Penta's Time as WWE Champion is Coming

One thing was apparent in the closing moments of Monday's WWE Raw, when Penta looked back at the ring and appeared to acknowledge World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns following their blockbuster main event: the masked luchador's time as world champion in pro wrestling's most prominent company is coming, perhaps sooner rather than later.

Penta challenged Reigns in the marquee match-up of WWE's TV return to Mexico City, and while he failed to dethrone The OTC in front of his fellow countrymen, he proved to the wrestling world that he is a legitimate main event star.

In what may have been the biggest, most important match of his career, the veteran competitor rose to the occasion, picking this contest, against the biggest star in the company, to have what was arguably his best match in a WWE ring.

If that match and that spot were a test, he passed it with flying colors.

Neither fazed by the reaction of the crowd nor the magnitude of the moment, he went toe-to-toe with the industry's measuring stick and never looked overwhelmed or out of place. He stood confidently, face-to-face with Reigns from the opening bell and was his equal through every second of the match.

His excellence in the match is not some revelation, either.

From his debut in WWE before WrestleMania 41, the masked Superstar has made a habit of passing tests and rising to the occasion. Some worried that the language barrier would prevent him from maximizing his star power. Instead, he showcased his natural charisma on the mic and through his body language, and the fans ate it up.

Between the ropes, there has never been a doubt about his abilities, be it in AEW, TNA, or dating back as far as Lucha Underground. In all three promotions, televised for the world to see, he was among (if not the ) best wrestlers in the world.

Still, despite his proven track record, WWE is a different beast entirely. Some of the finest professional wrestlers have crumbled under the bright lights and crippling expectations that come with setting foot on that stage.

He has risen to the occasion every time, including this past April at WrestleMania 42, when he nearly stole the show in the Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship, alongside Rey Mysterio, Je'Von Evans, Dragon Lee, Rusev, and JD McDonagh.

A performer whose connection with the audience, regardless of the location, is unwavering, he checks every box needed to be a legitimate main event star and world champion in WWE.

Now, he has a signature performance against one of the cornerstones of the promotion to his name.

At a time when WWE has changed things up and finally allowed someone like Sami Zayn to run with the top prize in the company, paying off years of hard work and dedication, Penta has an even higher potential upside, thanks to the amount of merchandise he can move and the connection he has with the kids in the audience.

He has endeared himself to the adults who think he is cool, the kids who are dazzled by his athletic ability between the ropes and larger-than-life persona, and the die-hards who already know how great he is.

It is time to pay off his steady rise up the ranks by putting the title on him and seeing what he can do. Like Rey Mysterio before him, Penta has the tools necessary to transcend lucha libre and become one of the most decorated, celebrated, and beloved masked Superstars in pro wrestling history, with at least one world title on his resume.

After Monday's defining performance, it is only a matter of time before he joins one of his idols in the stratosphere.