Andrade El Idolo’s contract issues just got even murkier—and now Eric Bischoff is weighing in.
The WWE Hall of Famer didn’t hold back during a recent episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, where he dissected the legal chaos surrounding Andrade’s status with WWE and AEW. The former WCW boss questioned how Andrade was able to appear on AEW television while reportedly still under some form of WWE non-compete, especially if he breached his deal before exiting.
“How did he end up on TV, if he was under contract and had a non-compete from the AEW side? How does that even happen? —I can understand Andrade not necessarily being fluent in contract language, right? —I can understand how the talent might have gotten confused. —you still have the AEW side. I mean, they’ve got a responsibility to vet this, knowing that he was previously under contract, and knowing that previously, WWE was very strict about their noncompetes. That’s the part that makes me go, how the hell did that happen?”
Bischoff also broke down the legal reality of non-competes, pointing out that many of them don’t hold up in court depending on the state—and whether the talent is willing to fight back.
“Every jurisdiction is different— for example, good luck enforcing a non-compete in California. Good luck, Florida. Good luck, Alabama. Try to force that sh*t—it really comes down to do you have the money and the time to challenge it? If you do, you’ll probably win. You’ll burn a bridge in the process, and you’ll blow probably 150 to 250 grand in the process— Most people aren’t willing to fight it. They’ll just ride it out.”
He then turned his attention to AEW President Tony Khan, saying there’s little chance Khan would willingly go through a long and expensive court battle to fight WWE over Andrade’s non-compete.
“He’s gonna have to sit through depositions and discovery. Tony Khan does not want to sit through discovery or depositions. Even if you can afford it, it’s a time suck— I just can’t imagine it would be worth it to him. This is not a guy that you’re going to spend half a million dollars in legal fees fighting for.”
Bischoff said he would love to see it play out in court—but not because of Andrade. He believes it could completely shift how wrestling contracts are handled in the future.
“It would end up creating a precedent. It would end up changing the way the business operates, potentially— or potentially Tony gets his ass kicked to just walk away with an empty fruit basket.”
Meanwhile, Andrade remains stuck in limbo. AEW is reportedly waiting to bring him back once the legal mess clears, but that won’t happen unless someone steps up and challenges WWE’s aggressive enforcement.
Do you think Tony Khan should risk a legal fight over Andrade’s non-compete? Or is it smarter to wait it out? Drop your thoughts in the comments—we want to hear what side you’re on.
October 26, 2025 11:32 am
