• AEW Has Become A “Retirement Spot” For Wrestlers, Says WWE Personality
All Elite Wrestling has drawn its share of criticism since launching in 2019, and Booker T has remained one of the loudest voices questioning the company’s direction. For years, the 2-time WWE Hall of Famer has expressed concerns about AEW’s presentation and overall approach to building its roster.
Over time, AEW has brought in a mix of young talent and well-established names from WWE. Several veterans, including Adam Copeland (Edge), Christian Cage, “The Big Show” Paul Wight and Mark Henry made the jump from WWE to Tony Khan’s promotion.
Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, current WWE NXT commentator Booker T said that AEW has become the ideal landing spot for older stars who want to wind down their careers while still collecting a paycheck.
“I wish they had AEW around when I was doing this thing. I’d have camped out. I’d have just camped out, made me a little tent. I wouldn’t have been going nowhere, man, because I’m serious, they pay you not to work in AEW.
Ric Flair’s still under contract from what I’ve been hearing. What has he done? What has Ric Flair done for AEW? It’s a safe haven. It’s definitely a retirement spot if you’re looking to wrap this thing up the right way. I get it, man. I get it. Seriously.”
Also Read: Chris Jericho Offered Retirement Storyline By WWE, Expected Return Timeline Revealed
• Andrade Clarifies His Situation With AEW
After being fired from WWE in September, Andrade returned to AEW less than a month later. However, he immediately got pulled from programming after WWE activated a non-compete clause in his contract.
When El Idolo showed up on the six-year anniversary of Dynamite, reports suggested that he had signed a full-time contract with Tony Khan’s promotion. However, Andrade has denied those claims.
He took to X to respond to Dave Meltzer’s comments about him and mentioned that he never put pen to paper with All Elite Wrestling.
“I didn’t sign any contract! Sir, you say it with such certainty, that I signed a contract, when that’s just another one of your lies.
Do some more research, Sir. I was in negotiations to sign because Mr. Tony Khan and the AEW team were having good discussions, and we came to an excellent agreement.
I’m especially grateful to TK and AEW in general. Then, I received a non-compete clause after my AEW debut and my first match in Tijuana (The Crash), but I want to clarify that I didn’t know if that was the issue with WWE (honestly, I don’t know the answer to that).
Lo mejor para usted!!!”
Andrade’s lawyers are currently negotiating with WWE to get the length of his one-year non-compete clause reduced.
