IWC Scum — With All Due Respect to Dom and His Majestic Mullet, Penta is Rey’s True Heir Apparent
Welcome back to the column that puts the incessant whining and complaining in IWC. I’m a foul-mouthed derelict named SkitZ, and this is my slippery slope of a soapbox.
In what proved to be a costly endeavor, Vince McMahon spent much of the 2010s searching for a Latin star who could duplicate the massive return he pocketed from investing in Rey Mysterio. Another luchador being capable of producing that level of success and popularity in WWE just seemed so unrealistic, especially as the years rolled on and the failed experiments piled up. A few studs like Del Rio and Andrade showed flashes of potential along the way, but sadly, flashes of their ex’s on the internet drew more attention than either man could. From the human botch machine known as Sin Cara adopting Mysterio’s injury proneness, to Kalisto never escaping the midcard, to Rey’s endorsement doing Dragon Lee zero favors, the company struggled mightily to find a legitimate successor.
That is until now. The title of this article gave it away, but if you’ve been watching the same program as me since January, it should serve as no surprise.
I quickly became a fan of Pentagon Jr. in mid-2015 after a buddy introduced me to the wonder drug that was Lucha Underground. Even in a crowded temple full of captivating masked wrestlers, Penta stood out to me almost immediately during that first season. The promotion focused on darker themes and storytelling, and Pentagon’s master/student relationship with Vampiro swallowed my imagination whole. LU gave Penta a platform to showcase more than just his move set, yet even so, I assumed the smooth operator was too rough around the edges to ever land on WWE’s radar.
Therefore, Penta and his brother Fenix springboarding to AEW afterwards made perfect sense. The Lucha Bros collected plenty of gold and 5-star ratings throughout their run with the company, but it became pretty evident that there were no long-term plans to push Penta as a solo act. A shame really considering his individual starpower and appeal.
Whereas Tony Khan opted to leave a good thing alone, Triple H didn’t beat around the bush when it came to letting the luchador flourish as a singles wrestler. My premature assessment? Penta is undoubtedly that dude. We’re not even 9 months into his WWE tenure, and I’m already convinced. It’s no knock on Dom either, who’s become a far bigger star in his own right than any of us could’ve fathomed 4 or 5 years ago. The reigning Intercontinental Champion has somehow managed to step out from his father’s famously diminutive shadow. Dirty Dom also looks like the lanky frontman of an Eddie Guerrero tribute band, whereas Penta oozes latino heat merely from grooving to the beat of his own drum.
The company treated Penta’s arrival as a big deal – as evidenced by them saving it for RAW’s premiere on Netflix – and the crowd reacted accordingly. Not only for his debut, but each Monday night going forward. He and Gable gelled so well that I would’ve been perfectly content had it led to a Penta/Americano mask versus mask match at WM41 (I was about to use the expression ‘take my money’, but not when a ticket costs upwards of fucking 10k). If you gauge it by crowd reaction, WWE absolutely made the right call with Mysterio winning the IC Title at Mania. However if you look at the quantity and quality of his title defenses since then, it’s hard to imagine Penta wouldn’t have done more to elevate the belt over that stretch. Even putting raw ability aside, there’s just a cool mystique and calm charisma surrounding the fearless man that Dirty Dom sorely lacks.
While I’m sure his win/loss record isn’t anything worth keeping score of, it still feels like Penta wins more than he loses, and only does the job when he has to if that makes sense. Despite what his current position might suggest, Penta will be a World Champion in WWE someday. I truly believe that. In terms of fan favoritism and marketability, he’s the first luchador to rival what Rey achieved in the earlier stages of his career. Penta already generates huge reactions thanks to his unique bag of tricks, but there’s shit in his arsenal that’s gonna blow people’s minds once Hunter & Co. finally turn him loose. Unfortunately, we may be waiting a while for the full fireworks display.
