Tonight’s episode of SmackDown immediately dealt with some of the fallout from last week’s WWE Crown Jewel, bringing The LWO to the ring. Rey Mysterio, Santos Escobar, Zelina Vega, Joaquin Wilde, and Cruz Del Toro all headed to the ring and stood behind Rey as he addressed his match at Crown Jewel, which ended with Logan Paul defeating him for the United States Championship. Rey was interrupted however by the remaining LWO member Carlito, who shook everything up by telling Rey that he should be mad at Santos Escobar, as Carlito said Santos was the one who left the brass knuckles by the ring for Paul to use during his match. That led to Santos and Rey getting into a fight after Carlito’s match, and that led to a major turn from Santos, who brutally attacked Rey and seemingly ended his allegiance to the LWO in the process.
Once they got in the ring, Rey started to talk about how he would still be the United States Champion if Paul hadn’t cheated, and the crowd agreed. Then surprisingly Carlito’s music hit, interrupting Rey and causing the rest of the group to look a bit confused. After all, it is odd to have a member of your own faction interrupt the group’s promo.
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Carlito then said, “Rey Rey, no one wants to see you as United States Champion more than Carlito. But we’re not going to talk about Crown Jewel? Carlito wants to talk about it. You’re blaming the wrong person. You shouldn’t blame Logan Paul. You should blame the person who left the brass knuckles on the steps for him, and that was Santos Escobar.”
That statement shocked everyone, including the group, and Santos looked irritated by the accusation. A brawl was kept from happening but then Santos left the ring and headed out, and Rey was visibly confused before running off after Santos. Rey was joined by Vega, and that left Cruz, Wilde, and Carlito in the ring, and then Carlito started his match against Bobby Lashley.
The match would see Santos return to help out The LWO against the Street Profits and Bobby Lashley, but it wasn’t enough, and Carlito would lose the match. Then Escobar returned to the ring and saw Ford, Dawkins, and Lashley attacking Carlito, but he didn’t get in the ring and help him. Rey would run out with a chair and help Carlito, and once the ring was cleared he got in Santos’ face for not helping Carlito.
Rey would go to help Carlito but Santos then knocked Rey away and got in his face, yelling at him for helping someone who had accused him of something earlier in the night. Rey retaliated, hitting Santos and knocking him to the outside of the ring. Both were stunned at what transpired, and that led to Rey walking over and extending a hand to Santos, telling him things got out of hand. Santos waited a minute but then slammed Rey into the ring post, and that caused him to fall onto the steel steps. Then Santos kicked the steel steps with Rey’s leg pinned between the steps and the ring, causing severe damage to Rey.
Vega got in between Santos and Rey, asking Santos why he did this. Santos said, “It was supposed to be me and you! You did this!: Then he told Vega “He did it, not me! Me!”
The LWO has now lost one of its biggest members, and we’ll have to see what kind of damage the attack did to Rey and what will happen with the LWO moving forward.
What did you think of Santos’ turn on Rey? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!
