Santos Escobar To Leave WWE? Report Gives Update on SmackDown Star

The report comes from Fightful Select, who explain that Santos Escobar's current deal will be expiring "very soon". It's claimed that while the two parties have discussed an extension, it doesn't look likely he will be remaining with the company.

Escobar has been with WWE since August 2019, when he debuted in NXT after removing his mask and abandoning his previous lucha character, 'El Hijo del Fantasma'. He held the NXT Cruiserweight Championship while forming Legado Del Fantasma as its leader.

The 41-year-old moved to the main roster and turned babyface to align with Rey Mysterio and become a member of the Latino World Order. But he later ditched the group and revived Legado Del Fantasma, replacing Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro with Angel and Berto.

This year has seen Escobar serve more as a manager than a competitor, and his lack of in-ring time hasn't gone unnoticed by fans. His latest social media post features a snap of himself with an hourglass, which was posted just days before Fightful's report.

Triple H Turned Down Santos Escobar Proposal

Escobar's WWE future looks in doubt, but he seemed to be on the right track back in 2023 when he teamed with Mysterio as part of the revived LWO. He was the one who had proposed bringing the group back, but this idea was initially turned down by Triple H.

The Mexican recalled a conversation with Triple H, in which he asked WWE's CCO whether he could bring the LWO back. He told Ryan Satin on Out of Character:

"I told him, ‘Can I bring back the LWO?’ Before I said the letter ‘O,’ he said, ‘No. I want you to be you, and I want people to see you, and not think of anybody else. I want you to think of something. You want a group? We can do a group. But write something down, think about it, give it to me, and we’ll see. So that kind of shot down my initial desire, but Triple H was right. The time wasn’t right, it wouldn’t have been what it is right now."

Escobar acknowledged that the LWO needed an original member, which they eventually secured when Rey joined as its leader. However, Triple H's decision to reject the initial proposal led to the creation of Legado del Fantasma, a stable that has undergone two iterations on NXT and SmackDown.

The group managed to transition from babyfaces to heels once Santos turned on Rey and looked to spark a credible singles run. But his stop-start pushing saw his connection with fans dissipate, and it appears his contract situation has played a role in his reduced TV time this year.