‘The OTC’ vs. Pénta: Who Walks Out of Raw in Mexico City as WWE World Heavyweight Champion?
This past pre-taped episode of Monday Night Raw took place at the Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The main event saw the finale of the World Heavyweight Championship Tournament between real-life brothers Rey Fénix and Pénta. The Lucha Bros stole the show, but Pénta ultimately came out on top in the highly competitive, action-packed match. World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns would come out to stand face-to-face with his opponent at the upcoming Raw in Mexico on September 14th. The two superstars would hit their signature poses to end the show. The match is scheduled to be the main event attraction. Who will walk out of Raw in Mexico City as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion?
Let’s start with Pénta. ‘Cero Miedo’ has had an eventful run since debuting at the Raw on Netflix debut last year against a heel Chad Gable. He was introduced as this generation’s Rey Mysterio, and he’s been a fan-favorite in WWE and was positioned in the upper midcard. This run peaked when he had his Intercontinental Championship title run earlier this year; Danhausen cursed then-Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio right before their match. Pénta would ultimately drop the title to Gable at this year’s SummerSlam. This is the luchador’s first shot at one of the top prizes in WWE, and he looks set on being an upper card staple and a future World Champion.
The timing of all these events is intriguing. A few weeks ago, Pénta was offered a chance to rejoin Los Perros del Mal, a stable that he was a part of while in his extended run in AAA. Berto, Daga, and Angel were trying to recruit the former member. ‘Cero Miedo’ asked for some time to think about it before deeming it a possibility, as long as they got rid of the dead weight, referring to Bronco Nima. Pénta and Nima would have a match in AAA, with the former Intercontinental Champion winning the bout. Los Perros del Mal would come out and welcome Pénta back into the group with open arms. The former member would decline to join, causing the group to jump him from behind after attacking Nima. Fénix and Dragon Lee came out to make the save. It might be an AAA event, but the former Intercontinental Champion might have enemies in Mexico waiting to spoil his shot at the World Heavyweight Championship.
Reigns needs no introduction. ‘The OTC’ has main evented countless WrestleManias, held every belt a man can hold in the biggest wrestling company, and has one of the longest Undisputed WWE Championship title reigns in wrestling history. He won the World Heavyweight Championship off of CM Punk at WrestleMania Night Two in, arguably, the best match of WrestleMania 42. His Bloodline issues have been taking up most of his time since the return of Royce Keys and the debut of OTM’s Nima and Lucien Price. This has caused the World Heavyweight Champion to lose sight of challengers in front of him like Pénta and LA Knight, with the latter seriously getting under his skin after helping Solo Sikoa turn on The Bloodline.
How will the main event of Raw in Mexico play out? Reigns has ordered all of The Bloodline to stay out of his championship business; his right-hand men, Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso, have listened to the orders, but Jacob Fatu hasn’t pleased ‘The Tribal Chief’ as much. Reigns has ordered Fatu to take care of Keys’s new stable since their main roster debut, and The Usos should be able to even the odds and prevent any interference during the match. Fénix and Lee should be able to take care of Los Perros del Mal up to a certain point, but they would be outnumbered three to two. WWE could blend all of these stories together in this one match since it’s the one time it would make a lot of sense. All of the outside people could cause a lot of distractions while not causing any illegal interference. This would protect the World Heavyweight Champion and Pénta, and neither wrestler would have to deal with outside interference during the match. Another question that might be raised is how much offense will ‘Cero Miedo’ be able to utilize on a much bigger opponent? Pénta is a sneaky strong wrestler, but some of his offense requires his opponents to jump, flip, and go in unusual wrestling positions that Reigns might not be comfortable with. ‘Cero Miedo’ is also known for his hellacious overhand chops. It would be a surprise if he hits enough of them to leave the champ’s chest covered in cuts and bruises. Don’t forget that ‘The OTC’ is arguably the top star of the company and can call whatever shots he wants to. He also has interest in doing things outside of WWE, like acting in Hollywood, and going in an all-out war with a wrestler like Pénta could seriously cut those opportunities short. Wrestling fans would love to see the luchador pull off a Pénta Driver or even a couple of Mexican Destroyers on the World Heavyweight Champion, but there’s a lot of risk involved in that.
Expect Reigns to get booed out of Mexico City. The crowd will heavily cheer for their countryman, and Pénta will feed off that energy. ‘Cero Miedo’ should start strong, but only for a short burst of offense. ‘The OTC’ will quickly shut the early offense down and establish his wrestling pace. The champ will continue to wear down the challenger and do everything in his power to keep the luchador as grounded as possible. The luchador will find a way back into the match and start displaying the offense he’s known for, causing the champ to be taken aback and gather himself before reengaging in the bout. Reigns is likely to counter some springboard or top rope maneuver with a Superman Punch, which will likely lead to an extended beatdown on Pénta.
The continued onslaught by ‘The OTC’ could cause Knight to come out and try to cause some distraction since he hasn’t been a fan of AAA’s Tournament for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship before him. There’s a chance ‘The Megastar’ could turn heel and cost Pénta the match, but that wouldn’t be an ideal move for WWE creative to pull the trigger on. Knight could attract The Bloodline to come out from the back and cause a massive brawl throughout the arena. Sikoa would find his way to help out his new friend and fend off his family. This could also attract Keys and OTM to come out, and the three groups would find a way to beat each other up without interfering with the championship match.
‘Cero Miedo’ will find an opening when Reigns takes his foot off the gas and connects with a Penta Driver for a near fall. ‘The OTC’ will start to look worried and desperate since he’s not familiar with a wrestler like Pénta, causing him to bring out his bad side to find some equalizing offense on the luchador. Reigns will likely set up for a spear, but the first one won’t connect. Hopefully the hometown favorite will counter the Spear with a Mexican Destroyer for a near fall, and it’ll probably be the only Mexican Destroyer he lands. ‘Cero Miedo’ will set up another Mexican Destroyer after the near fall, but ‘The OTC’ will counter the Mexican Destroyer with his Spear and get the pinfall victory. Pénta deserves a World Heavyweight Championship or Undisputed WWE Championship title run in the future. Reigns has been booked way too strong to be losing on an episode of Monday Night Raw, however. WWE also seems interested in booking ‘The OTC’ against ‘The Megastar’, and that bout will likely be for the World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank in October. The Mexican crowd will likely see Reigns retain his title, but will serenade Pénta with admiration and appreciation before Raw in Mexico City ends.
