Santos Escobar Reportedly Expected To Resume Talks With CMLL After WWE Exit

Santos Escobar could be set to re-enter talks with CMLL following his WWE release.

On April 24, WWE made its latest round of talent releases, one of whom was Santos Escobar. Escobar’s contract had originally expired on October 7, although the company re-signed him a day later, leading to his return to AAA on January 17. With his second spell with WWE now over, it appears that his previous post-WWE plans could soon come back into focus.

According to Fightful Select, sources believe that Santos Escobar was originally expected to land in CMLL following his initial WWE contract expiration, and there is now an expectation that talks between Escobar and CMLL will resume.

“Sources familiar with the situation said that CMLL actually expected him to join the company around that time, and naturally he would have ended up likely making AEW appearances. However, we were told that WWE made a great offer to retain him. Those we spoke to at least expect the CMLL conversations to resume.”

-Fightful Select

The report from Fightful Select additionally noted that when Santos Escobar re-signed with WWE, it was believed the financial terms of his new deal would prevent him from being sidelined. However, despite being backstage for at least one main roster show, he was primarily utilised in AAA.

Santos Escobar last competed for WWE/AAA as part of the Rey de Reyes final on March 14, after which it was reported that he had suffered a torn tricep and would be out of action.

Regarding his injury status, Fightful Select added that the belief within WWE is that Santos Escobar will be cleared to return to the ring by the time his 90-day non-compete clause expires, and that he will still be able to use the company’s Performance Center to continue rehabilitating his injury during that period.

During his time with WWE, Santos Escobar captured the NXT Cruiserweight Championship and will likely be best remembered for leading Legado del Fantasma across both NXT and the main roster.

Should he return to CMLL, Santos Escobar would do so as a former two-time CMLL World Trios Championship holder and former CMLL World Middleweight Championship winner, following his five-year tenure with the promotion between 2008 and 2013 as El Hijo del Fantasma.

You can find the full list of WWE departures from April 24 here.

As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Santos Escobar’s future as soon as we hear more, and we continue to wish him all the best in his recovery.