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Former WWE star Santos Escobar has opened up about his unexpected release from the company, revealing that he believed his future was secure after a personal conversation with WWE President Nick Khan. Looking back on the difficult period, Escobar explained why the timing of his departure made the situation even tougher to process. Now officially a free agent following the expiration of his 90-day non-compete clause, Escobar — who has since rebranded as Romeo Malverde — shared new details about the final months of his WWE run that paint a clearer picture of how events unfolded. Santos Escobar details Nick Khan’s call and unexpected WWE release Speaking on TMZ’s Inside The Ring, Escobar said recovering from injury proved more challenging than dealing with the release itself. After suffering a triceps injury in March, he underwent surgery before requiring a second procedure on his ulnar nerve in April. Just six or seven days later, WWE released him. “It was a very heartbreaking situation for me,” Escobar admitted. “I wasn’t expecting it.” He added that he had worked hard to become a complete performer, explaining, “I speak English, French, and Spanish… Can you wrestle? I worked to check all of those boxes.” Escobar then revealed that he had previously allowed his WWE contract to expire in October because he was considering other opportunities. According to him, Nick Khan personally called and convinced him to stay. “He apologized for the way they treated my character,” Escobar recalled. Khan allegedly told him, “We’re going to do things right… give you anything you need to thrive and prosper. We’ll send you to AAA, get things squared, and get going.” That conversation gave Escobar confidence that his future was secure. “That’s the reason I re-signed then. I had no reason to believe it was going to end anytime soon. I hadn’t even started my run.” Reflecting on the release, Escobar compared the feeling to Mickie James’ widely discussed WWE exit, saying, “That’s how I felt.” Still, he stressed that he had no interest in burning bridges. For now, Escobar remains out of the ring while continuing his recovery and working on a television project in Mexico. Like a surprise roll-up, the release caught him completely off guard, but his next chapter is now waiting to begin. Read More: Brie Bella Shares Update on Injury Recovery, Reveals Physical Therapy Has Begun