The excitement didn’t end after this week’s Raw, as a thrilling six-man tag team street fight sent the Houston crowd home happy. This week’s episode marked the final Raw of the year and the last televised installment ahead of the much-anticipated move to Netflix on January 6.
After WWE Raw (December 30)
After the show went off the air, fans were treated to an electrifying street fight as The New Day joined forces with Santos Escobar to battle Rey Mysterio, Jey Uso, and LA Knight. The trio of fan-favorite babyfaces secured the victory, much to the delight of the energetic Houston audience.
Our Dark Match tonight is a 6 man tag team street fight with La knight , Rey Mysterio and Jey Uso vs Santos Escobar and New Day #WWERawpic.twitter.com/r0C0ALQ4OX
The New Day has been at odds with Mysterio as of late, with Rey making clear to their pair that they are no longer welcome in the locker room. Last week, Mysterio offered an olive branch, saying an apology for betraying Big E would go a long way into the pair being welcomed back but Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods refused to share any remorse.
Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest from WWE Monday Night Raw, as the company prepares to embark on a new era for the red brand on Netflix.
On the eve of WrestleMania 39, Rey Mysterio brought back the Latino World Order and invited Santos Escobar and his Legado Del Fantasma allies to join. While Escobar is no longer part of the LWO and has feuded with the group as the leader of Legado Del Fantasma, the 40-year-old wrestler will never take his time with Rey for granted.
“It was an honor. It was a year of changing and traveling with Rey Mysterio. Long hours on the road just talking, learning and listening. He’s a beautiful person and an amazing performer. To have the opportunity to be with him was a gift.”
Escobar turned on the LWO in late 2023 after he assisted Logan Paul in his U.S. title victory over Mysterio at that year’s Crown Jewel. Mysterio had won the gold back in August, filling in for Escobar who had been attacked by then-champion Austin Theory. Tensions between the two sides continued to boil all the way to WrestleMania 40, where Rey and Andrade defeated Escobar and Dominik Mysterio.
Working With Triple H
In both WWE NXT and on the main roster, Escobar has worked closely under WWE CCO Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque. In the interview, Escobar had similar praise for the 14-time WWE World Champion.
“Triple H is always a pleasure. He’s a wise man, he knows everything. At least in my perspective, he’s been there and done that several times, so every time I have the opportunity to work with him, I just cherish it.”
With Mysterio and Triple H, Escobar has the chance to learn from two of WWE’s all-time greats, and is making the most of his opportunity. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest on Santos Escobar as he continues to develop in WWE, thanks to the assistance of the two former World Champions.
Rey Mysterio proposed a tag team challenge to Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio for WWE WrestleMania 40. This could set up another son vs father confrontation on the grandest stage of them all.
Rey Mysterio’s WrestleMania 40 Challenge
During Friday’s SmackDown, Rey Mysterio, accompanied by the LWO, announced his intention to face Escobar and Dominik with a mystery partner. Then, that mystery partner was revealed.
Rey later said that Dragon Lee is his chosen partner for the WrestleMania match, and a brawl ensued between the LWO and Escobar’s Legado Del Fantasma.
The ongoing storyline between the LWO and Legado Del Fantasma gained momentum on the 3/29 SmackDown when Dominik Mysterio appeared to align with Santos Escobar’s faction.
Dominik, originally part of The Judgment Day on Raw, did not have a clear WrestleMania 40 direction. Now, it appears he may have a match. Despite this development, WWE has not yet confirmed the tag team match for WrestleMania.
In the aftermath of Friday’s segment, a match between Zelina Vega and Elektra Lopez is scheduled for next week’s SmackDown, serving as the go-home show for WrestleMania 40.
Rey Mysterio’s Recent Injury
The 48-year-old had been working through a torn meniscus for nearly three months. Then he needed to go out of action to get that corrected. He is now back in WWE, where he is more than ready to step up at the show of shows.
We will have to see how WWE books things for WrestleMania 40. You may find the updated lineup for the 4/5 episode of SmackDown in the space below.
