WWE veteran shares an honest opinion on Andrade's AEW return: "I don't think that's good for the business"

Andrade made his return to All Elite Wrestling last week following a controversial exit from WWE. Upon his comeback, the 35-year-old went after Kenny Omega to close out AEW Dynamite's 6th anniversary show. While it was a buzzworthy ending, a WWE veteran believes it was not good for the pro-wrestling business.

Wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell believes that such transfers are bad for business in the long term. His comments came in response to reports claiming that El Idolo had violated WWE’s wellness policy, which ultimately led to his release from the company. However, due to the non-compete clause, the former United States Champion managed to make his AEW comeback within a few weeks.

Speaking on StoryTime with Dutch Mantell, the former WWE manager explained that transfers involving talents fired for violating wellness policies could send the wrong message to younger wrestlers. He pointed out that it could create the belief among wrestlers that they can get away with similar behavior if a star like Andrade faces no real consequences and still lands a major deal with AEW.

“I mean, you could be the biggest mess-up in WWE and then all of a sudden just drop out and go right to AEW with big money and a good contract. I don’t think that’s good for the business, because then you have young guys starting out, and they see someone screw up so badly that you’d think nobody would want him, and then Tony Khan takes him. So what does that show the young guys? ‘Well, we can do the same thing, I guess.’”

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Check out the full comments by the veteran below:

Dutch Mantell believes Andrade's WWE run lowered his value

Andrade made his return to WWE in January 2024 following a decent run in All Elite Wrestling. While many considered it to be the breakout moment of El Idolo, he went on to get lost in the shuffle on WWE SmackDown. Wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell stated that the Latino star's WWE run lowered his value.

During the same discussion on Story Time with Dutch Mantell, the 75-year-old said that Andrade's initial AEW run did not give him any value to call himself a big star. However, when he returned to WWE in 2024, the Stamford-based promotion also added nothing significant to his career. Therefore, Mantell said that El Idolo holds no importance in the eyes of the fans.

“I mean, he was nothing in WWE, and it’s nothing against him, it’s just how they used him. They didn’t give him much to work with. But his AEW run didn’t mean anything either. And now that he’s gone back to AEW, his WWE stint actually lowered his value in the eyes of fans. Now they’re watching a guy that two companies didn’t want and have already shipped out.” he said

With that said, only time will tell what Tony Khan and his creative team have in store for Andrade in All Elite Wrestling moving forward.

If you use any quotes from here, please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and give an H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcription.

About the author

Anugrah Tyagi is an AEW writer at Sportskeeda. With a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, his academic background is rooted in business. However, his true passion has always been storytelling, especially the kind of tales that unfold in the world of professional wrestling. Writing gave him a way to channel that passion, and soon it turned into his profession. He has been working as a sports journalist for over two years. During this time, he has contributed to multiple prominent sports media outlets.

He first got into pro wrestling in 2014, during the unforgettable Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority storyline in WWE. As a journalist, accuracy and integrity are non-negotiable for Anugrah. He always verifies facts through credible sources before publishing anything. Whether it’s breaking news or analysis, he double-checks details. He has written over 2000 articles so far, with one of his pieces drawing a positive reaction from NXT's Thea Hail.

Anugrah's favorite wrestler is Seth Rollins. He admires The Visionary's work ethic, resilience, and unwavering dedication to his craft. If he could travel back to the Attitude Era, he would have loved to manage Chris Jericho. Anugrah feels Y2J was the perfect mix of charisma, rebellion, and in-ring talent in WWE. He would have helped the multi-time world champion scale new heights.

When not watching or writing about pro wrestling, Anugrah likes diving into movies and TV shows, especially ones with strong storytelling. He's also into calisthenics; it's his way of staying grounded and pushing his limits. Anugrah also enjoys reading books and solving puzzles that challenge his thinking ability.

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Edited by Anugrah Tyagi