5 Most surprising WWE releases of 2021 so far 

#3. Former WWE United States Champion Andrade

In an exclusive chat, former #WWE United States Champion @AndradeElIdolo discussed his last conversation with @TripleH, ring-name being shortened, and more!!Special thanks to @luchalibreonlin and @mas_lucha!Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://t.co/wa5E4kgBRA pic.twitter.com/RZCFRc70WH

— Sportskeeda Wrestling (@SKWrestling_) March 31, 2021

There was a time when Andrade was seen as the future of WWE and one of their hottest prospects while working down in NXT.

It was during his time in NXT that Andrade was a bonafide star and had great in matches against Drew McIntyre and Johnny Gargano.

After being moved to the main roster, it appeared that the creative team didn't have a lot of scope when it came to plans for El Idolo. While his manager Zelina Vega led him to a United States Championship reign, their split seemingly marked the end of both of their WWE careers.

Andrade actually requested his release from the company and after this was denied initially, it was hoped that WWE had some plans for him. The former NXT champion had sat on the sidelines for several months and hadn't even been part of the Royal Rumble match at this point, which signaled some sort of problem.

A few days later, WWE approved his request and granted him his release.

I want to thank @TripleH , @HeymanHustle and @RealKingRegal for all these years and great support that they gave me all these years also to the fans who were always supporting me, a big hug to all the talent and workers who always behaved kindly to me. 👊🏼🙏🏼

— “EL IDOLO” ANDRADE (@AndradeElIdolo) March 22, 2021