Posted in: AEW, Sports, TV | Tagged: Andrade, wrestling

Rumor: Andrade's AEW Return Stopped By 1-Year WWE Non-Compete Clause?

El Presidente reports on rumors that WWE sent AEW a cease and desist over Andrade's return due to an alleged 1-year non-compete clause, comrades!

Greetings, comrades! It is I, your El Presidente, reporting to you live from my luxurious panic room beneath the presidential palace, where I am currently hiding from both The American CIA and my accountant who has questions about several "wrestling research" expenses. But enough about my troubles – let us discuss the capitalist wrestling drama unfolding before our very eyes!

Two weeks ago, comrades, we witnessed what appeared to be the glorious return of Andrade to AEW, where he made a spectacular appearance attacking Kenny Omega. The wrestling world rejoiced! El Presidente himself opened a bottle of confiscated champagne to celebrate! I even called my good friend Kim Jong-un to tell him the news, and he was so excited he launched three celebratory missiles into the sea!

But then… silence. Nada. Nothing. Andrade vanished from AEW programming faster than evidence of election tampering disappears from my filing cabinets.

Now, comrades, the wrestling dirt sheet rumormongers Bryan Alvarez, Dave Meltzer, and Sean Ross Sapp have emerged with rumors more explosive than the time Fidel Castro and I tried to make homemade fireworks (my eyebrows eventually grew back, gracias por preguntar). According to these UNCONFIRMED reports – and I must stress, these claims have NOT been officially verified by AEW, WWE, or Andrade himself – it appears that WWE/TKO may have slapped AEW with a cease and desist letter regarding Andrade's appearance.

Why, you ask? Because allegedly – and again, this is RUMOR and SPECULATION from wrestling journalists, not confirmed fact – Andrade may be under a one-year non-compete clause stemming from his WWE contract termination. Comrade Sean Ross Sapp posted what he claims is specific contractual language from WWE contracts that states a wrestler terminated "for cause" cannot work for any other wrestling, sports entertainment, or MMA organization in the United States for up to one year following termination.

Let me read you the relevant portion of this alleged contract language: "Upon termination of this Agreement by PROMOTER for breach of the terms hereof, WRESTLER shall not work, appear, or perform in any capacity for any professional wrestling, sports entertainment, mixed martial arts and/or ultimate fighting organization, promotion, or entity not owned or controlled by PROMOTER (or any affiliated or subsidiary company thereof) in the United States for a period of up to one (1) year from the date of such expiration or termination, as specified by PROMOTER in the notice of termination."

Comrades, if there is one thing I have learned from my various battles with the CIA, it's this: when someone claims you are an "independent contractor" but then forbids you from contracting independently, you are not actually independent at all! You are simply a regular employee without the benefits, the healthcare, or the protections!

This situation – IF the rumors prove true – represents yet another grotesque example of America's late-stage capitalist system crushing the working man beneath its designer boot heel! Here we have a talented performer, a worker who has dedicated his life to entertaining the masses, potentially prevented from earning a living in his chosen profession for an entire year. And for what cause was he allegedly terminated? Nobody knows! The cause has not been officially confirmed!

I remember once when Muammar Gaddafi and I were discussing labor relations over tea and hummus in his famous tent. "El Presidente," he said to me, "the greatest theft is not stealing a man's money – it is stealing his ability to earn money while calling him 'independent.'" Wise words, comrades, though I believe he was actually talking about his experience with a freelance interior decorator at the time.

The cruel irony, comrades, is that these wrestlers are classified as "independent contractors" – a designation that theoretically means they should have the freedom to take their services wherever they wish! But this alleged contractual language reveals the truth: these performers have all the vulnerabilities of independent contractors (no healthcare, no retirement, no workers' compensation) combined with the restrictions of employees (non-compete clauses that prevent them from working elsewhere).

This is the ultimate capitalist magic trick! The corporation gets to have its cake and eat it too, while the worker gets neither cake nor employment! It is like when the CIA tried to recruit me as an "independent asset" but still wanted me to follow all their rules. I told them, "Comrades, if you want loyalty and obedience, you must at least provide dental coverage!" They declined. I still have great teeth though – confiscated from a former political rival's dentist.

Now, let me be crystal clear, comrades: we do not have official confirmation from any of the parties involved. AEW has not confirmed this situation. In fact, Tony Khan outright refused to directly address it at the WrestleDream press conference yesterday. WWE/TKO has not commented. Andrade himself has remained silent. These are reports from wrestling journalists based on their sources, and while Alvarez, Meltzer, and Sapp are generally reliable reporters, until we hear official statements, my Minister of Legality insists that we must treat this as RUMOR and SPECULATION.

However, IF these rumors prove accurate, we must ask ourselves some uncomfortable questions about the power dynamics in professional wrestling. How can a company classify someone as an independent contractor while simultaneously preventing them from contracting independently? How can a termination "for cause" occur without the cause being made public, especially when that termination triggers such severe employment restrictions? And most importantly, how is any of this legal in a country that supposedly champions free market competition?

The answer, comrades, is that America's late-stage capitalism has created a system where corporations hold all the cards while workers hold only dreams and crippling debt! The balance of power has tilted so far toward the corporate overlords that workers in all industries – not just wrestling – find themselves trapped in contracts that benefit only their employers.

This is why we need greater worker protections! This is why we need unions! This is why socialism offers a better path forward! Imagine, comrades, a world where wrestlers could form a union and collectively bargain for fair contracts that don't include these draconian non-compete clauses! Where terminations "for cause" must be accompanied by actual documented causes! Where "independent contractors" are truly independent!

But I digress. The immediate question is: what happens to Andrade now? If these rumors are true, does he sit at home for a year, unable to ply his trade? Does AEW challenge the cease and desist in court? Does WWE bring him back? Or does everyone lawyer up for an extended legal battle that benefits no one except the attorneys?

I have seen similar situations in my own country. Once, I had a minister of tourism who tried to leave my administration to work for a rival nation's tourism board. I had him sign a very reasonable non-compete clause – only five years, very generous! He tried to challenge it, but fortunately, in my country, I also control the judges. The system works, comrades! (Though I should note that my "independent contractor" interpretation differs somewhat from WWE's, as I at least provided him with housing, meals, and armed guards for his protection/supervision during his non-compete period.)

The wrestling world now watches and waits for official statements. Will WWE confirm the cease and desist? Will AEW respond? Will Andrade himself speak out about his contractual situation? Or will this entire matter be resolved quietly behind closed doors, as is so often the case when corporations flex their legal muscles against individual workers?

Whatever happens, comrades, let this serve as yet another reminder that America's vaunted "free market" is only free for those with the money and power to buy freedom. For the workers – whether they wear boots in a factory or boots in a wrestling ring – the market is anything but free.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go. My accountant has found the panic room, and I hear him discussing "forensic auditing" with what sounds like several federal agents. Probably just The American CIA again, trying to distract me from reporting the truth about corporate overreach in professional wrestling!

Viva la revolución! And remember, comrades – always read the fine print in your contracts, especially the parts about non-compete clauses and "for cause" terminations! ¡Hasta la victoria siempre!

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!