Former WWE Star Santos Escobar Doesn't Plan To Revive El Hijo Del Fantasma Character

Romeo Malverde, better known as Santos Escobar in WWE, made his debut in the promotion as the masked "El Hijo del Fantasma," later unmasking and forming his Legado Del Fantasma stable. Now that Escobar is no longer signed to WWE, his fans are wondering what his next move in the industry will be, but Malverde is adamant that "El Hijo del Fantasma" will not return.

"The question itself just doesn't bring joy to my heart," he stated during an interview with "TMZ's Inside The Ring." "Go back? You shouldn't go back; you should always advance." Malverde then claimed that he sat down with the question and redefined his identity as a wrestler and how he can continue to represent his heritage and culture, especially to continue representing his people in the industry. 

"Whatever you put on the ground, it's gonna sprout eventually. To me that's very important, and I said: I'm gonna create something new. Something that goes with my personality and who I am," Malverde added. He then described himself as an underdog, before proclaiming that his own father — the original Fantasma — didn't simply hand him the mask when he came of age, but put him through several tests before he could inherit it.

"So I know what it takes to achieve success, to have your goals very well-defined, to have your discipline in check. And that's what Romeo Malverde is."

Since rebranding himself as Romeo Malverde, signaling a new chapter in his career, the former Santos Escobar believes his new persona will be his way of giving the best that he has to his fanbase. At the same time, however, he isn't in a hurry to return to active in-ring competition.

"This time is different. This time I'm taking my time. I will take bookings," Malverde noted. "My team is getting ready for whatever's next. I can't really say what my in-ring future looks like, because I don't know. I think, if anything, if there's anything I've learned in the past year and a half, it's [that] I can't say what's coming."

Malverde added that he's learned that regardless of how things may seem, you can still be caught off guard; however, he's 100% sure that he'll give his everything towards his new run.

"I'm whole, I'm complete, and I'm ready," he expressed.

Malverde recently revealed that he was working on an acting project as he got word of his WWE release, and noted that he's since lined up more gigs to flex his acting chops.

"I think they're both professions that compliment each other. I think they're professions that serve the same purpose," Malverde said, opining on how acting and wrestling overlap.

"The last couple of years ... have shown me, without a shadow of a doubt, what's my calling, what it is that I should do, and I'm ready to do it," he said. "So, wherever you see me next? ... Just know this: my time starts now. The last leg of my career, which is now, I'm not afraid of saying it, is gonna be the best one."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "TMZ's Inside The Ring," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.