Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
A popular babyface loses the Intercontinental Championship to another popular babyface at SummerSlam. At the time, it seemed like a setback. But just a few weeks later, the former champion defeats a legend to win his first world title and become the face of a new era.
That was Bret Hart’s story in 1992, after losing the I.C. title to the British Bulldog before beating Ric Flair to become world champion.
That could be Penta’s story in 2026, after losing the I.C.
title to Chad Gable before potentially challenging for the big one.
On Monday’s Raw, he defeated Laredo Kid in the opening match of a tournament to determine who will face Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship on Raw in Mexico City on September 14.
Of all the luchadores in the tournament, Penta appears to be the favorite to win, based on his star power, popularity, and recent success as the I.C. Champion. If he does meet Reigns, his winning the title may feel like a long shot.
After all, King of the Ring winner Oba Femi is owed a world title match. A showdown with Reigns seems like the ultimate endgame in Femi’s rise to the top after sending Brock Lesnar into retirement for a second time.
Surely, WWE wouldn’t throw away a match that big, one that could headline WrestleMania.
But what if it did?
Admittedly, I can’t see the benefit in doing that beyond the obvious shock value. It could, at least in the short term, give fans more reason to tune in to Raw to see what happens next with the new champ.
Additionally, there’s a curiosity factor in finding out what the loss could mean for Reigns, his Bloodline, and his place in the family. A Penta title reign also raises the question of how that might affect Femi and WWE’s attempt to create new stars such as Bron Breakker.
Ah, yes. Creating new stars.
When WWE put its top title on Hart in 1992, one could argue that it was a necessary move in what was becoming a post-Hulk Hogan era.
Still, WWE had established favorites capable of carrying the world crown at an uncertain time.
Randy Savage, despite losing the WWE title to Flair before Flair dropped it to Bret, was always a viable option because of his character’s equity with the fans. The Ultimate Warrior, who lost some of his previous luster, was still a big enough name that putting the title on him was a strong possibility. It was something then-WWE owner Vince McMahon reportedly considered had Warrior agreed to turn heel.
Instead, WWE chose Hart, who was 35 at the time. That’s not new by any stretch, especially after he spent much of his previous seven years in the company’s tag division. But as a singles star, Hart was a fresh face for the time.
Penta is 41, which isn’t old in modern wrestling. He’s been with WWE since January 2025. Certainly, he’s not new, but in the big picture, he’s new enough. He’s also so genuinely over that fans would likely embrace him as champion, at least initially.
But could Penta carry the load? Is he a name fans would tune in for to see against someone like Oba Femi? Can he headline WrestleMania?
I don’t have an answer for the first two questions. But with next year’s Mania headed to Saudi Arabia, the show itself should be enough of a draw that who’s at the top of the card might not matter so much, so long as the big stars appear.
It’s an interesting point to consider especially as the parallels between Hart and Penta are so similar. WWE went with Hart when no one saw that coming. Coincidentally, Hart won the title in his home country of Canada.
Penta, whom most fans probably don’t see coming, could shock the world when Raw returns to his native land.
While I’m not willing to bet on Penta winning, I’m certainly not brave enough to bet against him, either. Instead, the safe pick is this: don’t miss Raw on September 14.
