Roman Reigns walked out of “WWE Raw” last night still WWE World Heavyweight Champion after defeating Penta, and he also walked out with a ton of plaudits, with many labeling the match as an instant classic. Bully Ray was one of those people, and he didn’t stop with the “instant classic” label. Kicking off Tuesday’s “Busted Open Radio,” Bully declared not only his love for Penta vs. Roman, but that it was better than the other acclaimed match Reigns had earlier this year.
“Roman Reigns vs. Penta last night was a better main event and a better match than Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk at WrestleMania,” Bully said. “Last night was better.”
Bully ultimately listed two reasons for Penta-Roman surpassing Punk-Roman, including his feeling that the former was more of a credible World Championship match, whereas matches like Punk vs. Roman and Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada from 2017 had inconsistencies and, in Bully’s view, made the referee look bad by not counting the two out while they were out of the ring for an extended period of time. But it seemed Bully’s chief reason for viewing Penta vs. Roman in a better light was because the Mexico City crowd was fully behind Penta, a reaction Bully compared to another legendary WWE match.
“With Roman and Punk, it was 50-50,” Bully said. “There were plenty of people who wanted to see Punk win as they wanted to see Roman win. Last night was anything but 50-50. It was 100-0. Everybody wanted to see Penta win, everybody wanted to see Roman lose, at least everybody in that arena. That was a classic crowd. That was Hulk Hogan and The Iron Sheik. Nobody wanted The Iron Sheik to win. Everybody wanted Hulk Hogan to win. So when you have a crowd like that, the false finishes will mean that much more.”
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
Opinion: Bully Ray Is Wrong, Penta vs. Roman Can’t Be Better Than Punk vs. Roman Cause The Wrong Person Won
Once again, I must sit here and express to you all that Bully Ray has a take that is wrong. No, he is not wrong about the quality of Roman Reigns vs. Penta, and no, he’s not even wrong about certain aspects of the match eclipsing Reigns vs. Punk. Hell, this isn’t even about him being wrong about Reigns “no selling” a Mexican Destroyer, although I will point out Bully would likely not give that grace to a similar spot in another promotion. Where he is wrong though is that Penta vs. Reigns wasn’t better than Punk vs. Reigns, and it couldn’t be. Why couldn’t it be? Because unlike Punk vs. Reigns, where Reigns winning was the correct booking decision, WWE totally blew the finish here, having Penta lose and giving Reigns a win so he could rehash a feud with LA Knight from two years ago.
This is the part where I’d say I get it, except that I don’t. I don’t get why Roman Reigns needs to hold the title for a year, uninterrupted, before he drops it to Oba Femi, and I certainly don’t get why an LA Knight match would take precedence over a chance to really turn Penta into something. Are we really supposed to believe that Penta is just a made man because he was in there with Reigns and took him to the limit? How many times have we seen that, in WWE, AEW, or wherever, and it winds up doing zilch for the person who “took the champ to the limit?” The bottom line is Penta was in his home country, with the fans firmly behind him, and there was a chance to take him from a really popular midcarder into a big star who would be made in Mexico every time he went back, and even more so than he was. And what did the do with that home field advantage Bully spoke so highly of? They used it to get more heat on a guy who has enough heat to warm himself in the throws of winter. So sorry Bully; this match wasn’t better than Punk vs. Reigns. Whatever flaws you want to say that match had, it was a great enough match that WWE got the finish right. With Roman vs. Penta, they just did what they’ve always done throughout their history, reminding people who is number one, and that’s certainly not the luchador in his home country.
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