A new backstage report has shed more light on the surprising circumstances surrounding Santos Escobar’s WWE return, revealing that his re-signing came as an unexpected — though welcome — development to many within the company.
As previously reported, Escobar officially re-signed with WWE just days after his previous deal expired on Monday night/Tuesday morning. According to a report from Fightful Select, multiple WWE sources expressed genuine surprise that the deal came together so quickly, with one talent describing the reaction as “pleasant shock.” Several within the company had assumed Escobar’s situation would follow the so-called “exploding offer” approach — a term used internally to describe offers that are pulled if not accepted within a limited time frame. The report notes that this kind of offer has been applied to others in the past, including Karrion Kross.
Before his new agreement was finalized, Escobar had been slated to appear at New York Comic-Con this weekend, an appearance that was indeed planned before his re-signing. Additionally, there were no indications of any meaningful negotiations between Escobar and AEW while his WWE contract had briefly lapsed.
Sources described Escobar’s new deal as being for “great money,” with one noting that it was “significantly larger” than his prior contract. Earlier reports had suggested that Escobar initially rejected a pay increase due to creative frustrations, prioritizing clarity on his direction in WWE over financial incentives. Ultimately, the new agreement was said to address both creative and monetary concerns.
At this time, it’s unclear exactly when Santos Escobar will return to WWE television, though those close to the situation say that discussions about his creative reintegration are ongoing.
