WWE Rumors: Superstar’s Status ‘Doesn’t Look Good’ As Long Absence Continues, Per ‘Ringside News’

Although he was supposed to be assigned to Monday Night Raw following the October 2020 brand draft, Andrade has yet to return to WWE television. As a recent report suggested, the Mexican superstar’s future in the company remains as unclear as ever, if the booking for this year’s Royal Rumble main event is any indication.

Citing a subscriber-only report from Fightful Select, Ringside News wrote on Wednesday that Andrade was not included among the alternates for the men’s battle royal at last month’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. This was in contrast to how the likes of Buddy Murphy and Cedric Alexander were on standby in case someone would be scratched from the show’s titular men’s match. The former outlet, however, noted that it wasn’t clear whether the former United States Champion was in the building for the event.

As Ringside News noted in its headline, the recent rumors lend credence to the belief that Andrade’s status as a WWE superstar “doesn’t look good.” During last year’s draft, “El Idolo” was one of a handful of wrestlers who weren’t selected by either Raw or Friday Night SmackDown, and rumors around that time hinted he would be returning to NXT, where he experienced success as the black-and-gold brand’s top champion. At that time, a return to NXT seemed plausible, as several of its superstars, including Finn Balor and Kyle O’Reilly, were sidelined due to various injuries.

Separately, reports also suggested that Andrade went undrafted because of how Vince McMahon had lost interest in him, with one article alleging that the WWE chairman “doesn’t give a sh*t” about the grappler. However, it was soon rumored that the company would be assigning Andrade to Raw but had yet to publicly announce the move and make it official. Likewise, the talk of a renewed push for the 31-year-old has yet to materialize as his absence from televised programming continues.

The idea of Andrade heading back to the black-and-gold ranks was also floated far more recently, with Daily DDT writing last month that he has the potential to step up as a formidable contender for Balor’s NXT Championship. The outlet also recommended that WWE could assign him a new manager, bringing up five-time Women’s Champion Melina — who was previously rumored to be coming back to the promotion — as a candidate to replace the since-released Zelina Vega.

Prior to his unexplained hiatus, Andrade’s last match took place on the October 12, 2020, episode of the red brand’s weekly program, where he lost to Angel Garza in less than three minutes.