• WWE Told Andrade To Stay Home Without Pay For 3 Months After He Appeared In Other Companies
As we noted before, Andrade disappeared from AEW programming due to issues with his WWE non-compete clause. WWE sent a letter to AEW after the former United States Champion appeared on the 6-year anniversary of Dynamite earlier this month.
PWInsider provided an update on the situation and revealed that sources within WWE were of the view that since Andrade was released outright, he could immediately perform outside of the company and wouldn’t receive the pay that released talent usually get for the 90-day non-compete period.
After Andrade started appearing for other promotions, WWE told him that while he wouldn’t receive the 90 days’ pay, he was still not allowed to work elsewhere until the 90-day period ended.
WWE did this to prevent a precedent where talent could break company rules and immediately join other promotions.
Andrade had reportedly violated the WWE Wellness Policy a number of times, which led to his departure from the company.
• Top SmackDown Star May Be Injured
Jacob Fatu returned on the SmackDown after Wrestlepalooza to pick a fight with Drew McIntyre after The Scottish Psychopath’s loss to Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.
The Samoan Werewolf also set his sights on The American Nightmare’s Undisputed WWE Title on last week’s episode of SmackDown in Perth, Australia. However, those plans may be in jeopardy, as Fatu may have suffered an injury just days after his return.
CodyWhoades of Bodyslam recently took to X to post a GIF of Fatu and captioned it:
“The bug strikes another”
He was seemingly hinting that the injury bug has struck Fatu following World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins’ recent setback.
Fatu is scheduled to face Drew McIntyre on tomorrow’s episode of SmackDown after Crown Jewel.
The Wrestling Observer recently reported that WWE is planning a #1 Contender’s Match between Fatu and McIntyre at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Salt Lake City, Utah, on November 1, with the winner earning a title shot against Cody Rhodes at Survivor Series: WarGames.
