7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (9 March - Results & Review)

6. Penta Defends His IC Title

WWE Raw Penta
WWE

Hats off to Penta, who successfully defended his newly won Intercontinental Championship more in one week than the last two champs did during the previous four months.

Penta defeated El Grande Americano (no, not that one, the other one) in a fairly standard match that really didn’t get out of second gear until the closing moments. But it wasn’t the match alone that earned positive marks.

Before the title defense, Penta spoke about winning the title last week, thanking his family, friends, the fans, and everyone who believed in him. He said that winning the IC title was for everyone who never gave up, pledging to represent them. Penta said the title was the result of sacrifice and that he would be a fighting champion.

That kind of promo just felt real, and it did more to get across how much the title meant to Penta than a celebration or a long title reign. That in turn can elevate the championship itself.

If it also means we get Penta retuning the title to its “workhorse” standing, then fans should be all for that.

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Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.