Andrade Reportedly No Longer on WWE Roster After Making Return in 2024

Andrade is reportedly gone from WWE less than two years after making his return to the company.

According to Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp, Andrade's WWE departure has been confirmed after BodySlam.net's WrestleMobs initially discovered that his profile had been moved to the alumni section of the WWE website.

Andrade, who was initially with WWE from 2015 to 2021, returned to the promotion as a surprise entrant in the men's Royal Rumble match in January 2024.

Per Sapp on Fightful Select, Andrade has not been backstage at SmackDown lately, and his departure had been "in the works for at least a week."

Andrade leaving reportedly impacted some of WWE's creative plans, although no specifics were provided regarding what was in the works.

Sapp added that Andrade had more than 18 months remaining on his WWE contract, meaning his departure is a case of WWE granting him his release or deciding on its own to release him, rather than an instance of his deal expiring.

The 35-year-old Andrade first signed with WWE in 2015 following a highly successful run in Mexico and Japan as La Sombra.

Nicknamed "El Idolo," Andrade's first WWE stint saw him hold the NXT Championship and United States Championship one time each.

After getting released in 2021, Andrade signed with AEW and remained with the company until the end of 2023.

According to Sapp, AEW thought it had an agreement in place with Andrade on a new contract, but he decided to leave and sign with WWE in 2024.

Andrade's second run in WWE was far shorter and less successful than his first, as the only title he held was the WWE Speed Championship.

After struggling to find his footing in the singles ranks, Andrade began teaming with Rey Fenix in May, and they reeled off five consecutive victories on SmackDown.

One of those wins was a WWE Tag Team Championship match against Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy of the Wyatt Sicks, which Andrade and Fenix won by disqualification.

At SummerSlam last month, Andrade and Fenix were one of six teams to compete in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match for the WWE tag team titles.

In what was arguably the most exciting match of the entire event, Lumis and Gacy won to retain the titles.

On Friday night's episode of SmackDown, Fenix faced Sami Zayn in an open challenge for the United States Championship. No references to Andrade were made before, during or after Fenix's loss to Zayn.

Given his in-ring ability, Andrade figures to be a desirable free agent for numerous companies, and it is fair to wonder if a return to AEW or an AEW-affiliated promotion such as CMLL or New Japan Pro-Wrestling could be an option for him.