3 of 5
No matter how exceptional of a talent Penta is, there was zero guarantee that he’d be portrayed as the star he’s always been upon arriving in WWE.
His brilliantly-booked Raw debut thankfully put those worries to rest.
From the electric crowd reaction to his terrific match with Chad Gable to his emotional post-match promo, Penta got himself over with the WWE audience in just one night. He isn’t the first ex-AEW star to make the jump to WWE, but he is among the first AEW originals to do so.
It will be all about the aftermath and how he’s handled in the weeks and months ahead. WWE could allow him to be overshadowed and get lost in the shuffle or actually push him consistently as a singles star and capitalize on the popularity he clearly has.
Wardlow and Ricky Starks are two prime examples of