15 MORE Wrestling Gimmicks That Got Weird Rip-Offs

8. Penta (Penta Oscuro)

Blue Tilly
AEW

There's not the time nor the word-count on this slide to explain the full lore of Pentagón  within the context of his Lucha Underground run, which is not to patronise nor mock the product but to put over just how much the company favoured being a television show about wrestling rather than a wrestling television show.

The long story short though, is that the man later to go by several other names was known most as a total killer. One of the standout stars (in a stacked field), Pentagón started life with a couple of difficult defeats so set about claiming fellow wrestlers' arms as trophies in some grisly and gripping matches and beatdowns that helped establish the uniquely specific and dangerous tone LU sought to set. With Lucha icon Vampiro revealed to the "Master" behind all of Pentagón's terrible deeds, Pentagón worked further killer displays as Pentagón Dark, his most sadistic manifestation.

Years passed, and in the time following the unceremonious conclusion of Lucha Underground as a concept, Penta and brother Rey Fenix had established a reputation as one of the best tag teams and touring matches in all of wrestling, and were naturals for AEW when the challenger brand launched in 2019. After a few years entering in celebrated displays, it was felt a reboot of Penta El Ziero M was required after the pair lost the doubles straps in 2022. Penta Oscuro (Dark Penta) was born, but as he emerged pulling funny over a grave, Alex Abrahantes dressed as a druid in tow, he was doomed from moment one.

This was wrestling's version of forced darkness, which is to say the brightest stupidest lightweight nonsense known to man. Not that the relationship was ever set to hit prior heights, but it was the slow, lingering beginning of the end of both brothers' relationship with AEW

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett