Santos Escobar is a big Rey Mysterio guy. He grew up watching his matches in Mexico, dreamed of having a career of his caliber, and even gave the Hall of Fame-bound luchador one of his El Hijo del Fantasma masks during a criminally non-broadcasted segment for WWE social media. Sure, eventually, Escobar would like to have a resume similar to the older Mysterio, with multiple championship reigns and an enduring legion of fans who will sing his praises for the rest of time, but for now, the 38-year-old is happy to learn at the foot of a legend in order to be fully ready when his time comes.

Unfortunately, Dominik Mysterio doesn't have that same appreciation for history, or for the accomplishments of his father. No, in the eyes of Dominik, the elder Mysterio is a bum, a dead-beat dad, and the kind of absentee father that he wants nothing to do with moving forward, save some in-ring fisticuffs that the two men have yet to agree to.

Understandably, this difference in opinions has led to some bad blood between the younger Mysterio and Escobar, and on the first SmackDown in the month of March, that tension boiled over in a major way, as after helping his Mami secure a win over Liv Morgan in the second segment of the show, the two performers locked horns once more, and this time, the leader of LFI wasn't going to just let his words do the talking.

“Rey should’ve punched you in the face last week, but I understand why he couldn’t,” Escobar said. “But guess what? I can.”

With Adam Pearce on his side, the match officially made, and Rey Mysterio's honor on the line, the duo made it down to the ring for what should have been a good test of two generational talents, but in the end, Ripley, as she so often does, proved too be the difference-maker, hitting Escobar with a Riptide on the outside before being pinned with the Flog Splash. From there, Mysterio added insult to injury where he ripped up Escobar's prized possession, a signed mask from Rey, and ripped it up on the ramp. This inspired Mysterio to come out and get the mask back, but in the end, he ended up laid out on the ground, wondering where he went wrong as a father.

Will Dominik ever be held accountable for his actions? Only time will tell, but the next time will certainly be the first time.

Santos Escobar wants to see Rey Mysterio's old self back on WWE.

Before SmackDown went on the air, Escobar sat down with WWE Die Woche to discuss the problem he, and Rey, have been having with Dominik and acknowledged that it must be weighing on the veteran wrestler's mind every time he steps in the ring.

“He’s got problems right now. He’s in a very tough situation because he’s not getting the respect he deserves at home,” Escobar said via Fightful. “That affects your life outside of your house. I think the more I want to become the leading lucha libre superstar in the world, the more I want him to be 100% so that I can contend for that. At the moment, I can’t because he’s distracted. I think he needs to solve this somehow. The way I see it, he doesn’t, his career is over. That’s it. He won’t be able to perform the way we want him to perform, the way I need him to perform so that I can challenge him for the lucha libre empire. I want him at this best. If he needs me for that, I’ll help him. I’ve had my own issues with my dad in the past, so I know. I can relate to what he’s going through. I’m a dad myself, I have my son, so I understand where he’s coming from.”

When asked if wrestling Mysterio is on his WWE wishlist, Escobar acknowledged that it was, but asserted that such a match won't be as good as it could be until at least Dominik is out of the way.

“I don’t have a list,” Escobar said. “If I had a list, it would be to main event WrestleMania and become the Undisputed Universal Heavyweight WWE Champion. That’s my list. Anyone that comes in the way of me achieving that, I guess we could say is on that list. At the moment, I need Rey to be 100%, and the reason why he’s not 100% is Dominik. So I guess logically he is on my list.”

Could the day eventually come when Mysterio and Escobar share the ring in a match of note, maybe in a bout for a championship at a pay-per-view? Only time will tell, but if Dom and Rey don't go toe to toe at WrestleMania 39, it's clear Escobar would happily fight either foe at “The Show of Shows.”