Penta had the biggest crowd of his WWE career behind him. For one night, Mexico City looked ready to celebrate a hometown hero winning the World Heavyweight Championship. According to a new report, though, WWE had a much bigger picture in mind for Roman Reigns.
Penta pushed Reigns to the limit during the September 14 edition of RAW from Arena CDMX, delivering the kind of performance that had fans wondering whether WWE would actually change the title in front of one of the hottest crowds of the year. Instead, Reigns escaped with the championship after connecting with a Superman Punch and Spear, leaving many fans asking the same question once the show ended: Why not put the title on Penta?
During a recent PWInsider Q&A, Mike Johnson was asked exactly that. Johnson pointed to the company’s long-term plans for Roman Reigns rather than anything Penta did or didn’t do inside the ring.
“Roman Reigns is earmarked to face Oba Femi at WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia (barring injury or stupidity), so my thought process is that WWE is going to want to keep him as strong as possible.”
This comes after another positive backstage report regarding Penta’s performance. WrestleVotes Radio recently reported that several people within WWE now view Penta as a legitimate main-event player following his match with Reigns, with the belief that he should remain near the top of the card instead of sliding back down.
The same report added that while a rematch isn’t currently planned, WWE already feels Roman Reigns vs. Penta is a match it can return to whenever the time is right, with some believing it could even headline a future Premium Live Event.
Penta didn’t leave Mexico City with the World Heavyweight Championship, but he may have left with something almost as valuable—WWE’s confidence that he belongs in the main-event picture. If the latest reports are accurate, his biggest title win might have simply been postponed rather than denied.
Do you think WWE made the right call by protecting Roman Reigns for the future, or was Mexico City the perfect time to crown Penta? Let us know in the comments.