WWE SmackDown Card (4/5):
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Jey Uso vs. Solo Sikoa
The KO Show with Kevin Owens & Randy Orton
New Catch Republic’s Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate vs. Grayson Waller & Austin Theory
The feud between Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar may be coming to a boiling point even before WrestleMania 40.
Escobar took on Dragon Lee on the 3/15 episode of WWE SmackDown and got a quick victory against the young star, but the Legado Del Fantasma leader wasn’t done. He along with Humberto Carillo and Angel Garza aimed to unleash a beatdown on Lee before Carlito came out to even the odds.
Not long after, Mysterio ran down and set up Escobar for the 619, but Santos slid out before it could be done. Months ago, Santos stabbed Mysterio in the LWO in the back and Rey didn’t forget the pact he and Escobar once made.
“It was supposed to me and you together – familia! Let me give you what you want. How about next week: one-on-one, you and and me? And I promise you, [first spoken in Spanish] from the bottom of my heart, I will slap that stupd, arrogant smile off your face!”
WWE later confirmed the match, but Legado del Fantasma are already setting themeselves up for some sort of WrestleMania appearance.
Garza and Carillo happened to advance in the 6-Pack Ladder Match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Tournament, defeating Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde but so did Catch New Republic against Pretty Deadly. Those teams fill out bracket one and another set of four teams will fill out bracket two next week. In addition to that Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes will meet face-to-face before they clash twice at WrestleMania.
The WWE Royal Rumble is approaching on January 27th, and that will always spark speculation about potential returns. Rey Mysterio may be out of action with an injury, but he is eyeing a return at Tropicana Field.
Rey Mysterio Gives Positive Injury Update
Rey Mysterio is currently in recovery after undergoing knee surgery a few weeks ago. His absence from television was prompted by an attack from Santos Escobar. In reality, this was a planned procedure, because Mysterio needed to get this work done on his knee.
Unfazed by this physical setback, Rey Mysterio is determined to make a swift return to the ring. While speaking to Baker Banter, Mr. 6-1-9 mentioned actively engaging in physical therapy and expressed optimism about being back in action for the Royal Rumble.
“I’m really working hard on my physical therapy,” Mysterio stated. “I just had knee surgery, thanks to Santos Escobar, and his time will come eventually. I do hope that I can return for the Rumble, if not shortly after that. I am working very hard to make my return as soon as possible.”
Rey Mysterio Speaks on Seth Rollins
If Rey Mysterio can win the 2024 Royal Rumble match, he may elect to take on Seth Rollins for his WWE World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 40. Myserio has seen Seth Rollins operate, and he had a unique take on The Visionary’s career metamorphosis in WWE.
“Seth Rollins, to me, he’s like a chameleon. He disguises himself as many characters. He had beef with a lot of Superstars because he does carry the World Title. But now that CM Punk is on board, it’s like he pushed all the rivals that he had on [in] his site and is now focused strictly on one person. Personally, I respect Seth Rollins. I enjoy watching his work, and I appreciate that he was Dominik’s godfather. He was the first superstar to step in the ring with Dominick [SummerSlam 2020] and trusted Dominik. So at that time, Dominik and I were very close and that makes me feel full of respect towards Seth Rollins. But in the ring right now, he’s a crazy man.”
Rey Mysterio also inked a new deal with WWE, along with his son, Dominik Mysterio. While it is believed that Dominik’s contract is a full five-year deal, many believe that Rey Mysterio only inked a three-year agreement. Either way, that will ensure that WWE fans have years to come for that father/son storyline to finally circle back to each other.
Bronson Reed Wants the World Heavyweight Championship
Bronson Reed has yet to hold gold on WWE’s main roster but is setting his sights on Raw’s top prize. When a fan said that WWE needs a “Big Boy Belt” for the superheavyweights of the company, Reed made it clear he wants the World Heavyweight Championship.
