Legado Del Fantasma Debuts With New Member On WWE SmackDown
Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, & Cruz Del Toro of Legado Del Fantasma made their "WWE SmackDown" debut on the show's season premiere this week.
However, Elektra Lopez, who managed the stable during their "NXT" days, was conspicuous by her absence. Instead, Escobar & Co. were joined by former WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Zelina Vega, who had been sidelined since April due to an injury that required surgery.
Legado made their presence felt by ambushing their former "NXT" rivals Hit Row, who were in the middle of their entrance for a match against unannounced opponents. Escobar, wearing a mask, dropkicked Ashante "Thee" Adonis, following which Wilde & Cruz Del Toro connected with a double dropkick on Top Dollar. Just as B-Fab checked on Top Dolla, Vega sprinted off the top rope with a missile dropkick and followed it up with a big knee to B-Fab's face. Del Toro and Wilde then finished off Top Dolla with a double-team splash.
The ambush was followed by Escobar, Wilde and Del Toro unmasking themselves in the ring, as Vega declared she was back, and she didn't return alone. The promo ended with Escobar saying, "We are Legado Del Fantasma. Smackdown is ours. Be safe."
The arrival of Escobar on WWE's main roster was expected following his exit from "NXT" in August. However, there were a lot of question marks regarding the rest of his stable, and whether Wilde & Del Toro would be accompanying him to the main roster. Escobar wrapped up with "NXT" following his loss to Tony D'Angelo at the "NXT Heatwave" special on August 16. As per stipulation, Escobar had agreed to leave the brand, and the remaining Legado members were left with no option but to serve D'Angelo's Family.
A week after Escobar's "NXT" departure, it was teased that Legado would be moving over to WWE's main roster as a unit, as Escobar met his stablemates in the parking lot and asked them, "You didn't think I was going to leave without you, did you? La Familia stays together. So, you ready to go?"
As noted, several reports on Friday suggested that Vega had been pitched as the newest member of the Legado stable. As such, fans who read the dirt sheets this week were probably not as surprised to see Vega accompanying Escobar & Co. on Friday's show.