As we know, Penta challenged WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns for his title on the September 14th episode of Monday Night RAW in Mexico City. This match drew one of the best viewership numbers on Netflix for 2026.
Dave Meltzer discussed the match on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio. According to Meltzer, he has heard from people within WWE that there is no denying Penta’s status as a main event star following this bout. He also noted that this particular episode of RAW achieved the second-highest viewership of the year, even competing against a Monday Night Football game that attracted 23.2 million viewers. If we factor out that football game, it likely surpassed the viewership of the RAW After WrestleMania.
To put the numbers into perspective, that episode of RAW drew 3.1 million viewers, tying for the third-highest viewership of the year alongside the February 2nd episode. The second-highest viewership was recorded on the January 5th episode, which garnered 3.2 million viewers. The most-watched episode was the post-WrestleMania episode on April 20th, which had 3.3 million viewers.
Meltzer’s comments on Penta’s elevated status in WWE are consistent with a recent report indicating that creative plans may have changed for the luchador, potentially including a rematch with Reigns in the future. Penta is also being regarded as a “heavy favorite” to win the Men’s Money in the Bank Match.
