When news broke first online and then via Tony Khan during his Worlds End press conference that Andrade El Idolo‘s contract with AEW was coming to an end, fans across the professional wrestling world near-universally predicted his next destination within the squared circle: WWE's RAW Day 1.

On paper, it made sense, right? Paul “Triple H” Levesque basically insinuated that a former champion was returning to WWE on Day 1, and considering Andrade once held the United States Championship, his inclusion on the show felt like a natural choice, especially considering the third-generation luchador saw his stock elevated in the Continental Classic via a huge win over Bryan Danielson.

Unfortunately, at least for La Sombra stans, the big reveal was instead Jinder Mahal… and then Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who sent fans home happy with a crowd-pleasing promo and a shot at Roman Reigns' spot as the head of the table, but there was a silver lining in the situation that may prove to be Andrade's in for a WWE return.

You see, due to visa issues – or “visa issues,” depending on how things shake out – Dragon Lee is unable to wrestle on NXT New Year's Evil, though he did promise a replacement who can help fill his void on the show. Factor in a farewell message posted by Andrade on social media just a few hours before the show, and frankly, it feels like all signs point to Orlando, Florida, for the Los Ingobernables member.

“I want to thank you for this time that I belonged to the company AEW and, above all to Tony Khan,” Andrade wrote on social media. “I also want to say goodbye to all the talent, security people, cameramen, referees, and everyone who works in the company for being part of my time in AEW. Kenny, Young Bucks, Tazz, Shiavone, Aubrey, Jerry, Hobbs, Hook, Kingston, Ricky, Orange, Thunder, Jack Perry, Austin, Colten, Sonjay, and many more that I can name, also how to forget all the Mexicans (todo el relajo). I enjoyed sharing the ring with STING, PAC, Darby, Garcia, Jay, and many more. I would have loved to face MOX, Page, Hobbs, Ricky, Dante, Cage, Dustin. Thank you, AEW, AND Thank you to all the fans for your support always. I wish you the best always!!!”

Would it have been cool to see Andrade return to AEW after a low-key goodbye from the promotion, appearing on Dynamite this Wednesday to insert himself as Samoa Joe's first challenger as Swerve Strickland gears up for a future title shot on a Pay-Per-View? Sure thing, Battle of the Belts is coming up, and AEW could have really given fans a reason to turn in as they look to secure a new deal with Warner Brothers Discovery with a huge match on the supplemental show. Still, a return to NXT could be cool, too, even if it's worth wondering where his ultimate spot will be within the WWE Universe long-term.

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Booker T had interesting words for Andrade after his 2021 release.

Assuming Andrade does return to NXT for New Year's Evil, one person he will have to interact with a lot is Booker T, the two-time WWE Hall of Famer who now calls matches for the promotion as a commentator.

While Booker and Andrade don't have any in-ring history, the former did have some interesting comments on the latter when he was released in 2021 regarding what held him back from becoming a top star in WWE.

“I was reading that Andrade asked for his release. WWE, of course, don't want to lose a guy like Andrade. I've said it before, this guy is next level as far as his talent goes. He is special, he is extraordinary. If he worked on his English as much as he worked on his work in the ring, he'd be a star right now,” Booker T said on his podcast via Sportskeeda. “I think that's the one thing that holds him back, not saying that's a negative in a sense. But from trying to make him a mainstream star in America, it's something that, you know, he needs that. I say that because most boxers that came to America and succeeded to that next level, all of those guys learnt English. Just so they can come out and cut a promo, be able to answer questions, and I don't know, the one guy, Julio César Chávez, I think he's the most famous boxer that never thought about speaking English. But when you are 100-0… (laughs).”

Is it a tad outdated for any pundit to suggest that a foreign star needs to speak English to become a star in America? Yes, if Kazuchika Okada came to AEW or even WWE, it's hard to argue that he wouldn't be belted up within a year of his addition by either company. Still, Booker should be happy to know that Andrade can cut promos in English, even if it still makes the most sense to pair him up with someone like Zelina Vega in WWE, as their union is incredible fun to watch not just because the smallest member of the LWO is a good talker but also because it makes Andrade look more imposing in a Man with No Name sort of way.