Penta defeated Dominik Mysterio to win the WWE Championship during Monday Night Raw. The title change occurred after a match that featured an argument between Judgment Day members JD McDonagh and Finn Balor at ringside.
The match began with the competitors grabbing each other. Penta secured a hold around Mysterio’s waist. Mysterio responded with elbow strikes. Penta executed a head-scissors throw, forcing Mysterio to roll out of the ring. Mysterio attempted a kick from the floor, but Penta struck back. Penta then jumped over the top rope, landing on Mysterio. Penta struck Mysterio in the chest and threw him into the steel ring steps. Penta delivered another strike to Mysterio’s chest on the floor, directly in front of McDonagh and Balor.
After returning to the ring, Mysterio applied a chokehold. Penta escaped with a kick and moved to the edge of the ring to yell at McDonagh and Balor. As Penta jumped from the corner ropes, Mysterio kicked him and pinned his shoulders to the mat for a two-count. Mysterio struck Penta in the corner. Mysterio then jumped over the ropes and landed on Penta twice in a row for another two-count.
Mysterio missed a third attempt to jump over the ropes. Penta capitalized with strikes, a kick, and a maneuver driving Mysterio’s face into the mat. Penta delivered a kick to the back of Mysterio’s head for a two-count. Mysterio responded with a neckbreaker slam for a two-count. Mysterio initiated a sequence of three consecutive lifting throws. He successfully executed the first two throws, but Penta countered the third attempt with a throw of his own.
Penta attempted a throw from the top corner, but Mysterio blocked it with a punch. After an exchange of kicks, Mysterio executed a head-first slam on the edge of the ring, resulting in a two-count. The competitors exchanged punches and strikes in the center of the ring. Penta delivered multiple high kicks to the face. Mysterio responded with a kick, followed by a jumping kick off the ropes that knocked Penta out of the ring.
Mysterio then launched himself over the top rope, sending both men crashing over the ringside barricade and into the timekeeper’s area. Both competitors returned to the ring. Mysterio punched Penta and tied Penta’s mask to the ring ropes. Mysterio delivered a series of punches and kicks while Penta was positioned on the corner ropes. Mysterio untied Penta and hung him upside down in the corner. Mysterio kicked Penta and followed up with a running dropkick.
Penta created distance with elbow strikes that knocked Mysterio to the mat. Penta executed a jumping body block and another head-scissors throw. Following a kick in the corner, Penta hit a delayed dropkick for a two-count. Penta attempted to execute a lifting slam, but Mysterio escaped and kicked Penta in the corner. Penta responded with a high kick. Penta delivered a double-knee strike to Mysterio’s back for a two-count. Penta signaled for a flipping piledriver, but Mysterio countered the attempt into a sit-down body slam for a two-count.
Mysterio dropkicked Penta into the ropes. Mysterio then successfully connected with his signature swinging kick between the ropes. Mysterio climbed to the top corner and attempted a jumping splash. Penta caught Mysterio in mid-air and slammed him to the mat. Penta followed this immediately with a lifting slam, resulting in a two-count. Penta delivered kicks to Mysterio in the corner, receiving a warning from the referee. Penta delivered a strike to the chest and threw Mysterio into the corner. When Penta charged forward, Mysterio moved out of the way, causing Penta to collide with the steel ring post.
During the final moments of the match, Mysterio instructed McDonagh to retrieve a hammer. McDonagh grabbed the hammer, but Balor physically stopped him from handing the weapon to Mysterio. Balor told McDonagh that Mysterio explicitly stated he wanted to win the match by himself, so he needed to do it by himself.
While the Judgment Day members argued on the floor, Penta jumped over the top rope, crashing into both Balor and McDonagh. Penta returned to the edge of the ring and delivered a kick to Mysterio. Penta attempted his flipping piledriver, but Mysterio tripped him, sending Penta into the ropes. Mysterio attempted a second swinging kick between the ropes, but Penta avoided it. Penta then successfully executed his flipping piledriver slam in the center of the ring to secure the three-count and win the WWE Championship.
It’s also worth noting that Danhausen put a “curse” on Dominik in a backstage segment earlier.
