Andrade Released from WWE Contract After Superstar’s Request

WWE announced Sunday it released former NXT champion Andrade.

Wrestling Inc.’s Marc Middleton reported March 12 that Andrade had asked the company to release him from his contract. He appeared to tease his imminent departure on social media hours before the official announcement:

The 31-year-old originally arrived in WWE in 2015 with a lot of hype. Wrestling under a mask with the name La Sombra, he had become a major star in Mexico and Japan and was a founding member of Los Ingobernables.

Andrade made his NXT TV debut in a victory over Tye Dillinger at NXT Takeover: The End in June 2016.

In November 2017, he was crowned NXT champion when he dethroned Drew McIntyre at NXT TakeOver: WarGames.

As has been the case with many NXT stars who seemed destined for stardom, Andrade subsequently struggled to make an impression on the main roster. He wasn’t the first, nor will he be the last, to go from being a top name at Full Sail University to getting stuck in midcard purgatory.

Because English wasn’t his first language, Andrade’s natural charisma isn’t quite as apparent, but he could still hold his own in promos. The presence of Zelina Vega only added to the entire package as well since Vega was a natural heat magnet.

WWE released Vega in November, one month after what proved to be Andrade’s last match, a loss to Angel Garza on the Oct. 12 edition of Raw.

Andrade will almost certainly be able to land on his feet somewhere due to his age and pre-WWE profile, and fans won’t be surprised if he thrives in fresh surroundings.