Santos Escobar declined a salary increase included in WWE’s most recent contract offer

Santos Escobar will no longer be a superstar of WWE in just a few hours. The Mexican's contract expires at midnight without being renewed. This is indicated by several specialized media outlets such as Fightful and PWInsider, who have delved deeper into the matter to understand the reasons that have led Escobar to reject several renewal offers from the company.

"For those who have asked about the reasons behind Santos Escobar's planned departure from WWE starting at midnight, PWInsiderElite.com has been informed by multiple sources that it has nothing to do with money," wrote Mike Johnson of PWInsider. "Sources within WWE confirmed that the version circulating within the company is that Escobar was offered a salary increase as part of a new contract, but he turned it down."

"According to people who have spoken with him in recent weeks, Escobar made it clear that he was not so concerned about receiving a raise, but that his priority was to have a clear plan on how he would be used by the company in the future. We are told that it wasn't even about getting a big push, but about not getting stuck in a contract without a defined direction, which would leave him in a stagnant situation, unable to fully develop in the ring," Johnson wrote.

"WWE could still try to make a new offer for Escobar to stay, but as of the time of this publication, we have not heard from anyone who believes that will happen this afternoon, and his current contract expires at midnight," concluded the PWInsider journalist.

Santos Escobar's career on the main roster has been full of ups and downs. From his inclusion in LWO to his heel turn and the reformation of Legado del Fantasma, the Mexican never managed to find the consistency he expected in the company's television programming. In recent weeks, he had completely disappeared, which, combined with his cryptic messages, suggested that his departure was imminent. Finally, and unless WWE works a miracle, Escobar will put an end to a stage of over five years in the company in a few hours.