Former WWE Star Santos Escobar Shares Thoughts On His Time In Latino World Order

WWE's reboot of the Latino World Order was well received by many fans initially, and the stable allowed many of the Latino wrestlers in the promotion to lean into their culture even harder. At one point the group included Romeo Malverde AKA Santos Escobar, who looked back at being a part of the faction during an interview with Denise Salcedo.

"Oh, it was the best, it was the best," he proclaimed. "I remember, when I first came to NXT, I suggested that to Triple H and I didn't even finish the 'LWO' when I was in the 'w' he was like, 'No. That's not going to happen.'" 

Malverde believes that once he built equity for himself in WWE and had the opportunity to have a segment with Rey Mysterio, the sentiment around brining the LWO back changed.

"I think that's one of the best moments because I got to inspire the people who inspired me – if that makes any sense, you know?" he continued, explaining that the reintroduction of the faction because of his request meant a lot to him coming from Triple H and Shawn Michaels. "That, to me, that is what I take with me everywhere I go, you know? The teachings, the opportunities, and then of course, you know, the time." 

Malverde says he learned a lot on the road with Mysterio, and now feels a kinship with the former WWE Champion.

Today, the Latino World Order is still ongoing, with Rey Mysterio at the helm alongside Raul Mendoza, Joaquin Wilde, and Dragon Lee. To Romeo Malverde, the stable continues to be a platform for Latino wrestlers to represent themselves in WWE.

"First of all, I'm really happy that all of those talents are getting the opportunity to showcase what they got. Is there work to be done? Yes. A lot. A lot," he said. "Why? Because this is a business that evolves with every passing minute, with every passing week, with every passing month, with every passing quarter, and I think that if this tendency keeps, you know, growing? There's more on the horizon."

Malverde further expressed that for the Latino community, the only ones who can truly tell their stories are members of their community. 

"The problem is you can't have a Latino writer write for White America. You can't have that, but that's the same in the opposite," he explained. "There needs to be certain elements there that only you and I know how to reproduce; if that makes any sense. There's things that, if done properly, become important things, (...) and there's things where, if you don't do it properly, it's a foundation that's wrong."

Malverde says it's never been his job to tell promotions what to do, but while he was in WWE, he tried to. 

"It's one of those things where it's organic. It needs to be organic," he added. "I think they're doing it, props to them, and to my Latino people – to my Mexicans out there – just keep growing. Because these opportunities are going to keep coming, and the one thing is that you never know when they're going to stop."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Denise Salcedo and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.