As psyched as I am for the inevitable reunion of The Lucha Bros, it also comes with a bit of trepidation. My hope is that Penta doesn’t get pigeonholed into a tag team with his brother for the majority of their WWE run. Fenix is ridiculously talented, but let’s be honest – he’s nothing more than Ricochet in his Prince Puma form. Baby bro just doesn’t possess the same intangibles, and thus his trajectory more or less depends on being strapped to the same rocket as Penta. The men’s tag team division on RAW could desperately use The Lucha Bros, and of course I’m curious as to what the pairing could accomplish within WWE’s expanding parameters. As long as it doesn’t lead to Penta receiving the Jey Uso treatment where he sits out the World Title picture until the tail end of his career. Oh who am I kidding? That’s a great spot to find himself in!
When all is said and done, Dominik Mysterio may in fact beat Penta to the promised land. I mean he did benefit from a Hall of Fame father and a half decade headstart in WWE. Should the company fast track Dom to the World Heavyweight Title however, I fear the kid could suffer a setback similar to the Randy Orton snafu of 2004 where the lights are a little too bright and it ends up taking years to recover from it. I have no such concerns with Penta, who’s battle tested and completely prepared. Not to mention he looks like some badass character pulled straight outta Mortal Kombat. Hand the man a couple kendo sticks and you’ve got yourself a goddamn Mexican mutant ninja turtle.
There’s also a comedic element to Penta which never ceases to crack me up. Strutting his stuff while wearing Xavier Woods’ flying saucer hat, and then whipping it perfectly through the ropes like a frisbee lives rent free in my head at all times. Performing for laughs in pro wrestling is risky business, but luckily Penta’s enough of an assassin between the ropes to avoid falling into R-Truth territory. That’s a tough spot to be in, because you can go from back by popular demand to strictly a backstage mascot in the blink of an “I think we have Cena to thank for that”.
Unlike poor Truth whose fanfare met a worse fate than Cena’s heel turn, Penta has the crowd support and skill set to be a multi-time World Champion. I’m talking future Money in the Bank winner, Royal Rumble victor, WrestleMania main eventer, the works. It won’t happen overnight, but the climb to the top shouldn’t take him a dozen fucking years either. Keep in mind, the dude recently hit route 40. Penta’s journey to WWE was a long one, so don’t make him (or us) wait forever. The man has delivered in every situation they’ve placed him in thus far. He looked right at home main eventing RAW against Seth Rollins back in July, which is why it’s a shame to see Penta getting lost in the shuffle over the course of 2025. Aside from his participation in the men’s MITB ladder match, Penta hasn’t performed on a PLE since Mania. That’s borderline criminal. And unless this never-ending feud with New Day is leading to Fenix joining the fray, can we please give Penta a story or angle that he can actually sink his teeth into? Those of us watching with hungry eyes are on the verge of starving, you neglectful bastards!
…Hmmmm in hindsight, perhaps I should pump the brakes if even LA Knight can’t capture a World Title in this day and age. Pardon my delusions of grandeur, folks. I stand by Penta being more Mysterio-esque than Rey’s own son though. Why? Because of the luchador’s connection with the crowd and the innovation he brings to mainstream wrestling.
Dirty Dom might’ve turned droves of disenchanted fans into believers after ditching his dad for Mami 3 years ago, but I still have my reservations regarding how he’ll fare down the road when Trips flips the switch on the baby-faced greaseball. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Dom and Penta are competing against each other for the WWE Championship in a couple of years. There’s this natural yin and yang dynamic between the two in which they both symbolize lucha libre’s cultural impact here in the states, but from opposing sides. It makes them perfect foes come to think of it.
Dominik Mysterio’s been afforded opportunities to thrive in wrestling’s largest enterprise based solely on his birth right, whereas Pentagon Jr. spent two decades building his brand across countless promotions. Penta is wildly popular, and continues to build momentum in spite of his uninspired booking. Meanwhile, Dirty Dom remains a pussyfooting heel who’s constantly the butt of onscreen jokes. It’s a total mismatch on paper, so then why does Penta feel like the perennial underdog in this equation?