AEW has officially secured a pair of big free agent pickups.
The returning Andrade El Idolo is back on the AEW roster, along with former TNA talent Jake Doyle, as announced on Wednesday evening by Tony Khan.
Their official signings were unveiled after they appeared on last night’s episode of Dynamite, both aligning themselves with the ever-expanding Don Callis Family.
Jake Doyle arrived and made his presence known in AEW tonight, and now it’s official:@JakeSomething_ is All Elite!#AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/NFZ7f87CUK
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) January 8, 2026
Many expected that ex-WWE talent Andrade would have his signing announced back in October, when he attacked Kenny Omega and returned to AEW TV. However, we learned in the weeks that followed that a non-compete tied to his last WWE deal had taken him off air after that appearance.
With his return, it seems as though such problems have been fixed now.
Andrade’s appearance on AEW TV this week came just days after he worked NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 20 card in the Tokyo Dome.
Jake Doyle is making the move over to AEW following a lengthy run in TNA Wrestling, where he went by the name Jake Something. Along with his work in TNA he has been a stand-out star on the U.S. indies in recent years, being spotlighted by significant brands like Deadlock Pro and REVOLVER.
Fightful Select noted on Wednesday night that Doyle’s most recent TNA deal had expired last week. He has been utilized in promotional material for the promotion’s upcoming debut on AMC, but now it’s clear he won’t be wrestling for the company going forward.
Doyle previously appeared on a trio of AEW Dark episodes in 2022, but hadn’t inked a deal with the company at the time.
