Santos Escobar has officially disclosed his new ring name as he begins the next chapter of his wrestling career.
Taking to X, the former WWE Superstar announced that he will now compete as Romeo Malverde following his departure from WWE.
Escobar previously stated that he believes his story in professional wrestling is far from over, while also publicly calling out WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H and WWE President Nick Khan.
Escobar initially signed with WWE in 2020 under the masked persona El Hijo del Fantasma, winning the Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament before unmasking and adopting the Santos Escobar character. He later unified the titles to become the undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion and established Legado del Fantasma as one of NXT’s premier factions.
Escobar eventually made his way to SmackDown alongside Legado del Fantasma, where he reunited with Rey Mysterio to revive the Latino World Order. The alliance ultimately came to an end when Escobar turned on Mysterio and reformed Legado del Fantasma as a heel stable alongside Angel and Berto.
His WWE future became uncertain in late 2025 after his contract expired. Although the company ultimately persuaded him to sign a new deal, he never returned to WWE television.
Instead, Escobar competed for AAA as part of WWE’s partnership with the Mexican promotion. However, he suffered a torn triceps during the Rey de Reyes tournament in March 2026. While recovering from surgery, he was among the wrestlers released by WWE on April 24.
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