An unqualified success story for WWE in a year where the creative wheels went from spinning at warp-speed to nearly falling off completely, the former AEW Tag Team Champion has finally had a mainstream US singles run that he can hold up against his peak years nearly a decade ago.
Understanding the assignment impeccably after signing with the market leader, Penta turned his flamboyance up to a hundred while forging a brand new bond with a brand new audience. Spending a year in the Raw midcard without getting remotely stale, he improbably flirted with top title contention during a summer series with The Vision, and managed to be one of the only babyfaces to still get cheered when challenging for the beloved Dominik Mysterio's Intercontinental Championship.
It's reached the point where he could reunite with Rey Fenix next year, but doesn't need it half as much as his high-flying brother. The two would likely fall into the tag team sinkhole within a matter of weeks; on his own, Penta stands every chance of becoming a heel's first challenger or even an outside shot for next year's Money In The Bank. At 40, he's got half a decade-plus on most of the main event crew - there's more time and creative energy on 'El Zero Miedo's side than many might have assumed.
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
