AEW seemingly denied former WWE Superstar's release request
AEW notably has a unique approach to the stars who request their releases and has reportedly refused a few names who wanted to leave the promotion. According to a recent report, Andrade El Idolo had his release request denied.
El Idolo reportedly got into a brief backstage altercation with Sammy Guevara after the two had a back-and-forth on Twitter. Some claimed he purposely started the drama to get fired, but surprisingly was never released.
According to Dave Meltzer in the recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is trying not to risk tampering with any AEW contracts. Notably, Meltzer briefly noted that Andrade El Idolo requested his release.
"Andrade did want out months ago and couldn’t get a release," Meltzer said.
Andrade El Idolo at the #WWEHOF ceremony with Charlotte Flair. https://t.co/7saaZrUj65 #WWE
Andrade has notably commented on some of the reports about his All Elite Wrestling status over the past few months, notably debunking some of the more outrageous claims. After it was recently reported that he refused a return angle storyline, the star took to Twitter to slam the claims made against him.
Missed out on last week's AEW Rampage? Catch up with the results before tonight's show right here.
Andrade El Idolo wants AEW Collision to introduce a brand split to the promotion
Initially, some reports alleged that Collision would offer a soft brand split for the All Elite Wrestling roster. However, Tony Khan has since shut down the rumors, but there are still some hoping that the promotion will take on WWE's model.
During an appearance on the Please Steal Our Ideas podcast, Andrade El Idolo proposed what he'd like to see within the new Saturday show.
“I don’t know yet, but I hope [the shows will be] separate. I hope [they] make a new title. Maybe separate the brands like it’s another company. I hope that Dynamite, the roster, and the talent — Collision, this new brand for AEW, I wish [for the shows to be] separate. I don’t know yet.”
#AEW World Trios Champion, #HouseOfBlack’s @snm_buddy, will collide with the returning @AndradeElIdolo on Saturday Night #AEWCollision LIVE at 8pm ET/7pm CT on @tntdrama! https://t.co/xew4baFlFM
Andrade continued, noting that he actually wants Collision to have its own set of championship belts.
"I wish. I hope so, too because this is a new brand. We need new goals. If we have different titles, it’s good because you can compete for the title," Andrade said. (H/T Fightful)
It remains to be seen if the promotion will eventually split its stacked roster or not but in light of all the complaints related to lack of screen time for fan-favorite stars, this might be the best option in the end.