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WWE deserves a lot of credit for their booking of Monday Night Raw last night in Mexico City, the first time their flagship show has broadcast from the country in 15 years. The fans, as expected, were into everything but especially the main event, which pitted Penta against Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship.
No, Penta didn’t win. But the match took fans on a roller-coaster ride of emotions that matches like this are supposed to take fans on.
It all began with the tournament that set up this match. WWE didn’t just “gift” Penta a title shot because this show was in Mexico; they built Penta up to earn this shot. Those victories on his way to meeting Reigns will matter in the long run, just as it matters that he went toe-to-toe with the biggest star of this era in WWE and didn’t flinch. Whatever becomes of Penta moving forward, WWE booking has put him – and the writing team – in a position to take advantage of Penta’s last few months.
Not only did Penta benefit from the tournament, this match did as well. It felt much more like a big deal because this moment, this match, had been built for months. And then there was the “bye” week so to speak last week that WWE could use to continue to hype the bout. They didn’t just move from Penta’s tourney win one week right into the match the next. They gave the build time to breathe.
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That big-match feel resonated with fans at home and live in Mexico City. The ring entrances and introductions took on an almost WrestleMania-like atmosphere. WWE now has the template to use in the future to build to major TV shows rather than just use them as another weekly pit stop on the way to the next PLE. Granted, not every city is Mexico City, but there are some themes WWE should be able to try out on occasion.
The match itself was built well and allowed the fans in the arena to become completely immersed in the action. Penta’s character, that of Zero Fear, showed itself throughout the match. There was no hesitation, no moment where being in the ring with the Tribal Chief felt too big for Penta. And why would it? After all, Zero Fear, right?
Everything went according to plan on this night, and even though Penta didn’t win (the good guys don’t always win in sports or in life either), it gave those in attendance and watching at home a memory they’re likely not soon to forget.
(Read Greg Parks’s feature-length weekly columns in the PWTorch Newsletter with a paper copy subscription or online VIP membership. He also reads his feature columns for his VIP-exclusive “Greg Parks Outloud!” podcast. He has contributed to PWTorch for over two decades.)
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