Legend retires at 61 years of age; SmackDown star who might miss WrestleMania 41 appears at non-WWE event in his honor
A prominent SmackDown star recently attended a non-WWE event to pay tribute to a legend. At the age of 61, a longtime wrestling veteran has called it quits and commemorated his in-ring career with a massive show.
El Hijo del Santo wrestled three times in his La Gira De Despedida show held at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico, on April 6. WWE Superstar Santos Escobar was present at the event. The youngest son of the legendary luchador El Santo, the 61-year-old star first wrestled in a Mask vs. Mask two-out-of-three falls match against Misterioso Jr.
The three-time CMLL Tag Team Champion then took part in a five-way match against Fuerza Guerrera, Misterioso Jr., Ultimo Dragon, and LA Park. He then teamed up with Misterioso Jr. to take on Guerrera and Dragon in his final bout.
In a post on his Instagram account, Santos Escobar shared a heartfelt message for the Mexican wrestling legend.
"Una noche mágica. A magical night. THANK YOU @elhijodelsanto_oficial," the WWE star wrote.
From 1998 to 1999, El Hijo Del Santo was with World Wrestling Entertainment as part of the Spanish-language show Super Astros.
Santos Escobar likely missing WWE WrestleMania 41
With WrestleMania 41 less than three weeks away, Santos Escobar is one of several top WWE stars who will likely miss the biggest event of the year. If the company decides to put the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the main show, he'll likely be a part of it.
The multi-man match has been taking place on the special episode of SmackDown before WrestleMania for the past four years. This year, Escobar and the rest of Legado Del Fantasma have not been booked to have a match at The Grandest Stage of Them All.
The previous winners of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal are Cesaro, Big Show, Baron Corbin, Mojo Rawley, Matt Hardy, Braun Strowman, Jey Uso, Madcap Moss, Bobby Lashley, and Bronson Reed.
