Santos Escobar has compared the way he felt about his WWE release to Mickie James’ infamous garbage bag incident, saying the circumstances surrounding his departure left him with a similar feeling. Escobar was released while recovering from surgery only months after WWE had convinced him to sign a new contract, but he chose not to publicly attack the company because he did not want to burn bridges.
Escobar discussed his departure during his first sit-down interview since leaving WWE on TMZ’s Inside the Ring. The former Legado del Fantasma leader explained that he did not expect to be released, especially after WWE President Nick Khan had personally contacted him when his previous contract expired in October 2025 and convinced him to return.
The circumstances became even harder for Escobar because he was injured at the time. He said he had undergone a second surgery roughly six days before receiving the call and was actively doing physical therapy when WWE informed him that he was being let go.
Escobar recalled having one hand inside a bucket of rice as part of his rehabilitation exercises when his phone rang. “While I'm doing my therapy, I get the call while I'm doing my therapy. And I remember vividly, I had this hand in a bucket of rice and I was doing my grips, and with the other one, I was on the phone.”
Escobar did not attempt to change WWE's decision during the conversation. Instead, he directed the company to his attorney and remained focused on recovering from his injury. “I told them, ‘Please talk to my attorney.’ And that was it. You know, I don't think those phone calls are to plea any case. I don't think those phone calls are to make them change their mind.”
While discussing how the situation made him feel, Escobar brought up Mickie James’ WWE departure in 2021. After James was released that April, she publicly revealed that WWE had returned some of her belongings inside a trash bag. The situation received widespread criticism, and James later revealed that Vince McMahon personally called and apologized to her.
Escobar said that incident came to mind when thinking about the circumstances surrounding his own departure. “I know these things usually get sensitive and, you know, you don't want to burn bridges or whatever, but the truth is the truth. You guys remember when Mickie James, she was released and then they sent her stuff in a garbage bag? That's how I felt. That's how I felt, you know, but I didn't want to burn that bridge, if that makes any sense.”
Escobar clarified that he wasn't interested in attacking WWE simply because his time with the company had ended. He believes publicly burning bridges does little for the wrestler involved and can instead hurt the wrestling business. “Because I think every time anyone does that, it hurts the business itself. It doesn't hurt my career. Is that going to help my career? Is that going to hurt them that much? But optics do matter.”
His release was especially difficult to understand because of what had happened months earlier. Escobar said he had been prepared to leave WWE when his contract expired, only for Nick Khan to personally contact him, apologize for how his character had been handled and promise that the company would give him what he needed to thrive. That conversation convinced Escobar to re-sign.
Escobar has since turned his attention toward life after WWE. He has introduced Romeo Malverde as his new wrestling identity and worked on a television project in Mexico while recovering from his injury.
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