WWE News: Current Champion To Serve 30-Day Suspension For Wellness Policy Violation
While he may have technically retained his United States Championship against Humberto Carrillo on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, it looks like Andrade won’t be around to defend that belt for the next month or so, after reportedly being suspended for violating WWE’s Wellness Policy.
According to a report from Pro Wrestling Sheet, Andrade was informed on Monday morning of the suspension, which will keep him out of action for the next 30 days due to a first-time Wellness Policy violation. Further specifics, such as the type of prohibited substance the Mexican wrestler allegedly used, are still unavailable as of this writing. Likewise, WWE has yet to confirm the suspension on its official website but is expected to do so in the coming days.
As further discussed by Pro Wrestling Sheet, Andrade was still allowed to compete on this week’s Raw, but this was done in order to write him off television for the duration of his suspension. In his match against Carrillo, the reigning United States Champion was disqualified — thus allowing him to retain the title — after manager Zelina Vega interfered. This led to a segment where Carrillo hit his Hammerlock DDT finisher on Andrade, downing him on the concrete floor to set up what may be a storyline injury.
Talking about whether Andrade will retain his United States Championship or not, Forbes speculated that it’s possible he will hang on to his belt, given how his storyline with Carrillo is not a major focal point of Monday Night Raw. The publication, however, suggested that the grappler might not be “firmly established” enough on the red brand for him to avoid getting stripped of the title.
What is WWE United States Champion Andrade's favourite moment in WWE? Find out as @AndradeCienWWE answers The Ten Count pic.twitter.com/RuJ2Y2R6Db
— Sun Sport (@SunSport) January 24, 2020
At this point, it’s unclear whether Andrade’s suspension will affect his upward trajectory as one of the Raw brand’s more promising performers. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the former NXT Champion is among the many wrestlers that have been rumored to be in line for an improved push, thanks to Paul Heyman’s offscreen role as Monday Night Raw executive director.
Andrade — real name Manuel Oropeza — is not the only WWE superstar to be suspended for a first-ever Wellness Policy violation in recent months. Late last year, Friday Night SmackDown stars Robert Roode and Primo Colon were both given 30-day suspensions by company officials for similar reasons. While Roode immediately returned to television after his suspension and most recently competed at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Colon is still in his home country of Puerto Rico as he and his cousin, Epico, remain seldom-used parts of the SmackDown roster.
