WWE SmackDown Star's Contract Reportedly Expiring This Summer
Angel of Legado Del Fantasma is currently in negotiations with WWE about his contract.
Contract season continues to heat up with many top stars in WWE inching toward free agency. While talent like Seth Rollins, Finn Balor and Drew McIntyre have re-signed larger deals, former WWE Women's World Champion Becky Lynch's contract has officially expired and she is now considered a free agent. She's one of several stars that signed five-year deals back in 2019 and though it's unlikely she will leave and head somewhere else, it does pose an interesting narrative within WWE. Stars are likely trying to negotiate better deals by showing there is heavy interest elsewhere.
This past week alone, contract news regarding three other superstars has surfaced, including former United States Champion Ricochet. Today, Fightful Select reports that Legado Del Fantasma member Angel also has his contract on the horizon. Angel is a major part of SmackDown in the group which has been feuding with the LWO for the past year. The report indicates that while his contract expires August 1, both sides have begun negotiations and an offer from WWE is currently on the table.
Angel has worked for many of the wrestling world's most notable promotions, including TNA, NOAH, AAA, and MLW. He first signed with WWE back in 2019 with the NXT brand where he became an NXT Cruiserweight Champion. When he was brought to the main roster in 2020, he began teaming with Andrade but when Andrade was released from his contract, he found a new partner in Berto. They've been tagging together ever since, having gone on to have some pretty epic moments in their careers.
Angel previously revealed in an interview that he and Berto had multiple tryouts with WWE, but they determined Angel was too young at the time. "It was a little confusing because we did three or four tryouts before we came to WWE. The first one, it was 2015 or 16, and they said 'both of you guys are too young, so we're going to wait. We'll call you next year.' That was a soft way to say 'Bye, bye, we don't need you. We don't like you. We don't want you,'" Angel told Table Talk in 2021. "Next year, we came to Orlando and we did the whole tryout for the whole week and after that it was the same thing, 'Wait one more year because both of you guys are too young so keep building your names and next year we are going to contact both of you guys.' We're like, 'Okay, this second chance it over, this is like the last chance.' The next year, they contacted us, but I was signed with IMPACT and I told them, 'We have to wait until my contract ends.' After that year, Humberto came first because I was injured with my shoulder, I had surgery on my shoulder and that postponed my introduction to WWE, so Humberto came six months before me and then I came. It was a rough path to walk" (h/t: Fightful).
Stay tuned to Comicbook for updates on WWE's ongoing contract situation.
