talent could sign a contract, WWE could turn around the next day and fire them for no cause, and then say, ‘Hey, we’re not going to pay you for one year and you can’t wrestle anywhere else for one year.’ This is in the contract. This would be enforceable, presuming this contract is valid.”
“This is WWE being smart because they’re trying to keep these disputes out of court. They don’t want talent to take them to court and challenge this because a judge would likely rule this invalid. The fact that you’re preventing somebody from working to support themselves in their given field for an entire year and you’re not compensating them, that right there, we can go back to contract 101, it has to be equal on both sides to where you’re giving up something in exchange for something else.”
“In this situation, the talent would be giving up their right to earn a living in exchange for nothing because they wouldn’t be compensated by WWE. It’s different when WWE pays them because now they have a little more leverage for the contract to be seen as somewhat reasonable, but the argument can still be made. When WWE is not compensating the talent, I don’t know how they could enforce this.”
“If he were to take this to court, I think a judge is very likely to rule in his favor and just throw out the entire clause in the contract. You can’t prevent somebody from earning a living for an entire year.”
Make TJR Wrestling your choice for news by clicking here.