The World Heavyweight Championship has been held by Seth Rollins since May of this year. Reed is a former NXT North American Champion.
NXT Photographer Leaves WWE
WWE NXT is how many Superstars are introduced to fans, but for one member of the crew, the gold brand is where his tenure with WWE will end. On Twitter, Esteban Cardenas said that this week’s NXT taping was his last and was grateful for his time with the brand.
Tonight is my final taping
This 2019-2023 run is something will never be topped
Kevin Owens’ career as a WWE Superstar has allowed him the chance to meet many interesting names. This week, the SmackDown Superstar met with Brendan Fraser. Owens bumped into the star of The Mummy and The Whale at Disneyland.
NXT Superstar Kelani Jordan has been impressing fans and had a very impressive performance in the Iron Survivor Challenge at WWE NXT Deadline. Jordan is also making an impression outside of the ring. On Twitter, the young Superstar shared that she has been awarded the ‘Queen of the Weight Room’ accolade at the Performance Center.
So honored to be the WWE Performance Center’s “QUEEN OF THE WEIGHT ROOM!!” 🏋️♀️🩷👑 pic.twitter.com/MtaNOi1WOO
Jordan made her in-ring debut for WWE in October of last year and had her first TV match in May 2023. She has a 17-21 win/loss record.
Santos Escobar Improvises
During their match at Survivor Series, Santos Escobar tried to tear the mask off of Dragon Lee. On the Wrestling with Freddie podcast, Santos admitted the spot wasn’t planned.
I tore Dragon Lee’s mask. That was 100% non-scripted. That was just the heel in me and I think it’s important that our audiences get that feel.
Escobar won their match and their first-round match in the U.S. Championship Contenders Tournament.
WWE superstar Finn Balor shared some encouraging words for Dominik Mysterio’s development in the company.
Mysterio has risen as one of the biggest heels in the WWE. He made the change at Clash at the Castle on Sep. 3, 2022, when he betrayed his father, Rey, and Edge. Two days later, he would align himself with The Judgement Day(Balor, Rhea Ripley, and Damien Priest) to become a faction member. After several months of working with The Judgement Day, Dominik has started to get out of the shadow of his father.
In an interview with The Bump’s Kayla Braxton and Matt Camp, Balor spoke highly about Dominik’s transformation as a heel talent. While expressing his thoughts, Balor stayed in character during the interview.
“You know, it kind of makes me sad a little bit that Dominik hasn’t received the support from his family. The fact that he’s growing and achieving so much in a short time, but without that backbone or family support, it’s quite incredible, said Balor.
He continued, “…At the same time, you know my family has always supported me, so I take that kind of for granted that people should be supported by their family and the fact that Rey has continuously not shown support, not shown interest in his sons development and career, it’s quite saddening. So myself, Damian(Priest) and Rhea(Ripley) all been a shoulder for Dom to lean on and I think he’s stepped out of his father shadow in such a short time and I think he’s going to make his father pay.”
Will Dominik Challenge His Father At WrestleMania 39?
Photo Credit: WWE
It seems the WWE is looking to have Dominik face his father at WrestleMania 39, but it’s unclear in what way. Dominik and The Judgement Day have antagonized his father since he joined them. On the Feb. 24 episode of Friday Night Smackdown, Rey came close to attacking his son but chose to walk away. It’s possible WWE could be setting up a father vs. son match at WrestleMania 39. However, the company has also teased that Santos Escobar may assist Rey in dealing with his son.
During a backstage segment on the Feb. 24 episode, Escobar and Dominik had a brief confrontation about respecting Rey. Before Escobar could do anything to Dominik, Rhea stepped in the way, and the “couple” walked away. It’s possible the WWE can have a tag team match with Escobar and Rey against Dominik and Priest, as Priest is not involved in a match for WrestleMania 39.
Wrestling fans will have to wait and see how the ongoing story of Rey and Dominik will develop on the road to WrestleMania.
