Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
Unless there is a last second Hail Mary pass that leads to him agreeing to a new deal, Santos Escobar will depart WWE as of midnight, PWInsider.com can confirm. At that point, he will be a free agent and available to wrestle or sign anywhere he wishes.
We are told his contract expires at the end of the day and that WWE made overtures to keep Escobar (including a higher contract offer) but he turned down the offer.
Escobar, 41, broke into professional wrestling in his native Mexico. The son of El Fantasma, the second generation star originally performed as El Hijo del Fantasma. Under that persona, he held the CMLL Middleweight and World Trios titles. He later held the AAA Tag Team and Cruiserweight Championships.
In the United States, his first exposure nationally was with The El Rey Network's Lucha Underground series, where he performed as King Cuerno, feuding with Killshot (AEW's Swerve Strickland) and Johnny Mundo (Hennigan, also now with AEW.)
Escobar signed with WWE NXT in 2019, creating Legado del Fantasma after losing a Triplemania main event to LA Park, unmasking in what was a buzzworthy moment at the time. In WWE he took on the Escobar ring name. He had a long 300+ day run with the Cruiserweight Championship. He was moved to the main roster alongside Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro in 2022 on the Smackdown brand.
In an interview with PWInsider.com in 2022, Escobar discussed his run in NXT at the time, commenting, "These talents are willing to give everything every single night, and I think that's the main point of advantage for me, that I'm always ready, because I come from a place - Mexico - where you have to fight 100% every single night. So I'm ready for this, and when I saw the changes happening, of course you always have to stay ready, so I kept doing my program, my process, I transformed my body to fit this new image we're offering to our audience and I'm so happy, you know? I feel better than ever, and of course ready for this challenge in particular, and just hoping that I will come out on top. I know I will. "
They eventually became the WWE version of the LWO alongside Rey Mysterio, Zelina Vega and others. He turned on Mysterio in 2023 in a memorable angle and went to the finals of a United States Championship contenders tournament in 2024, losing to Kevin Owens. In recent years, he had been a solid undercard heel, working with Andrade, LA Knight and more.
Escobar last performed for WWE at several AAA live events in Mexico this past July. His last televised appearance would have been at the June WWE x AAA Worlds Collide event where he teamed with Berto and Angel to defeat Psycho Clown, Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. and Pagano.
One would think AEW and CMLL would certainly be interested. The departure also opens up the possibility of Escobar reuniting with the former Elektra Lopez, who is currently working the independent circuit as well. More as we confirm.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
