Video: Penta Makes WWE Raw Debut, Beats Chad Gable After AEW Departure | News, results, highlights, stats and rumours

Former AEW star Penta made his long-awaited WWE debut on Monday night’s episode of Raw.

Penta was Chad Gable’s mystery opponent and he defeated the leader of American Made in his first match as a member of the WWE roster.

Penta was widely expected to be Gable’s opponent after Gable asked Raw general manager Adam Pearce last week to put him up against the best luchador he could find.

During the match, Gable put Penta in a devastating ankle lock that appeared to signal the end of the match, but Penta reversed it, hitting Gable with “The Sacrifici” and nearly breaking his arm.

Writhing in pain, Gable managed to get to his feet, only for Penta to lift him up and drive him into the mat, securing the win in his debut via pinfall.

In recent weeks, cryptic vignettes began appearing on Raw and it quickly became clear that they were leading up to Penta’s arrival in WWE, showing the outline of his mask and alluding to his “Cero Miedo” catchphrase.

All doubt was erased during last week’s Raw when the mask was emblazoned with the name “Penta” in the vignette.

After first making a name for himself in his native Mexico as part of AAA, Penta first rose to prominence in the United States in the now defunct Lucha Underground promotion.

Lucha Underground gained a cult-like following, and Penta was a big reason for that as he was among the faces of the product and was a two-time Lucha Underground Champion.

After Lucha Underground ended in 2018, Penta switched to Impact Wrestling and established himself as a top star there as well. In addition to holding the Impact World Tag Team Championships once with his brother, Rey Fénix, Penta was a one-time Impact World Champion.

Penta and Fénix were among AEW’s earliest signings, operating primarily as a tag team known as the Lucha Bros. during their term of office.

They had no shortage of memorable matches in AEW, holding the AEW World Tag Team Championships once, as well as the AEW World Trios Championships once alongside Pac.

In recent months, rumors and speculation surfaced stating that Penta and Fénix would let their AEW contracts expire as a precursor to joining WWE.

But Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Cultaholic’s Aidan Gibbons) reported that AEW added as much as a year of injury time to Fénix’s deal, resulting in Penta becoming a free agent on his own.

While it is widely expected that Fénix will eventually join his brother in WWE, Penta made an impactful solo debut on Raw.

Penta is one of the most popular and recognizable luchadors in the world, and if he can recapture some of the magic he had during his Lucha Underground run, he has a chance to become a huge star in WWE as well.

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