WWE and AEW Rumors on WWE Draft, Andrade Contract Situation and Danhausen's Future

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and AEW.

ESPN Reportedly Hoped for WWE Draft in 2025

WWE's new partnership with ESPN is just a few months old, but there reportedly has already been a slight divide.

During a Q&A, TC of WrestleVotes reported that ESPN was interested in holding a WWE draft on its streaming platform this year, but the plan never came to fruition after it was determined that WWE's show structure and creative direction wouldn't mesh with ESPN's broadcasting style.

"I know ESPN definitely wanted to have the draft on their platform, but it doesn't really work in a PLE setting. The draft is more of a Raw and SmackDown thing," TC said (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News).

TC went on to add that the differences in WWE's formatting and ESPN's expectations were too great to overcome before the end of the year.

"So if you were hoping to use the ESPN platform for that, it kind of falls apart," he said. "The way WWE formats its shows doesn't really line up with what ESPN would be offering to the audience, and it's hard to picture what a WWE TV draft would even look like in that format."

The most recent WWE draft was held between April and May 2024, and it sounds like it won't be coming back anytime soon. This past year, NXT talent have been called up to the main roster without relying on the draft, so WWE appears set to stick with its current system for now.

"Because WWE now has a strong pipeline where talent can move up from NXT, the draft might eventually go away altogether," TC said.

Andrade Reportedly Free to Sign Anywhere After WWE Contract Expiration

Former WWE Superstar Andrade caused a stir this past fall after he appeared in multiple promotions soon after his release, but he's reportedly now able to resume his wrestling career wherever he wants.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported that "people familiar with the situation" revealed that Andrade is eligible to sign with any promotion after his WWE contract officially expired on Dec. 12 (h/t H. Jenkins of Ringside News).

After Andrade initially departed WWE in September, he surprised the wrestling world when he showed up on an episode of AEW Dynamite less than a month later. That same week, he also made an appearance in the Mexican promotion The Crash Lucha Libre and won the Crash Heavyweight Championship.

However, those appearances violated the 90-day non-compete clause typically included in WWE contracts. There was some speculation that WWE could take legal action against AEW and Andrade for the violations.

Now, Andrade has wasted no time in his return to the world of pro wrestling. He made a surprise appearance at a House of Glory event on Friday before returning to New Japan Pro-Wrestling on Monday in a taped vignette revealing himself one of the two mystery partners for the United Empire for their Wrestle Kingdom 20 match against Bullet Club War Dogs and Unaffiliated on Jan. 4.

It's clear that Andrade is looking to spread his wings across multiple promotions, so fans will certainly be excited to see where he shows up next.

WWE Reportedly Considering Signing Danhausen After AEW Contract Ends

Longtime AEW fan favorite Danhausen is reportedly nearing free agency, and he could have the chance to land in WWE.

During a Q&A session, TC of WrestleVotes revealed that there is some interest from WWE in Danhausen, but opinions on his character appear to be split.

"I know there are people there who want him to come over, and I also know there are people there who aren't very keen on him or his talents," TC said (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News). "I'm sure there will be an offer—he's talented and he's over. But I know some people there just don't get it, and that's fair. So we'll see. I don't think him coming over is a done deal yet."

Danhausen hasn't appeared on AEW programming in quite some time. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful recently reported that his contract with the company is now set to expire in February 2026.

"AEW sources that we've spoken to claim he hasn't been backstage in ages, and hasn't been factored in to any creative plans," Sapp stated.

Danhausen is a unique character known for bringing a comedic element to pro wrestling, so it's not clear if his style will fit within WWE. Still, he's a popular performer, so there's a chance the company decides to bring him on board next year.