Santos Escobar last competed in the Slim Jim Battle Royal earlier this month at WWE SummerSlam, which LA Knight eventually won. The following Friday night on Smackdown, Escobar looked to regain some momentum in the form of a United States Championship match against Austin Theory. Unfortunately, prior to the match taking place, Theory assaulted the LWO member from behind while he was doing a backstage promo, slamming a production box on his leg. Undaunted, Escobar attempted to limp his way to the ring for the title match but was once again blindsided by Theory, officially leaving him unable to compete.
Smackdown authority figure Adam Pearce was not happy with the way things played out and assured the fans in attendance that they would get their title match. In Escobar’s place, Pearce awarded Escobar’s fellow LWO member Rey Mysterio the opportunity, which he capitalized on, defeating Theory to begin his third WWE United States Championship reign.
In an interview with The Babyface Podcast, Escobar gave fans an update on how his recovery is going.
“I’m not clear to compete right now as it is because of Austin Theory,” he revealed. “But trust me, my mind, my heart are strong. I’m a strong-willed person, and I will come back, and when I come back, I will come back full steam.”
It is worth noting that there is no confirmation that Escobar is dealing with a legitimate injury at the moment. Sometimes, angles like this can be used as a way to mask real-life issues performers are dealing with in order to give them time away from the ring to heal. If Escobar is fully healthy and ready to go, it is possible he will return to action in some fashion as early as Smackdown. Mysterio is set to defend the WWE United States Championship against Grayson Waller on tonight’s episode; both he and Escobar appeared on The Grayson Waller Effect last week.