Penta didn’t win the World Heavyweight Championship in Mexico City. He didn’t even get a rematch announced. But according to a new backstage report, the biggest thing to come out of that match may have happened after the cameras stopped rolling.
Penta pushed Roman Reigns to the limit in front of a red-hot Arena CDMX crowd during the September 14 edition of RAW. The Mexican star came up short after Reigns connected with a Superman Punch and Spear, but the reaction inside the building—and apparently behind the curtain—left a lasting impression.
Speaking on WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, Joey Votes revealed that one source believes Penta’s performance changed how many people inside WWE now view him. According to that source, there’s a growing feeling that Penta shouldn’t be dropping back down the card anytime soon.
“Following their incredible encounter Monday night, a source relayed that several within the company believe Penta deserves the opportunity to remain towards the top of the card, with the feeling that he has now established himself as a legitimate main event player.”
That wasn’t the only update. JoeyVotes also revealed that while WWE isn’t currently planning to run Roman Reigns vs. Penta back, the company already believes it’s a match it can return to whenever it wants.
“At this point, a source also stated that a rematch between the two is not currently planned. However, given the reception both publicly and behind the scenes, according to a source, it is a matchup the company already feels like it can go back to at any time, and one that a source feels could headline a PLE in the future.”
The conversation then shifted away from the report itself and toward the match’s long-term significance. Joey admitted he fully expects Roman and Penta to cross paths again, but he isn’t convinced they’ll ever recreate the same atmosphere they had in Mexico City.
“We’re talking anything. I don’t know if they’re going to be able to capture that environment again. If they do Penta versus Roman Reigns in Indianapolis, they do Penta versus Roman Reigns in Toronto — wherever they do it again, they’re probably going to do it again. I feel good about that.
But wherever they do it again, it’s not going to be the same. Did they miss the boat? I know we talked about this enough, but let’s go back to the source saying that they believe Penta should stay towards the top.
Is the top ready for him to be there? Does he fit in with the rest of the players? Is he on the same level as an LA Knight, even a Solo Sikoa? Can he overtake Seth Rollins as the biggest babyface on the roster? Talk to me. Where does Penta belong now after that Monday night performance?”
TC wasn’t convinced WWE had missed anything. Looking back at Roman Reigns’ history, he argued that losing to “The Tribal Chief” has actually helped launch several future champions, pointing to Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn as examples.
“Well, let me ask you something there, Joey Votes. At WrestleMania 40, did you really care that Cody Rhodes didn’t win at WrestleMania 39? Did it take away from the moment that you missed the opportunity for him to win the championship? There he was a year later in Philadelphia, in one of the greatest main events of all time, and no one was thinking, ‘Well, they should have—’”
Joey immediately responded: “Did it last year, right?” TC continued by bringing up Sami Zayn’s journey. Rather than seeing the loss as a missed opportunity, TC believes it positioned Penta for something bigger down the road.
“I’m not saying this is apples to apples here when it comes to Penta. No. But even look at a guy like Sami Zayn, who could have won Elimination Chamber a couple years ago against Roman Reigns in Montreal, ended up winning, right, in Montreal. And then a couple months ago, he ends up winning at Night of Champions, was it? That’s the one it was called. And I don’t think anyone’s thinking, ‘Well, it should have been Elimination Chamber,’ in that moment.
So there’s times where, hey, you have to lose in order to win and get yourself in the position now where they know that if they needed to put the title on you, I agree, they could. You’re going to step up in those moments, and the fans will have that reaction that you so dearly want to have happen when the time does take place.”
Joey understood that point, but still felt Mexico City was a once-in-a-lifetime situation that simply can’t be recreated somewhere else.
“I agree, TC, but I’ll push back a little bit. The only place in the world that has its signature wrestlers is Mexico. Mexico City. Lucha libre. The face of lucha libre currently, in this universe or any universe that revolves around professional wrestling, is Penta.
So Penta’s not in the main event of Monday Night Raw — hypothetically, if the show is in Cleveland, Ohio, they’re not going to do that, especially putting the title on the line. This was a circumstance. This was, at least for the first time, once in a lifetime, right?”
TC argued that, championship or not, Penta accomplished exactly what he needed to accomplish that night. In his mind, the match proved Penta belongs in WWE’s biggest spots whenever the company decides to make that call.
“But now I think whatever city or crowd that does get a Penta championship somewhere down the line will think back to that crowd that night in Mexico City and maybe hopefully emulate that same thing. Listen, in life, it doesn’t always go the way you want it to happen.
Pro teams lose at home, even when the championship’s on the line. 2003 World Series, the Yankees lost to Josh Beckett, tagging Jorge Posada out on the first baseline in Yankee Stadium, and everybody goes home sad and watching the other team celebrate. Those things happen in sports. Those things happen in life.
And as much as we all wanted to kind of see what it would look like to have Penta win, what that celebration would look like, what the booking would look like thereafter, what would Roman Reigns do — I still think it was the right call to keep that title on Roman Reigns.
Nothing against Penta. He comes out looking 100 better. You know, he was an 84 in WWE 2K26. Next year he’s going to be a 90, I think, because of a match just like this. I think in our minds, he went up all of our rankings as well.
And you’ve got to give him a lot of credit for stepping up, that if that decision was made for him to win, he did everything in that match to show that he could earn that and deserve it when the next opportunity comes down the pipe.”
Penta left Mexico City without the championship, but it doesn’t sound like he left empty-handed. If these reports are accurate, one night against Roman Reigns may have done more for his long-term WWE future than a victory over almost anyone else could have.
Do you think Penta has earned a permanent spot in WWE’s main event scene after his performance against Roman Reigns? Let us know in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
