Andrade returns to AEW… again

His appearances for New Japan Pro-Wrestling earlier this week were a good sign, with Tony Khan even pointing out that Wrestle Kingdom’s announcers referred to Andrade El Ídolo as being “from AEW”. But after the drama that followed Andrade’s last return to AEW — the revelation that his last WWE contract had a one-year non-compete, followed by months of reports and quotes about legal wrangling — we wanted to see him back on Dynamite before we believed it.

That happened tonight (Jan. 7) with Dynamite in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Demand had just lost to The Young Bucks and Jack Perry. Matt & Nick Jackson were only in the match because Jake Doyle took out Perry’s orignal partners, JetSpeed. Doyle is the newest menber of The Don Callis Family, who you might remember Andrade joined in his one-night return to AEW back in early October. Callis sent Doyle & his apparent tag partner Mark Davis to take out Jack and The Bucks after their win over Ricochet and GoA. That brought out a banged up Kevin Knight & Speedball Mike Bailey to even the odds, but then the lights went out, and when they came up a masked man was in the ring. He took out the JetSpeed duo as we were informed it was Andrade. Then he took his mask off.

The ever-growing Callis Family’s celebration was cut-off by the arrival of AEW World Tag champs FTR and their manager Stokely Hathaway, still in a wheelchair selling (we hope) a rough table bump at Worlds End. Commentary eluded to history between Andrade and Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, but I don’t really remember much going on between them, here or in WWE.

Let us know if you do, and your thoughts on Andrade’s return, The Callis Family, or any of what unfolded between them, The Demand, The Elite, FTR, and JetSpeed tonight, in the comments below.

Get complete coverage of everything on the first Dynamite of 2026 in our live blog here.