Santos Escobar battled Butch in the semifinals of the SmackDown World Cup tournament tonight on the blue brand.
Butch had the match in control as Legado Del Fantasma and The Brawling Brutes were ringside. The camera cut backstage on the jumbotron to reveal that The Usos were brawling with Kevin Owens and Drew McIntyre.
Butch told Sheamus and Ridge to go help out backstage. As the referee was distracted, Cruz Del Toro booted Butch in the face and Santos capitalized with the Phantom Driver for the pinfall victory.
Ricochet earned a spot in the finals tonight by defeating Braun Strowman in the semifinals. Intercontinental Champion Gunther and Imperium distracted Strowman and Ricochet capitalized with a roll-up to advance in the tournament. Imperium attacked Strowman after the match but Ricochet made the save.
Santos will go on to battle Ricochet in the finals of the SmackDown World Cup next week. The winner of the World Cup will earn a shot at Gunther’s Intercontinental Championship.
Santos Escobar was interviewed by Cathy Kelley in a WWE Digitial Exclusive following this week’s episode of SmackDown. Escobar said that he had a game plan for Ricochet and vowed to win the tournament next week. The Legado Del Fantasma leader added that he will go on to win the Intercontinental Championship as well.
“Shinsuke and Butch were no easy task and rest assured, my family [Legado Del Fantasma] will always be with me. So as for Ricochet, there is a universal truth. What goes up must come down. The game plan is easy, win the World Cup and become the new Intercontinental Champion,” Escobar said.
Legado del Fantasma could be making their WWE main roster debut soon.
According to a report by Pwinsider.com today, the plan is for Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro & Elektra Lopez) to be part of the SmackDown roster when they make their main roster debut. It was added that they might appear as soon as this Friday’s episode of SmackDown.
Their NXT Exit
In August, Escobar was banished from NXT as part of a stipulation of losing to Tony D’Angelo at NXT Heatwave. A week after this show, there was a segment where Escobar picked up the rest of Legado del Fantasma in the parking lot because he wasn’t going to leave NXT without them. Dave Meltzer previously confirmed that Legado del Fantasma was slated for a main roster call-up.
WWE holds this season’s premiere edition of SmackDown on Friday night from the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The show will feature a face-to-face confrontation between Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and his next challenger Logan Paul ahead of their clash at Crown Jewel in November. Also, Gunther will defend the Intercontinental Title against Sheamus in a rematch from Clash at the Castle.
Santos Escobar lost to Tony D’Angelo on the WWE Heatwave edition of NXT TV with the stipulation that if Escobar had won, then Legado Del Fantasma would be free of Tony, but if he lost, then he would leave NXT.
Once it was clear that Santos was done with NXT and going to the main roster, there were questions about the rest of the Legado Del Fantasma group (Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro, and Elektra Lopez).
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that the entire group will be debuting on Raw or SmackDown soon. Although it’s still unclear when they will make their main roster debut, it would make sense to hold off until the Clash at the Castle pay-per-view next Saturday.
More NXT Names
Meltzer also confirmed two other names reported about getting called up – Solo Sikoa and Indi Hartwell. WWE has considered bringing up Solo for months.
Regarding Hartwell, she will likely be paired with Dexter Lumis once again after he returned to NXT to reunite with her before being arrested.
Based on Lumis kidnapping Miz, it looks like WWE is building towards a Lumis & Hartwell vs. Miz & Maryse feud. These are wrestlers that Triple H was pushing before he had to take a step back due to health issues.
On last week’s NXT Heatwave special, Santos Escobar lost to Tony D’Angelo in a ‘Loser Leaves NXT’ match.
Given that Escobar had teased a call-up to the main roster during the WWE WrestleMania 39 tickets launch event, his lost to Escobar wasn’t too surprising.
The Call-Up
It appears to be just a matter of time before Santos Escobar is called up to WWE’s main roster, but it doesn’t look like he will be going alone.
