Andrade’s future has taken another unexpected turn, and this time he’s revealing just how complicated things have become behind the scenes. Speaking to Deportes, he explained that he is now negotiating with WWE to be released from what he believed was a long-expired one-year non-compete clause. According to Andrade, the company only enforced the clause after he appeared on AEW programming, leaving him blindsided.

“My lawyers are already talking with WWE’s lawyers, and they’re reaching an agreement. I don’t know the exact date,” Andrade said, noting that he had genuinely believed he was free to work anywhere.

He also revisited the Wellness policy issue that contributed to his WWE exit, explaining it came down to different medical standards between Mexico and the United States. “I got a warning because there are many medicines or supplements in Mexico that you can use, but over there you can’t,” he said.

The situation sparked plenty of discussion on Wrestling Observer Radio. Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez noted that WWE’s decision to activate the clause was said to be at their discretion. Meltzer admitted he’s unsure how much of Andrade’s account is accurate, but he did highlight the legality of such a lengthy non-compete.

“I would be very skeptical of some of it,” Meltzer said, adding that Andrade expects the matter to be resolved in under three months. “I was kind of told when this thing went down that they had the one year non-compete but they probably weren’t going to enforce it for the full year. They might. I think they felt it was up to their discretion.”

He also expressed doubt the clause would survive any serious legal challenge. “If there was a court fight that was threatened, they would probably have to stop, because there’s no way that they could keep him from wrestling for a year and not pay him. And have the thing be worldwide, it could never hold up in court.”

According to Meltzer, Andrade was under the impression that no non-compete existed at the time he showed up in AEW, only to be informed afterward that WWE still considered it valid. Alvarez then questioned whether Tony Khan might have put Andrade on AEW TV without a fully secured contract.

“He may have signed a contract for all we know without the knowledge that he couldn’t sign a contract. He obviously told Tony that there was no non-compete,” Meltzer replied, suggesting the entire situation may stem from miscommunication and assumptions on all sides.