8 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (13 Jan - Results & Review)

3. Penta Arrives

Michael Cole called it “the worst kept secret,” and he wasn’t wrong in the slightest.

Penta made his WWE debut Monday night as Chad Gable’s “mystery” luchador opponent, defeating the American Made leader in a solid match that served as an effective introduction of the Mexican superstar to the WWE audience.

Fans who might have been expecting a blinding pace and an all-out blitz of offense probably were disappointed by this match, which featured Gable targeting Penta’s leg and the luchador selling the injury throughout the contest. The affair started with some mat wrestling and a bit of a stalemate before Penta unleashed a brief flurry, cut off by the leg work. Penta would come back with a tope, diving crossbody, backstabber, and Mexican Destroyer to fire up the crowd.

An anklelock put Penta in peril, but he escaped, snapped the arm, and hit Made in Japan (now officially the Penta Driver) to finish Gable to a great reaction. Afterward, Penta cut a promo in English and Spanish, thanking the fans and saying he knew the fans were waiting for this moment, but he was waiting for it as well.

This was a success in many respects, but there also should be some small deductions for the WWE-ification of Penta, as his offense was toned down significantly to a handful of high spots with a lengthy limb work segment. His promo afterward channeled every WWE promo ever by talking about being in “the Penta new era”.

To be fair, WWE wasn’t going to have Penta empty the tank in his debut, but all the hype surrounding his arrival had to feel a bit overblown if you’ve seen him in AEW at full tilt. As long as WWE gradually removes the shackles and allow him to go crazy, everyone should be happy.