34-year-old WWE star to leave SmackDown after failing to get a title shot at Crown Jewel? Chances explored
WWE Friday Night SmackDown will take place later tonight. The show will air live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and it will feature two fantastic matches announced. One bout will be DIY vs. The Motor City Machine Guns, while the other could conclude a big rivalry.
Andrade is set to go one-on-one with Carmelo Hayes in what is being billed as "Game Seven." There are two twists here, with the winner likely earning a United States Title shot for Crown Jewel, and LA Knight will serve as the referee. If those goes poorly, however, it could lead to Andrade leaving SmackDown.
The 34-year-old star is one of the very best on the brand, and he proves it whenever he steps into the ring. Still, he has already lost to LA Knight once. If he loses the rivalry with Melo and loses a chance at a title, it could spell the end for him on the brand.
Of course, Nick Aldis likely wouldn't want to give Andrade up, given how good he is. Instead, the former WWE United States Champion would probably be the one looking to exit the blue brand.
If Andrade is either embarrassed by the loss or frustrated enough to believe he needs to start over, getting traded or outright quitting the show could be the best move for his career.
Andrade could return to a different WWE brand
If Andrade does lose to Carmelo Hayes and misses out on a possible shot at the WWE United States Championship, there are two other destinations for him in the company. He could go to Monday Night RAW or NXT.
RAW is heading to Netflix in January and could soon become the most-viewed show each week again. The brand features Gunther and Bron Breakker as the singles champions, two names Andrade could test himself against.
As for NXT, Andrade has been on top there before and may want to be again. He could try to defeat Trick Williams to become a two-time NXT Champion. Alternatively, he could try to dethrone Tony D'Angelo and become the NXT North American Champion for the first time.
Of course, all of these options are under the assumption that Andrade will lose on WWE SmackDown and won't handle the loss particularly well. Given how talented the star is, win or lose, stay or leave, he will find a great deal of success and put on bangers anywhere he goes.