On last night’s WWE NXT 2.0, Escobar pulled up in his SUV in the parking lot, where he was greeted by Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro and Elektra Lopez, members of Legado Del Fantasma.
Escobar asked the group if they really thought he’d leave WWE NXT 2.0 without them, and teased the entire group’s call-up.
“You didn’t think I was going to leave without you, did you? La Familia stays together. So, you ready to go?”
Santos Escobar
All members of Legado Del Fantasma got in the SUV and drove away from WWE NXT 2.0, signifying the end of the group on the brand.
A Change of Plans
Legado Del Fantasma are seemingly coming to the main roster soon, but that wasn’t always the plan.
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said how there were plans in place for Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro to become part of Tony D’Angelo’s ‘family.’
The pair have been appearing as associates of D’Angelo during this past week’s NXT Live events in Florida.
Those plans have seemingly been scrapped based on last night’s episode of WWE NXT 2.0.
Former NXT cruiserweight champion Santos Escobar has been ‘banned’ from NXT 2.0 after losing a match on this week’s Heatwave special.
The former King Cuerno had been feuding with Tony D’Angelo and his faction in recent times. The two were set for an All or Nothing Street Fight at the show.
The stipulation for this bout was that if Escobar wins, then Legado Del Fantasma will be free from the D’Angelo family. However, if he loses, then he will have to leave the development brand.
The match featured a lot of interference. The ending of the bout saw D’Angelo accidentally hitting Elektra Lopez.
Both Tony and Santos then grabbed a crowbar and brass knuckles, respectively. Though D’Angelo managed to hit Escobar first and pinned him for victory.
Santos Escobar has been a part of the WWE roster since 2019. He made his official in-ring debut in February 2020 and has been a featured star of the brand ever since.
There is no word yet on what the company is planning for the future of the high-flying star. There is obvious speculation that he could be headed to the main roster now that Triple H has taken over the creative.
Carmelo Hayes vs. Santos Escobar has officially been announced for the April 19 episode of WWE NXT 2.0. Last week, Escobar demanded Hayes go to the back of the line for the NXT North American Title, after the latter dropped the strap to Cameron Grimes at Stand & Deliver.
In response, Hayes challenged Escobar to a match, leading to their confrontation this week. Check out the updated card for this week’s episode of WWE NXT 2.0 below:
WWE has announced that their Table For 3 series will be making its return on the Peacock TV streaming service. This will be the first new episode of Table For 3 since 2019. The episode will feature WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle, alongside Alpha Academy, Chad Gable and Otis. You can watch the episode when it goes live on April 22.
Table For 3 was a staple of WWE’s original content on the WWE Network before being sold to Peacock. It has featured dinners and conversation between some of the business’ most groundbreaking and influential trios of all time. Past episodes have featured the likes of The New Day, The Kliq, The Shield, and so many more.
This week’s episode will feature Angle, a WWE Hall Of Famer who has made several appearances on the program already. Alongside him will be the former RAW Tag Team Champions Alpha Academy, who recently challenged for the titles at WrestleMania 38 – but came up short to RK-Bro.
Fans finally got to witness who is the rightful WWE NXT Cruiserweight Champion as Santos Escobar vs. Jordan Devlin battled it out in a unification ladder match at the TakeOver: Stand & Deliver event.
The match opened the show. Early on, Devlin did an impressive springboard moonsault off the middle rope to take out Escobar on the floor. Later on, Devlin hit a moonsault off the top of a ladder. Towards the end, Legado Del Fantasma members ran out and pushed Devlin off a ladder before leaving. The finish featured Escobar pushing Devlin off a ladder and crashing him through another.
Devlin won the NXT Cruiserweight Championship at Worlds Collide in January of last year. However, the COVID-19 pandemic started in March, which forced Delvin from traveling and defending his title due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, WWE had to come up with a tournament to crown an interim champion, which was later dropped and a new champion was crowned.
Escobar won his version of the NXT Cruiserweight Championship by winning the tournament as he beat Drake Maverick in the tournament finals. Devlin retained his NXT Cruiserweight Championship by defeating Trent Seven in his previous title defense.
