Andrade El Idolo on His Reason Why He Left AEW In 2023 To Return To WWE & His Return Back To AEW

As noted before, Andrade El Idolo had initially departed from AEW in December of 2023 and made his return to WWE at the Royal Rumble 2024 event in January of 2024. Andrade would depart from WWE in September of 2025 that was later revealed to have been related to at least one Wellness Policy violation. Andrade made his surprise return to AEW in October of 2025 only to be pulled from AEW television due to the situation involving his non-compete clause that was resolved in December of that year and made his re-debut this past January.

A recent episode of the AEW Close Up with Renee Paquette show featured Andrade as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Andrade’s thoughts about his reasons for his decision to leave AEW in 2023 to return to WWE and him returning back to AEW in 2025.

“Personally, it was good. Professionally, it was a little sad because my contract had expired at that moment, and I needed to make a decision. I needed to go (to WWE) for my personal life because I was married at that moment, not my professional life. I picked my personal life. I went to Tony and thanked him for the opportunity. I hoped to see him in the future, but I needed to move on for my personal life and myself, for a better relationship. I always had a relationship with AEW. Now, on this second opportunity, Tony gave me this opportunity to come back to AEW. I said, ‘Yes.’ Now is the moment to show who I am. I need to pay it back to Tony with my work in the ring. This is why I want to defend the title. I want to help people in the locker room, and I want to stay close with the boys. I am here to help the company. They want the best for the company, and for me to represent this company well. This is how I need to pay Tony for this second chance.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com