WWE Raw on Sept. 14, 2026, took place at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico, and featured a title match between Roman Reigns and Penta.
This stop in Mexico City has been brewing for weeks as a bigger-than-usual Raw, and it certainly was. The vibes were high, and the crowd was rocking in Mexico for what was probably the best Monday show of the year.
Here’s the top takeaways from this week’s show:
Money in the Bank qualifiers
There were two more MITB qualifers on this week’s show, and here’s the results:
- Je’Von Evans def. Big Cass, Austin Theory
THE YOUNG OG ➡️ Money in the Bank 😤@WWEJeVonEvans pic.twitter.com/kjeqGrwvZn
— WWE (@WWE) September 15, 2026
- Lola Vice def. Kelani Jordan, Raquel Rodriguez
LOLA VICE QUALIFIES 👊
— WWE (@WWE) September 15, 2026
Next Stop: Money in the Bank 💰 pic.twitter.com/oIqc0TqGX1
Evans prevailed in the men’s match, which featured a couple of nice spots like Theory hitting a blue thunder bomb on Cass.
Vice made her Raw debut, overcoming women’s IC champ Rodriguez and Jordan, the women’s NXT champ. Getting a win over two champs is a big moment for a debut, and Vice looked great doing it. Evans joins Bron Breakker in the men’s match, while Vice joins Sol Ruca in the women’s match. There are four more participants to go in each.
Chad Gable defends IC title vs. Dragon Lee
The first title match of the show was for the Men’s Intercontinental Championship between Chad Gable and Dragon Lee.
The crowd had plenty of love to offer for both as things quickly kicked into high gear. Dragon Lee hit some amazing spots in this match, including his flying cannonball spot through the middle rope onto the commentary desk, and a double chest stomp from the top rope – except this time he did it all the way to the outside on the floor. The crowd was ready to lose their minds after Operation Dragon hit, but it was only good for a two-count.
TOTALLY INSANE 🤯@dragonlee95 pic.twitter.com/HJ11kLa6qx
— WWE (@WWE) September 15, 2026
An incredible sequence followed, with Lee’s Styles Clash attempt being counted into an ankle lock, just for Lee to fight out and hit the AJ Styles finisher. Gable managed to kick out, though, and a few moments later, he locked in another ankle lock, this time forcing the tap. Gable didn’t celebrate the win, though. He immediately checked on Lee, showing him huge respect, which the crowd appreciated.
Lee has been the workhorse on Raw lately, and this crowd really thought they would see that be rewarded with a title win here. It didn’t happen, but the match was so good that the fans didn’t care about the outcome. Fantastic stuff here.
Roman Reigns defends title vs. Penta
The main event of this week’s show was a World Heavyweight Championship match between Roman Reigns and Penta. The opportunity for Penta was earned by winning the luchador-only tournament by defeating his brother Rey Fenix. The crowd was incredibly hot for this match, hoping to witness something special. I mean, just look at Penta’s entrance:
WHAT AN ENTRANCE, PENTA!!! 🔥👏@PENTAELZEROM pic.twitter.com/5Nn2eEpUVx
— WWE (@WWE) September 15, 2026
LISTEN TO THIS PLACE 🤯@PENTAELZEROM pic.twitter.com/WmDQCqpevM
— WWE (@WWE) September 15, 2026
Penta brought the fight to Reigns early, and the crowd was incredibly hot as he got off early offense. Reigns eventually slowed him down while doing a great job at selling the damage Penta caused. For example, Reigns went to punch the canvas to signal, but Penta had already damaged that arm with a Sacrifice, so he ended up hurting himself.
Things kicked into another gear after a Penta Driver hit, but the Mexican Destroyer was countered with a Superman Punch. Penta then hurdled a spear to hit the Mexican Destroyer, but Reigns came right back with a spear.
THIS MATCH 🤯@PENTAELZEROM | @WWERomanReigns pic.twitter.com/ckxvolaiDz
— WWE (@WWE) September 15, 2026
Reigns then grabbed the mic mid-match to ask for acknowledgment, which was wildly arrogant. Penta then hit a springboard Mexican Destroyer, but couldn’t get the three-count. After more dramatic back-and-forth, Reigns would hit one more spear to close the show.
A SHOW-STOPPING MATCH!!! 🔥@WWERomanReigns defeats Penta and retains the World Heavyweight Title! pic.twitter.com/AFQcVTuInq
— WWE (@WWE) September 15, 2026
This match had a big PLE feel, largely due to the amazing crowd – but in the end, the outcome was not at all a surprise. Reigns defending was a certainty, which took away from some of the intrigue of this match, but for a moment, Penta made you believe the impossible was going to happen.
The entire tournament was a stay-busy side quest for Reigns, with the final match adding stakes to the Mexico City stop. To WWE’s credit, there have been surprise title changes just this past week, with Sami Zayn defeating CM Punk on SmackDown and Stephanie Vaquer taking the belt from Liv Morgan in Chile. However, a belt-holding Reigns always seems immune to those types of title changes.
So, while this match was a lot of fun in an incredible atmosphere, everyone knew who was leaving with the title. If nothing else, it showed that Penta is a bona fide superstar and reminded the WWE Universe that Reigns is a heel who is supposed to be booed.
Full match results
- El Grande Americano, Stephanie Vaquer def. Liv Morgan, Dominik Mysterio via disqualification
- Je’Von Evans def. Big Cass, Austin Theory - men’s MITB qualifier
- Chad Gable (C) def. Dragon Lee via submission – for men’s IC title
- Lola Vice def. Kelani Jordan, Raquel Rodriguez – women’s MITB qualifier
- Roman Reigns (C) def. Penta via pinfall – for World Heavyweight Championship
This article originally appeared on Wrestling Junkie: WWE Raw takeaways: Roman Reigns, Penta have PLE-level title match in Mexico
