Forget Oba Femi, This Is Who Should Dethrone Roman Reigns

Ever since his dominant win over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42, fans have been sitting eagerly to see when WWE will pull the trigger on Oba Femi’s world title push. Many have already forecasted Femi to be the one to dethrone Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship, with the expectation for this title change to come on the Grandest Stage Of Them All, WrestleMania 43. However, a new name has emerged in the meantime – someone who has caught fire in the best way possible, and WWE must not squander a once in a lifetime opportunity. After his incredible performance against Reigns on Monday Night RAW in Mexico, it should actually be Penta who first defeats him for the prize.

WWE Should Capitalize On Penta’s Momentum

• Penta stole the show against Roman Reigns.
• He is a red hot babyface on the WWE roster.
• WWE won’t get a better chance to push Penta to a world title.

Penta has been consistently over with the WWE fans ever since his debut in the promotion back at the start of 2025, carrying the midcard division and leading the line for the reemergence of lucha libre on WWE programming. He hasn’t put a foot wrong, which led to a reward; a World Heavyweight Championship match with Roman Reigns in Mexico City. Even in defeat, Penta put in a stunning display in one of Monday Night RAW’s best matches of the whole year, cementing himself as someone who can be a main event player going forwards. It was reported by Lucha Libre Online that those in WWE now view Penta as a future world champion after being overjoyed by his performance.

Penta has never been hotter on WWE programming than he is today… but periods like this can be fleeting. Without proper momentum, strong booking, and a plan in place, many babyfaces over the years have had their red-hot reactions wasted by bad booking. In the case of Penta, WWE cannot and should not squander this opportunity to push someone who would be only the second ever luchador world champion in the entire history of the company. On the back of his loss to Reigns, Penta must find a way back to world title contention and a rematch, this time defeating Reigns and becoming an even bigger star in the process. Whether it be another match in Mexico City, winning the Money In The Bank briefcase and announcing his shot ahead of time, or some other path to the top, WWE has never had a better chance to elevate Penta and give him the biggest rub imaginable against one of the most protected starts on the roster.

WWE Has Failed Many Times Over The Years To Pull The Trigger On Babyfaces

• WWE’s long-term plans have often got in the way of short-term success.
• During Roman Reigns’ previous title run they missed many opportunities.
• The likes of Sami Zayn, LA Knight & Drew McIntyre missed out on major babyface title wins.

Roman Reigns’ spell as the World Heavyweight Championship will likely come to an end at WrestleMania 43, with fans speculating a long-term title reign ever since his official win. However, while WWE may have a long-term plan to crowd someone such as Oba Femi, this doesn’t mean that the plan cannot be deviated. During Reigns’ last run, the desire to wait until WrestleMania 40 led to WWE missing out on many potential all-timer moments. For instance, Sami Zayn was WWE’s most over babyface between 2022 and 2023, but the promotion passed up on him winning in his hometown against Reigns.

Additionally, Drew McIntyre could’ve won his first world title in front of a live audience in the UK at Clash At The Castle in a match that had a thunderous atmosphere, only to lose. Elsewhere, the likes of LA Knight, Jey Uso, and others who were running on a wild wave of momentum all came up short, costing them career-changing victories. Sure, waiting for Rhodes proved to be a smart move (although WWE nearly handed this moment to The Rock), but repeating this again in order to get to the end goal isn’t necessary this time around, and previous decisions regarding big babyface moments don’t need to be repeated.

Oba Femi Can Still Also Beat Roman Reigns For The World Heavyweight Championship

• Reigns will not be hurt by a loss.
• He can lose to Penta and win back the World Heavyweight Title.
• Oba Femi can still be the one to headline WrestleMania against Reigns.

Penta beating Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship does not mean that WWE’s long-term plans need to change. In fact, Penta could very easily defeat Reigns at a major event such as Survivor Series, giving him a notable title win and big moment, before dropping the gold back to Reigns on the road to WrestleMania 43 in a rubber match. This would allow Reigns to still give Oba Femi the rub on the big stage, and it would also ensure that Penta makes the most of his current hot-streak. At this point in time, Reigns losing one match with Penta doesn’t hurt him (Triple H could even book shenanigans involving the likes of The Bloodline & 946 to keep Reigns looking strong), and nor would it damage Femi’s win in any way, shape, or form when it inevitably happens.

Over in the WWE Championship scene on SmackDown, it has been proven that sometimes shorter title reigns can generate excitement, interest, unpredictability, and elevate new stars, so doing one hot potato switch over on RAW would not be the end of the world by any means. WWE has been taking less and less bold moves in recent years, but crowning Penta is one that they should pursue, even if it is for a short title reign. One brief title win opens the door for Penta to win more in the future, and it will allow WWE to strike while the iron is hot.