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WHAT'S GOING ON WITH ANDRADE'S RELEASE AND HIS FIANCE CHARLOTTE FLAIR

Andrade Released

The former NXT champion, Andrade, was given his release by the WWE and it appears as though the parting was mutually agreeable. The 31-year-old Mexican native arrived in the organization six years ago and made an immediate splash in the NXT and then moved up to the big leagues at Smackdown before being drafted to Raw and becoming the United States Champion.

Andrade comes from a long line of professional wrestlers but the hype-train that saw him arrive had slowed considerably and pretty much came to a halt once Zelina Vega was released back in November. The writing was on the wall as Andrade had not been heard from since being defeated in a singles match by his former partner, Angel Garza.

The official Twitter handle of the WWE tweeted, “WWE has come to terms on the release of Andrade. We wish him all the best in all of his future endeavors.”

Andrade tweeted the following shortly thereafter, “The rumors are true and I don’t know what the future holds but I want to make my dreams come true. thank you for giving me so much support these last days…”

Andrade has not made it publicly known what his plans are going forward but he is young and talented enough to give another company a shot in the arm with the same appeal that allowed him to make it to the WWE main roster. The best online betting sites are already posting odds as to where he will land next.

What’s the Deal with Charlotte Flair?

In what could be a related issue to Andrade’s release, the relationship between the WWE and his fiance, Charlotte Flair, has been curious, to say the least. Flair is one of the company’s female headliners, therefore, it was unusual that she has been incommunicado and suddenly removed from WrestleMania banners and advertisements. Could one have anything to do with the other?

Flair is involved in a reboot of Walking Tall which starred Joe Don Baker in the 1973 original and then The Rock in the 2004 remake. This iteration is said to be aired eventually on the USA Network as a two-hour movie or perhaps a series. 

Deadline broke the news with the following description, “{Charlotte Flair will play} a Tucson cop who finds herself caught in a web of fraud, exploitation, and murder, and is forced to go full vigilante to protect her home town from falling victim to modern corruption.”

But wrestlers routinely have projects outside the realm of the WWE and as long as there are no conflicts, there is usually no problem from the company’s perspective. Therefore, the timing of the remake with Flair in the starring role doesn’t seem to warrant any tensions between her or Vince’s camp. 

Nevertheless, some are speculating that Andrade’s release may have ratcheted up tensions between The Queen and the company but that hardly seems likely as there are many wrestling duos who work for different organizations. 

Dave Meltzer talked about the brewing controversy on the Wrestling Observer Radio podcast and stated, “As far as Charlotte and WrestleMania, I’ve been asking that all week and everyone is avoiding me on that one. There’s definitely a story that’s not the movie because if it was the movie it wouldn’t be hidden. It’s definitely something that’s behind hidden as far as whatever the deal is with Charlotte.”

Several of those in the know have opined there could have been a few feathers ruffled when a storyline involving Lacey Evans, Charlotte, and her dad, Ric Flair didn’t pass muster with The Queen. The suspected drama was short-lived after Evans became pregnant and the scenario was no longer viable but there could be lingering effects.

Josh Coulson, a writer for the Sportster, wrote, “There is every chance this is chatter that has gotten out of hand. It does seem odd, though. It's possible Flair has fallen out with higher-ups over how Andrade's release was handled. Or they didn't take kindly to her speaking out about the Evans angle. It feels like it would need to be the latter or maybe even something bigger. Flair is incredibly important to WWE, and if she is going to miss WrestleMania, you can guarantee there is a serious reason for that.”

Of course, as it turned out it was all just speculation as Flair announced this week she has been battling COVID 19.

 

 

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