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This past Wednesday on WWE NXT, interim WWE Cruiserweight Champion, El Hijo del Fantasma shocked the WWE Universe when he turned heel and revealed himself as the mastermind behind masked assailants who have been causing trouble on NXT for the past few months.
Fantasma also unmasked himself and revealed his new name, Santos Escobar. The newly crowned interim WWE NXT Cruiserweight Champion also unveiled his brand new faction, which will include NXT Superstars Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde.
On the back off his historic win over Drake Maverick from last week's WWE NXT, Escobar was challenged to a rematch by the former, to which he agreed. However, their discussion was interrupted by Mendoza and Wilde, who had been kidnapped a few weeks back.
Just when it seemed like Escobar and Maverick were ready to take on the masked duo, Escobar pulled-off a major twist and turned his back on Maverick by assaulting him. With Escobar now in charge of NXT's newest faction, the reigning interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion looks set to take the black-and-yellow brand by storm.
With The Undisputed Era and Imperium having already established their place as two of the strongest factions in NXT, Escobar will be looking to compete with the big boys of the brand.
In order to do so, Escobar may seek to add more associates to his group, strengthening his faction in terms of numbers. With that in mind, here are 5 WWE Superstars who could join Santos Escobar's new faction in NXT.
#5 Arturo Ruas
Arturo Ruas was signed by WWE in 2015. However, he has barely done anything significant in NXT so far. Ruas is a jiu-jitsu practitioner and a former amateur wrestler, as well. Despite being signed almost 5 years ago, Ruas did not make his NXT debut until 2017. If Escobar plans on expanding his faction, then he could turn to the Brazilian and present him with an opportunity that he now certainly needs.
#4 El Ligero
Throughout the past few months, we've witnessed a number of high-profile crossovers between WWE NXT and NXT UK. The WWE Universe was even treated to a feud between The Undisputed Era and Imperium, earlier in the year.
In addition, the NXT Tag Team Championships are currently being held by Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aicher from NXT UK. The experienced El Ligero from NXT UK could possibly follow the footsteps of Imperium and maybe even take a page out of Jordan Devlin's book. Devlin recently jumped ship to NXT and won the WWE NXT Cruiserweight Championship, despite being a member of the NXT UK roster.
Ligero has competed all around the world for a number of notable promotions. His former homes include Progress Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan. Ligero was also a vital part of Defiant Wrestling (FKA WCPW). The former Progress Champion would definitely be a solid addition to the NXT roster, especially if WWE decides to let him shine in the Cruiserweight Division.
A few years ago, Ligero was part of The Prestige, a heel faction that consisted of Joe Hendry, BT Gunn and fellow NXT UK Superstars Joe Coffey and Travis Banks. Ligero's heel turn there quickly caught the attention of fans. WWE can repeat this success by having the NXT UK star join Santos Escobar's faction.
#3 Kona Reeves
Kona Reeves is an incredible talent and I do believe that he has great potential as a singles wrestler in WWE NXT and doesn't necessarily need a faction by his side. However, things haven't worked out the way Reeves would've hoped for, as he has been struggling to find his groove as a singles star - and is mostly used as an enhancement talent at present.
But, with Santos Escobar and his stable by his side, there could be a change of fortune for Reeves, who needs to get something going for himself in NXT, before WWE consider giving up on him altogether. For those who aren't familiar with Reeves' work, the 29-year-old is an exceptional talent and was signed by WWE in 2014.
He is a former WXW Heavyweight Champion, a title which previously has been held by the likes of Samu, Manu, and Sean Maluta. If given the proper platform to shine on in WWE, Reeves could turn out to be a phenomenal heel, and would be a solid addition to Santos Escobar's faction on NXT.
'The Finest' has previously shared the ring with the like of Keith Lee, Matt Riddle, Kushida, and The Velveteen Dream, who are some of the biggest names in WWE today. Reeves has already proven how good of an in-ring talent he is and could easily compete at the same level of the Superstars he has crossed paths with in the past given the opportunity.
#2 Lince Dorado
Along with Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado has been a part of The Lucha House Party for quite some time now and, while the faction has had their moments on the main roster, now might be the right time for WWE to execute a trade and bring Dorado to NXT.
Lince Dorado is a highly-talented luchador and deserves a run in the Cruiserweight Division in his own right. It is high time that the former Chikara sensation breaks away from The Lucha House Party and finally gets something fresh going for him in WWE.
In order to do this, WWE could possibly have Dorado join a former luchador in the shape of Santos Escobar, becoming part of NXT's newest faction. Dorado breaking away from The Lucha House Party would also mean that Gran Metalik could enjoy a singles run for himself in WWE, something that fans been requesting ever since the former CMLL World Welterweight Champion signed with the company.
Metalik has been a solid singles worker throughout the majority of his career and even proved how good he is in the ring when he competed in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic. A move to NXT for Dorado - and the end of the Lucha House Party stable - could benefit all involved.
#1 Rey Mysterio
WWE is currently showcasing an angle where Rey Mysterio could possibly retire from professional wrestling, in the aftermath of an assault at the hands of Seth Rollins and his crew on WWE Monday Night RAW.
Mysterio was supposedly going to announce his retirement a few weeks ago after suffering a serious injury. However, following a storyline twist, the former WWE World Champion was backed-up by his son Dominic in his fight against Seth Rollins, Murphy, and Austin Theory.
As of now, though, the WWE Universe doesn't have an idea of what lies ahead for Mysterio and maybe creative could eventually pull-off a retirement angle for the former WWE Champion on RAW and have him join the NXT roster instead, because that's how retirement angles usually work!
Triple H did recently claim that more main roster superstars could be following in the footsteps of Finn Balor to join the black-and-yellow brand for a run in NXT. Rey Mysterio has never been a heel in WWE, but him joining Escobar's new group would work wonders for Escobar and everyone else associated with the faction.
Depending on how long Mysterio intends to remain a part of WWE in-ring roster, working as a mentor for Santos Escobar and his faction on NXT could be a well-suited role for the iconic Superstar. The legendary luchador is undoubtedly one of the biggest possible additions to Escobar's new stable and could help elevate it to great heights.
