"Non-compete" sometimes only means "non-wrestling". Ric Flair, upon leaving WWF and returning to WCW in 1993 (?) was under a non-compete clause, but he was put on TV right away, just in a non-wrestling role, in his own segment called "Flair For The Gold", according to
The Death of WCW. For 90 days, I believe, he was in a non-wrestling role. Once the term was up, he wrestled, but was still on TV until then. Maybe that's changed, or maybe that was a special case for Flair, being greatness and all.