Eric Bischoff broke down the complexity of Andrade’s WWE non-compete and how it might affect his potential move to AEW. He emphasized that “Every judge and every jurisdiction is going to be different,” noting that enforcing non-competes varies widely depending on the state: “California, for example — good luck enforcing a non-compete in California. Florida, good luck. Alabama, try enforcing that you know, in certain states. You’ll get laughed out. A judge won’t even talk to you.” Bischoff explained that while challenging such clauses is possible, it’s costly and time-consuming: “It really comes down to: do you have the money and the time to challenge it? … you’ll probably win. You’ll burn a bridge in the process and you’ll blow probably 150 to 250 grand in the process.”
He also questioned AEW’s handling of Andrade’s contract, suggesting the promotion may not have done full due diligence: “I can understand how the talent might have gotten confused… But yeah, let’s assume that he was just confused or didn’t realize it for some reason. You still have the AEW side. I mean, they’ve got a responsibility to vet this knowing that he was previously under contract and knowing that previously WWE was very strict about their non-competes.”
Regarding AEW owner Tony Khan potentially fighting WWE in court over Andrade, Bischoff cautioned about the practical downsides: “I mean, Tony if he wanted to spend the money, he could certainly spend the money… but he’s going to have to sit through depositions and discovery. Even if you can afford it, it’s a time suck. It’s gonna take up so much of your time and focus.” He concluded that it likely wouldn’t be worth the effort for Andrade: “I just can’t imagine it would be worth it to him. I mean this no offense to Andrade… but this is not a guy that you’re going to spend half a million dollars in legal fees fighting for.”
(Source: 83 Weeks)