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Andrew Ravens‎

By Andrew Ravens‎

Contributing Sports Writer

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WWE star Santos Escobar is heading into surgery after competing through a torn tricep at the AAA Rey de Reyes tournament final last weekend.

According to Fightful Select, Escobar's injury dates back to an NXT house show during Royal Rumble weekend in late January, where he sustained the injury while working with El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. At the time, the extent of the damage was not immediately clear and a tricep tear was not initially suspected. However, the injury was confirmed to be a torn tricep, and Escobar is scheduled to undergo surgery on Thursday, March 19.

Rather than sit out, Escobar continued to compete in AAA's Rey de Reyes tournament despite the injury. He wrestled his Rey de Reyes qualifying match on the March 8 episode of AAA on FOX and then competed in the tournament final on March 14, with the torn tricep worsening across both appearances. His performance at the final drew criticism from observers, though the injury now provides context for why he appeared off during the bout.

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In the four-way final, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. interfered wearing Escobar's old mask from his time as El Hijo del Fantasma and attacked him with a chair, contributing to Escobar's elimination. El Grande Americano went on to pin Escobar and win the 2026 Rey de Reyes tournament, earning a future AAA Mega Championship match against Dominik Mysterio.

WWE logo inside the company's headquarters.

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With surgery now confirmed, the feud between Escobar and Wagner Jr. is expected to be shelved for the foreseeable future. A typical recovery timeline for a torn tricep repair runs several months, which would rule Escobar out through at least the summer.

Escobar re-signed with WWE in October 2025 after being ready to leave the company when his contract expired. WWE made a significant financial offer to retain him, with sources saying it would have been irresponsible for the company not to feature him on their programming given the size of the deal. Sources had also indicated that Escobar was frustrated with how he had been used and wanted a more prominent role.

Escobar has been one of the more accomplished luchadores to come through WWE in recent years. He spent several years as the leader of Legado Del Fantasma in NXT before transitioning to the main roster, where he was involved in a program with Rey Mysterio as part of the Latino World Order. He re-signed with the company late last year and had been working primarily in AAA as part of WWE's partnership with the Mexican promotion.

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