The public back-and-forth between Andrade El Idolo and Dave Meltzer continued this week, with Meltzer doubling down on his reporting regarding Andrade’s departure from AEW and offering further details to support his claims.
As previously reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer revealed that AEW President Tony Khan believed Andrade had agreed to re-sign with AEW in late 2023, which led to Andrade continuing to be featured prominently on television. However, Andrade ultimately chose to leave once his contract expired and returned to WWE. Meltzer also noted that while Andrade is a skilled in-ring performer, his “uniqueness has diminished” compared to others on the roster with “better speaking ability and charisma.”
Andrade fired back on Twitter/X, accusing Meltzer of making unsubstantiated claims and asserting that he personally thanked Khan in a one-on-one conversation after his contract ended. He also implied that Meltzer was wrong about “many things” but declined to provide specifics.
In response, Meltzer challenged Andrade’s criticism and defended his reporting, stating:
“Yet he couldn’t identify even one thing inaccurate. When it comes to these things, if you have facts, you respond with facts. If you have no facts, you respond with name calling or fake hyperbole. One of the most valuable lessons you’ll learn about news, politics, or anything.”
Meltzer also elaborated on the situation, pointing to AEW’s booking decisions as further evidence that Khan expected Andrade to stay. He referenced Andrade’s run in the 2023 Continental Classic tournament, where he defeated major stars such as Bryan Danielson, Daniel Garcia, and Brody King during his final weeks with the company.
“Forgetting about the solid sourcing, let’s look at the facts. When TK believes someone is leaving, he either takes them off TV (Starks, Fenix, Penta) or closes the program with a key loss to help someone staying (May and Cargill—for Statlander). He wouldn’t, on the way out, have him beat Danielson, Garcia, and Brody King in his last four weeks with the company. The only exception to this is Regal, and TK explained Regal in detail — and Regal signed an agreement to get his release that he couldn’t appear on WWE television for one year. TK made his decision, we’ve explained why, and it’s fine. But even if you didn’t know the story of the exit, the booking says very clearly he wasn’t expecting him to leave. If he was, someone else would be in the tourney to get those wins, or Garcia would have gotten them so the tourney worked out.”
The situation remains a hot topic among wrestling fans and insiders alike. Andrade has since made headlines by returning to AEW, aligning with the Don Callis Family, and winning the Crash Heavyweight Championship in Mexico, while Meltzer continues to stand by the reporting that sparked the controversy.
Yet he couldn't identify even one thing inaccurate. When it comes to these things, if you have facts, you respond with facts. If you have no facts, you respond with name calling or fake hyperbole. One of the most valuable lessons you'll learn about news, politics, or anything. https://t.co/pLbJQqWHft
— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) October 6, 2025
