10 Indy Wrestling Stars WWE Would Ruin

8. Penta El 0M

WALTER PROGRESS
WCPW

Penta El 0M wears a mask. That is the only tangible comparison to Rey Mysterio, the man WWE has spent years trying to replace. The problem is that WWE has confused Rey's popularity with that mask. Rey was such a star because he was a revolutionary, magnetic, spectacular pro wrestler with a true gift for selling. He happened to wear a mask, and that mask was a merchandise sensation - so that dead-end shortcut is the path travelled forevermore.

It's a route WWE would inevitably follow with Penta El 0M, the man who sports the most sinister-looking mask in all of wrestling, and who embarked on an arm-breaking spree in Lucha Underground. Though the context was fantastical, the character arc was fully believable - for Penta El 0M is a sadistic submission machine. He is a homing device for limbs with an ultra-crisp ability to snatch submissions from out of nowhere.

He is a terrifying breed of luchador - but luchadors in WWE are exclusively técnicos. This rudo would be stripped of his identity because his mask obscures both his face and, to WWE, his true essence.

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!