Surprising New Update Emerges On Santos Escobar's WWE Status

Escobar became a free agent as of Tuesday morning.

Santos Escobar is on his way back to WWE. | IMAGO / Independent Photo Agency Int.

About 48 hours ago, Santos Escobar was a WWE Superstar. A day later, he wasn't. Now, it appears he's back under the WWE umbrella for the foreseeable future.

The former NXT Cruiserweight Champion became a free agent on Tuesday morning after more than five years with the company. He had reportedly let his contract expire, despite WWE's attempt to re-sign him.

Some within the promotion even believed he was AEW-bound, and his profile was moved to the WWE Alumni section of its website.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported on Wednesday afternoon, however, that Escobar has indeed re-signed with WWE.

Johnson notes in his report that Escobar and WWE put the pen to paper late on Tuesday. He said WWE considered Escobar's creative concerns for his character, and delivered a new offer at a higher rate than previously extended. It was then he agreed to the new deal, and he is officially back under contract with the company.

It was indicated there is no timeline for when he will return to television, and as of press time, he remains listed as WWE Alumni on the WWE website.

Escobar's Path Back to WWE

Escobar last wrestled on TV in June at the Worlds Collide event. | wwe.com

Had Escobar jumped ship to AEW, he would have been the second WWE former luchador to do so in the last month. Andrade El Idolo made his return to the company last week, taking out Kenny Omega in the process.

The 41-year-old Escobar had a prominent lucha career as El Hijo del Fantasma, the son of Mexican wrestling legend El Fantasma. He was a CMLL World Trios Champion as well as a former CMLL World Middleweight Champion.

After a run in Lucha Underground, he made the move to WWE in 2019, debuting officially in NXT in 2020. He would go on to form Legado Del Fantasma, and would become NXT Cruiserweight Champion. The faction would get called up to the main roster, where he would eventually join forces with Rey Mysterio to reform the Latino World Order.

Escobar has seldom been seen on WWE television in 2025, however. He has only wrestled five times on TV this year, the last being at the AAA x WWE Worlds Collide show in Los Angeles this past June. There, Legado Del Fantasma defeated El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., Pagano, and Psycho Clown. He most recently wrestled for the company on a house show in Mexico in July, and has not been seen since.

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