On the March 17th edition of NXT, WWE had Devlin return to confront Esobcar and told Escobar to take his “replica title” and throw it in the trash because he’s the real champion.
WWE confirmed on last night’s episode of NXT that there would be a two night Takeover event airing on television and on streaming services in April.
NXT General Manager William Regal confirmed NXT TakeOver: Stand And Deliver would take place over the course of two nights on April 7th and 8th. April 7th is a Wednesday, so the show will air on it’s usual timeslot on USA Network.
The next day’s show will be taking place on WWE Network. The event will air on Peacock for fans in the United States.
Jordan Devlin Returns To NXT
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin was confirmed to return to the United States and join the NXT roster. Devlin appeared on camera and confirmed that he will be coming to the USA Network next week, he also mentioned the Takeover special and that the travel ban had been lifted and he could return to the US from Ireland.
Jordan Devlin initially won the NXT Cruiserweight Championship at World’s Collide, back in January 2020. Devlin was ‘stripped’ of the title a few months later as he could not defend it. The reasoning for this being that he could not leave Ireland due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; this includes the the travel restrictions that were incurred due to the pandemic.
NXT Takeover – Unification Bout
Devlin referred to himself as the ‘real’ Cruiserweight Champion. The Irish Superstar also noted that he was heading to the United States to prove that he is as such.
It is currently being reported that Santos Escobar will face Devlin in a unification bout. Santos Escobar is of course the current Cruiserweight Champion on NXT programming; however Devlin has claimed that he has been the real Champion since January last year.
This bout is currently expected to take place at the upcoming NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver.
Santos Escobar is still on top of the cruiserweight division as he wasn’t dethroned by Isaiah Scott.
Escobar did so at Sunday’s (October 4, 2020) WWE NXT TakeOver 31 event in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center when he pinned Scott
The match featured both guys working a high paced style with various dives. Escobar hit the Phantom Driver for 2 while Scott hit three suplexes then a 450 splash off the top rope. The finish saw Escobar connect with a facebuster after Scott hit his head on the ring post for the win.
It turns out that before this match, Scott was the only person to pin Escobar in WWE as he scored a win in a group match during NXT’s Cruiserweight Championship tournament. He also pinned him during a six-man tag street fight on NXT earlier this month.
WWE did give Scott a previous title match as he challenged for the title on the August 26 episode of NXT. However, the finish of that contest saw Escobar use a mask that was loaded with a weapon to headbutt Scott.
Two weeks ago, WWE had Scott say in a video on NXt that he wasn’t content with just having two wins over Escobar. Thus, he wanted another crack at him but this time with no Legado del Fantasma or manipulated lucha masks as he believes he’s a better competitor.
This week’s episode of NXT saw a big reveal in the masked man kidnapping storyline. Former Lucha Underground star El Hijo del Fantasma unmasked and revealed himself to be the leader of the mysterious group.
The episode saw the new Cruiserweight Champion come to the ring for an interview about his win over Drake Maverick last week in the finals of the title tournament.
Maverick was the next to come out and demanded a rematch against the masked star. The two mystery man who have been involved in the kidnapping storyline in NXT then came out as well.
It looked as if Drake and Fantasma will team up to take on this challenge as both stood in the ring together, that was until the current champion turned on the former 205 Live general manager and three men took down the high flying star.
El Hijo del Fantasma then went on to remove his mask and announced that he will now be known as Santos Escobar. The two masked men who stood with him were revealed as Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde of NXT.
"I am Santos Escobar. I am the #WWNXT#Cruiserweight Champion, and NO ONE can touch me."
The segment then ended with Escobar hitting a Phantom Driver on Maverick before his peers hit top rope splashes on the former TNA star at the same time.
There is no word yet on what the company is planning for Fantasma after this big reveal and it would be interesting to see if their group adds more members in the near future.
You can check out the complete NXT results at this link.
