Andre Chase is officially headed back to the independent wrestling scene following his WWE release, as Atomic Legacy Wrestling has announced him for its Star Spangled Slammer X event on Saturday, July 4.
The announcement marks Chase’s first confirmed appearance since being released by World Wrestling Entertainment in April as part of the company’s post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts.
Promotional material for the event advertises Chase with a “formerly known as Andre Chase” tagline, signaling that he may soon return to a new ring identity outside WWE. However, it has not yet been confirmed whether he will revive the Harlem Bravado name he used throughout much of his pre-WWE independent career.
Because Chase primarily competed in WWE NXT, he was subject to WWE’s 30-day non-compete clause for developmental talent rather than the standard 90-day restriction applied to main roster wrestlers. His July 4 booking places his independent return roughly two and a half months after his WWE departure.
Before signing with WWE in 2021, Chase — wrestling as Harlem Bravado — built a respected independent wrestling résumé across several major promotions. Alongside his brother Lance Bravado, he captured the Open the United Gate Championship in Dragon Gate USA and also held the FIP Tag Team Championship.
He additionally became a familiar face in promotions including Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Noah, EVOLVE Wrestling, Chikara, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, including an appearance during the memorable Total Nonstop Deletion era in 2016.
After Lance Bravado retired from wrestling in 2017, Chase transitioned into more of a singles role on the indie circuit before eventually signing with WWE.
During his WWE run, Chase became one of NXT’s most recognizable personalities through the popular Chase University storyline, where he portrayed the over-the-top teacher figure leading the faction alongside talents such as Thea Hail and Duke Hudson.
The Chase University act evolved into one of NXT’s standout merchandise successes between 2022 and 2024, while Chase himself became a two-time NXT Tag Team Champion during his time with the company.
His release in April reportedly came as a surprise to many fans due to his continued television presence and popularity within NXT programming.
Chase was among several notable names released during WWE’s post-WrestleMania 42 cuts, alongside talents including Aleister Black, Motor City Machine Guns, Wyatt Sicks, Jeff Cobb, Tonga Loa, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods.
🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨
The man FKA @AndreChaseWWE is coming to ALW @WrestlingAtomic on Sat 7/4 at the HISTORIC Ocean Center Arena in Daytona Beach Florida!
Very special appearance!
Get your 🎟 NOW!https://t.co/vw6JFS6Lse pic.twitter.com/kZGAv0BTWF
— Atomic Legacy Wrestling (@WrestlingAtomic) May 22, 2026
