Santos Escobar has earned a future United States Championship match.
During the July 28 episode of WWE SmackDown, Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar met in the finals of the United States Championship Invitational to determine the new number one contender.
After a back-and-forth bout, Escobar dove through the ropes and knocked Mysterio down outside the ring. However, Mysterio suffered whiplash when his head bounced off the floor. After an evaluation, WWE medial personnel determined Mysterio was not cleared to continue competing.
Escobar was ultimately deemed the winner, although he was reluctant to accept the decision. As a result, Escobar will now challenge Austin Theory for the United States Championship in two weeks on the August 11 SmackDown.
Escobar made it to the finals by outlasting Butch, Grayson Waller, and AJ Styles, while Mysterio advanced by defeating Cameron Grimes, LA Knight, and Sheamus in a four-way.
As of this writing, there is no word on Mysterio’s injury. WrestleZone will provide more information as it becomes available.
WrestleZone will provide more information as it becomes available.
Santos Escobar Praises Rey Mysterio
Santos Escobar previously spoke highly of Rey Mysterio. In an interview with WrestleZone‘s managing editor Bill Pritchard, Escobar highlighted Mysterio’s impact on lucha libre.
“I think the most important contribution of Rey Mysterio to Latinos or not even Latinos, you know, back in the day when he was breaking into the business; size mattered, and he didn’t have size,” Santos Escobar said. “But he had a lot of heart and talent. Him overcoming that obstacle laid the basis for people like us to make it in the business nowadays. I think that he’s not just a Lucha Libre legend; he’s a legend of all the wrestling universe.”
Escobar also made it clear that he was honored to work with Rey as a member of the LWO.
RELATED: WWE SmackDown Results (7/28/23)
