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Former AEW star Penta made his highly anticipated WWE debut on Monday night’s episode of Raw.
WWE @WWE
PENTA has arrived on <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RawOnNetflix?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RawOnNetflix</a>! <a href=”https://t.co/K0NLjE2pWZ”>pic.twitter.com/K0NLjE2pWZ</a>
WWE @WWE
Penta RULES!<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RawOnNetflix?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RawOnNetflix</a> <a href=”https://t.co/l00oWQzBr3″>pic.twitter.com/l00oWQzBr3</a>
Penta was the mystery opponent for Chad Gable and he defeated the leader of American Made in his first match as a member of the WWE roster.
It was widely expected that Penta would be Gable’s opponent after Gable asked Raw general manager Adam Pearce last week to put him up against the best luchador he could find.
B/R Wrestling @BRWrestling
Penta makes his WWE debut 🔥 <a href=”https://t.co/9aaCxGKCpC”>pic.twitter.com/9aaCxGKCpC</a>
During the match, Gable put Penta into a devastating ankle lock that seemed to signal the end of the match, but Penta reversed it, hitting Gable with “The Sacrific” and nearly breaking his arm.
Writhing in pain, Gable managed to get to his feet, only for Penta to hoist him up and drive him into the mat, securing the win in his debut via pinfall.
WWE @WWE
Monday Night PENTA!<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RawOnNetflix?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RawOnNetflix</a> <a href=”https://t.co/YvQUuSqNSV”>pic.twitter.com/YvQUuSqNSV</a>
In recent weeks, cryptic vignettes began airing on Raw, and it quickly became apparent that they were leading up to Penta’s arrival in WWE, as they featured the outline of his mask and alluded to his “Cero Miedo” catchphrase.
All doubt was erased during last week’s Raw when the mask was emblazoned with the name “Penta” in the vignette.
After first making a name for himself in his home country of Mexico as part of AAA, Penta first rose to prominence in the United States in the now-defunct Lucha Underground promotion.
Lucha Underground gained a cult-like following, and Penta was a big reason why, as he was among the faces of the product and was a two-time Lucha Underground champion.
After Lucha Underground ended in 2018, Penta made the move to Impact Wrestling and established himself as a top star there as well. In addition to holding the Impact World Tag Team Championships once with his brother, Rey Fénix, Penta was a one-time Impact world champion.
Penta and Fénix were among AEW’s earliest signings, and they primarily operated as a team known as the Lucha Bros. during their tenure.
They had no shortage of memorable matches in AEW, holding the AEW World Tag Team Championships once, as well as the AEW World Trios Championships once along with Pac.
In recent months, rumors and speculation surfaced, stating that Penta and Fénix were going to let their AEW contracts expire as a precursor to joining WWE.
However, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Cultaholic’s Aidan Gibbons) reported that AEW added as much as a year of injury time to Fénix’s deal, which resulted in Penta becoming a free agent on his own.
While it is widely expected that Fénix will eventually join his brother in WWE, Penta made an impactful solo debut on Raw.
Penta is one of the most popular and recognizable luchadores in the world, and if he can recapture some of the magic he had during his Lucha Underground run, he has a chance to be a huge star in WWE as well.
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