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Backstage Update On Penta's WWE Debut And The Original Plans For Him

Penta was not originally supposed to face Chad Gable in his WWE Raw debut match.
Rick Ucchino|
Penta after his successful WWE debut
Penta after his successful WWE debut | WWE.com

Following weeks of online speculation and on-screen teases, Penta finally arrived in WWE on the January 13 edition of Monday Night Raw.

The former AEW World Tag Team and World Trios Champion participated in a widely praised, hard hitting and drama filled match-up with Chad Gable, who even in defeat couldn't help but give Penta his props after it was all said and done.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, however, is reporting that the original plans did not call for Penta to face Chad Gable in his debut match.

As many had previously concluded, when Rey Mysterio challenged the New Day to a tag team match a couple of weeks back on Raw, Penta was supposed to be unveiled as his surprise partner. Ross Sapp was not provided a reason for why those plans were changed.

In the meantime, it was reported early in the day on Tuesday by Mike Johnson of PWInsider, that Penta's match with Chad Gable and his promo segment afterward went long on time. That has now been confirmed by Fightful.

What Sean Ross Sapp was not able to corroborate was that other segments on the show had to either be cut or trimmed down due to the opening contest running long. Which subsequently led to other talents being, "less than thrilled."

"When Fightful spoke to a higher up, they said that they hadn't specifically heard of heat on Penta, and if there was heat, it should have been on whoever decided there needed to be a hard out on the show," Ross Sapp said. "Among talent that we spoke to, they claimed they didn't hear of heat on Penta, and most everyone was aware of what the moment meant to him and his family, and the roster was happy for him."

WWE no longer has a hard out time with Raw now on Netflix, but that does not mean they'll be playing it fast and loose with the show's runtime. Monday night's show in particular had a target sign off of 10:30 p.m. ET.

Why? Many talent indicated to Fightful that the company wanted to make sure people could get to their flights out of San Jose on time, and there were still a number of dark matches that were wrestled after the show went off the air. Including hometown girl Bayley taking on Nia Jax.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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