Backstage News On Andrade's WWE Return

Andrade officially made his onscreen return to WWE at the recent Royal Rumble show, entering the men's Rumble match at number four and lasting over 20 minutes. He was eventually eliminated by Bronson Reed.

On last night's Raw, we saw Andrade sign a contract provided by Adam Pearce to join the red brand. He also briefly interacted with SmackDown GM Nick Aldis, asking him to pass on a greeting to former manager Zelina Vega. 

Fightful Select has an update on Andrade's WWE return, reporting:

"Andrade finished up with AEW at World's End, and most everyone in the company knew he was headed back to WWE, as he made it clear he wouldn't be returning to AEW. Many in the both WWE and AEW actually expected him to debut earlier than he did, because they thought WWE may want to pull of the visual that they were able to snag away an AEW star who had appeared on PPV just two days prior."

Ultimately, WWE decided to save Andrade's debut until the Royal Rumble. His previous match for the promotion came on October 12, 2020, a losing effort to Angel Garza on Raw. 

Fightful Select also reports that Andrade's wife, currently-injured WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair, was backstage at the Royal Rumble to support his return.