Santos Escobar used to wrestle under a mask as El Hijo del Fantasma before losing a match against LA Park that stipulated he had to remove his mask. He doesn’t cover his face in WWE, but he’s not afraid to get involved with other masked stars, even if that means pulling out some impromptu brutality.
Santos Escobar and Dragon Lee gave their all at Survivor Series. That match included a spot where Escobar tore at Lee’s mask, but this was not something they worked out ahead of time.
While speaking to Freddie Prinze Jr. on the Wrestling With Freddie podcast, Santos Escobar said that audiences understand the importance of the mask before revealing that the spot with Dragon Lee was unscripted.
“I think nowadays, our audiences are understanding the importance of the mask. I don’t know if you recall, at the latest premium live event, Survivor Series, I tore Dragon Lee’s mask. That was 100% non-scripted. That was just the heel in me and I think it’s important that our audiences get that feel. Now we have Dragon Lee, now we have Axiom, now we have Rey, now we have more and more people diving into the lucha culture but like really, really doing it with the mask, the tradition, the respect that’s behind the mask. It’s important that our audiences know, for a fact, that when someone with the mask goes against the mask, it means something. It ups the stakes. We were in Chicago of all places, Chicago is Mexico [laughs]. So when I tore that mask, I could feel the white heat.”
The Lucha Libre world that Santos Escobar and Dragon Lee come from include a lot more mask spots than American audiences are used to. Masks are ripped all the time in big matches, and it only adds to the drama. Obviously, Escobar and Lee wanted to step things up at Survivor Series.
Chicago’s fans were on fire all night for Survivor Series. The night as capped off with CM Punk’s big return, but it also included a lot more notable events. Dragon Lee and Santos Escobar did everything they could to give them a good show.
What’s your take on Santos Escobar and Dragon Lee’s match at Survivor Series? Let us know what you think in the comments section!