SANTOS ESCOBAR BIO

With nearly two decades of experience and a rich sports-entertainment heritage coursing through his veins, Santos Escobar arrived in NXT as El Hijo del Fantasma, with potential as high as he’s capable of soaring through the air. The second-generation Superstar is a veteran of the Mexican wrestling scene. Hailing from Mexico City, he is the son of legendary luchador El Fantasma and nephew of the late Arkangel de la Muerte. Though he’s beyond well-versed in the art of lucha libre, what sets Escobar apart from many is his unusual ability to blend highflying with more powerful maneuvers. Highly acclaimed for his spectacular tope suicida that might be the industry’s best, Escobar prefers to put foes away with a high-impact Phantom Driver, which he used with great success en route to winning a tournament to become NXT Cruiserweight Champion shortly after his debut.  But he stunned Drake Maverick and the NXT Universe alike a week later, unmasking and eschewing the El Hijo del Fantasma persona in favor of his real identity. After revealing himself to be in cahoots all along with Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro — who were behind the abductions and attacks of Cruiserweights for weeks — Escobar appears even more dangerous than we ever thought.  After forming Legado Del Fantasma with Wilde and Del Toro, Escobar went on a tear on NXT 2.0, holding the NXT Cruiserweight Championship for over 320 days and competing for the NXT North American Championship on a few occasions. After adding Elektra Lopez to his familia, Legado del Fantasma decimated the competition in all facets, drawing the ire of Tony D'Angelo. Escobar butted heads with The D'Angelo Family for control of NXT 2.0, but "The Don" seized power and defeated Escobar in a Street Fight at NXT Heatwave, resulting in his banishment from NXT 2.0. Escobar would reemerge, however, alongside a returning Zelina Vega, Wilde and Del Toro of Legado del Fantasma on the Oct. 7 season premiere of SmackDown. Together, the faction would attack Hit Row and declare that the blue brand was theirs. 2023 marked a breakout year for Escobar and Legado del Fantasma as they aligned with Rey Mysterio to reform The Latino World Order. After experiencing much success within The LWO, tensions soon began to rise after Rey Mysterio won the United States Title. Escobar had been in line to face former U.S. Champion Austin Theory but was taken out by Theory before their match. With frustrations mounting within Escobar after Mysterio lost the title to Logan Paul, Escobar snapped, attacking Carlito and Mysterio in a vicious and heinous assault on the Nov. 10 episode of SmackDown. The following week, Escobar fully cemented his ousting from The LWO, wishing Mysterio not to recover from his recent surgery.  With this new vicious and unhinged side to Escobar, the rest of the SmackDown locker room will need to watch their backs.