Former WWE star Santos Escobar, now performing under the name Romeo Malverde, has opened up about the difficult circumstances surrounding his departure from WWE while he was recovering from surgery.

During an appearance on TMZ’s Inside The Ring, Malverde revealed that he learned of his WWE release only days after undergoing a second operation on his tricep.

The follow-up surgery became necessary after complications emerged from the initial procedure, with concerns that the issue could potentially have caused serious damage to the ulnar nerve in his arm.

Reflecting on that period of his career and recovery, Malverde admitted the situation was particularly challenging because of the injury rather than simply losing his position with WWE.

“In all honesty it was hard, it was difficult. It was difficult mostly because of the injuries, not so much for the release itself, which, you know, the optics always matter, but that’s something that’s out of my reach,” said Escobar. “I don’t really know what’s behind it.”

The timing made the news even more difficult to process. Malverde estimated that he received word of his release less than a week after his second operation, leaving him dealing with uncertainty over both his wrestling career and physical recovery.

“Again, it was a very heartbreaking situation for me personally because I was injured and I think it was maybe six or seven days after my second surgery. So it was even more heartbreaking, disappointing if you can imagine my mental state at that point. I don’t want to say I was ready because I wasn’t.”

“I don’t think anyone is ready for that, but I had to work hard, I had to work hard to get out of that injury and of that situation. And then right now I feel good, everything that happened in the past three months helped me understand the depth of my persona, of who I am and how far I can go to achieve something.”

Malverde also revisited the circumstances surrounding his previous WWE contract situation. His deal expired in October 2025 before discussions with WWE President Nick Khan ultimately resulted in his return to the company.

During his WWE career, Malverde established himself in NXT before moving to the SmackDown roster. He also made several appearances for AAA as part of WWE’s growing relationship with the Mexican promotion.

Now moving forward under the Romeo Malverde identity, the former Legado del Fantasma leader appears to be approaching the next stage of his career with a different perspective following what he described as an extremely difficult few months.