Should wrestling companies be more strict before signing talents?

Before I start with the main subject, I just want to say how dumb AEW is for not promoting anything for next Tuesday’s Dynamite. NXT is putting on a pay-per-view level show on Tuesday, and all AEW is advertising as counterprogramming is Mercedes Moné vs. a surprise local opponent. I get that Tony loves to have surprises on his show, but if he thinks fans will tune in just to see what he’s doing—when NXT has done a hell of a job promoting their “Showdown” special—he’s delusional. Most fans will probably watch NXT live and catch Dynamite later, since they know exactly what they’re getting with NXT compared to Dynamite. I get that Tony has his own way of doing things, but actually advertising what’s going to happen on next week’s show in advance—especially when you’re going head-to-head with a big event like NXT Showdown—should be a no-brainer. In the end, the goal is to attract as many viewers as possible, and that’s something Tony still hasn’t learned. That’s why only the diehards are still watching AEW, while everyone else is watching WWE, because WWE understands that when you market your show a week in advance, fans are far more likely to tune in than if you keep everything a mystery.

Now, on to the main subject.

Last Wednesday, Andrade made his surprise return to AEW. While I’m happy for him that he was able to get his job back after everything that went down the first time, this raises a bigger question: Should companies like AEW be stricter before bringing back talent?

The fact is, we all know why Andrade was let go from WWE. He had multiple wellness violations, and they had no choice but to cut ties with him. While we don’t know if those failures were drug-related or simply him refusing to take the tests, he still violated the policy. On top of that, reports said he refused to go to AAA and was disrespectful to management, which ultimately led to his release—the same type of issues that happened in AEW.

So why did Tony re-sign him knowing all of this? A few reasons come to mind. The first is that he’s a former WWE guy and was just on their TV last month. But that can’t be the only reason, because if it was, Karrion Kross would already be in AEW. He was more over than Andrade when he left WWE and was a lot less trouble to manage.

The second reason is AEW’s desire to have a bigger presence in Mexico. Unfortunately for Tony, WWE has most of the top Mexican names locked down after acquiring AAA, so Andrade might have looked like the best available option. By signing him, Tony probably thinks he’s landed a big Mexican star who can help AEW break into that market.

That’s not the worst idea, but if Andrade was really such a big star, wouldn’t WWE have kept him and done everything to protect him? He’s been with them twice now, and both times he failed to get over. In the end, WWE clearly felt the risk wasn’t worth the reward.

So is bringing him back to AEW worth it? Honestly, I doubt it. In the ring, he’s not the same Andrade we saw in his early NXT days, and I don’t think he has the star power to make AEW a serious draw in Mexico. Worse, his backstage antics could bring back the toxic environment Tony has been trying to clean up.

And that’s the real problem: why do companies like AEW keep bringing back troubled wrestlers without making them accountable for their past actions? Mostly because they need recognizable names. Having an ex-WWE guy on the roster will always bring some extra eyes to your product, no matter who it is. That’s why AEW keeps signing ex-WWE talent, even if they know those guys might cause problems in the locker room. Heck, that’s why MLW signed Matt Riddle and even made him their champion, despite knowing he was going to be a major PR headache.

In the end, wrestling companies should be tougher on talent with personal demons who could create issues down the road. If you want to sign guys like Riddle or Andrade, fine—but have them sign a contract with clear behavioral clauses. If they act up or become a liability, you cut ties immediately. That way, you protect your company from bad PR and give the talent a real incentive to straighten up instead of thinking they can get away with anything.