Another vignette aired on Monday’s WWE Raw, hyping the impending arrival of the former Penta E Zero Miedo to WWE on the January 6 premiere of Raw on Netflix.
Monday’s vignette gave the clearest indication yet that the mystery “Zero” vignettes airing in recent weeks on WWE programming are for the former AEW Tag Team and Trios Champion, as the video featured the signature design of Penta’s mask:
Neither Penta nor his brother Rey Fenix has wrestled for AEW since July, with both believed to be on their way to WWE as soon as contractually able. Fenix has missed significant time due to injury during his AEW tenure and has reportedly had time added to his deal, delaying his arrival.
As The Lucha Bros, Penta and Fenix were part of the AEW roster since its 2019 launch.
There was a Penta El Zero Miedo sighting on Saturday night.
Following the expiration of his AEW contract, the popular masked luchador made a surprise appearance at the AAA Lucha Libre television taping on Saturday. He came to the ring during the show and led the fans in a “Cero Miedo” chant before cutting a brief promo for the live crowd in attendance.
After making the brief unadvertised appearance, the international wrestling star was featured in a post on the company’s social media channels.
He recently entered free agency following the expiration of his AEW contract after working for the promotion since its inception back in 2019, primarily with Rey Fenix as the Lucha Bros and with Fenix and PAC as Death Triangle. Earlier this week, his profile on AEW’s website was removed.
Fenix’s comments come as his brother Penta El Zero Miedo’s profile page was removed from AEW’s website. Fightful has reported that Penta is now a free agent, and the belief is that he is headed to WWE. However, Fenix remains with AEW after injury time was added to his contract which, according to Dave Meltzer, could keep him there for “nearly but not quite one year.”
As a team, the Lucha Brothers have not wrestled in AEW since an episode of Rampage in July, where they defeated Private Party. The brothers also competed in a trios match in CMLL later that month. Fenix hasn’t wrestled since then, though is advertised for a meet & greet for House of Glory on December 20.
Penta El Zero Miedo is no onger listed on the roster page on AEW’s website.
As first pointed out by Fightful, Penta’s image has been removed from AEW’s roster on their website, indicating that the Lucha Libre standout has hit free agency. An earlier Fightful report indicated that Penta became a free agent officially sometime around December 1.
Penta is believed to be bound for WWE, as Lucha Libre Online reported earlier this year that the star was about to hit free agency, and that WWE had interest in both Penta and his brother Rey Fenix.
Neither Penta not Fenix has wrestled for AEW since July, with the reported internal belief that both are headed to WWE as soon as they are contractually able. Fenix has missed significant time due to injury in his AEW tenure, and is expected to have that time added on to his contract.
As The Lucha Bros, Penta and Fenix have been part of the AEW roster since its launch in 2019. The duo are former AEW Tag Team Champions, AEW Trios Champions alongside PAC, and Fenix is a former AEW International Champion.
If Rey Fenix’s intentions are to go to WWE, it will be a while before that can happen.
In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that AEW is adding on injury time to Fenix’s current contract “which is nearly but not quite one year.”
Recent online rumors had both he and brother Penta El Zero Miedo already signing with WWE, but both men are currently under AEW contract which made that impossible.
Meltzer reported that AEW head Tony Khan made “significant offers” for the brothers to stay, but they declined.
Meltzer re-iterated that Penta will be going to WWE after his deal is up in the next two months and that “word is that WWE made him a competitive offer so that solidified his decision to leave.” He reported frustration on Penta’s behalf due to him not being allowed on AEW shows where CMLL wrestlers were also working — a situation that was eventually rectified in the company’s promotional relationship. He was also unhappy about how he was used.
Penta hasn’t wrestled for AEW since July, but has worked in Mexico seven times since then. Fenix’s last AEW match was also in July, but he also hasn’t wrestled since a CMLL trios match that same month. How, and if, they plan to use Fenix going forward remains to be seen.
In the new edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer shared the latest on The Lucha Brothers’ AEW contract situation.
Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix are both impending free agents. There’s an internal belief within AEW that they will be leaving for WWE, though Meltzer writes that AEW does have the option to extend Fenix’s contract for another year due to time he’s missed because of injury:
Obviously Penta & Fenix are not being featured. There is concern now because AEW has the right to extend Fenix’s deal for another year due to time off due to injuries. Because of all the talk of his going to WWE and when he’s starting and such, Penta did a tweet saying to stop the gossip and ‘My present is in AEW.’ There were rumors going around he was going to NXT or getting a physical for WWE in Pittsburgh and he’s obviously not about to do anything of the sort while under AEW contract. He just as obviously can’t have signed a WWE deal until that AEW contract expires.
Penta’s AEW contract is expected to expire between August and September of this year. Fenix’s deal is also believed to be up soon if AEW does not extend it.
Fenix was set to compete for indie promotion New Era Wrestling in El Paso, Texas, on September 27, but it was announced last week that Fenix is off the show “due to personal circumstances.”
The Lucha Brothers debuted for AEW in 2019 and are former AEW Tag Team, AEW Trios, and ROH Tag Team Champions. Fenix is a former AEW International Champion as well.
“No more gossip!,” Penta tweeted. “My present is aew!”
The tweets did not address any of the other rumors about Penta’s future. Last week, Bryan Alvarez confirmed that there’s an internal belief within AEW that the Lucha Brothers (Penta & Rey Fenix) will be leaving for WWE when they are able to. It’s believed that Penta’s AEW contract is up between August and September. Fenix’s contract is also expected to be up soon.
The Lucha Brothers debuted for AEW at the promotion’s inaugural show in 2019. They are former AEW Tag Team, AEW Trios, and ROH Tag Team Champions. Fenix is a former AEW National Champion as well.
Bryan Alvarez is reporting that the internal belief within AEW is that both Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix would be leaving the company for WWE when their contracts expire. This comes after WrestlePurists reported earlier on Monday that the two were expected to leave, and a Trios Championship match that had been set for All In involving the duo has since been changed.
LuchaLibreonline reported back in June that Penta’s contract was set to expire between August and September of this year, and there was interest within WWE in bringing him in. Fightful reported last week that Fenix’s contract was also coming up this year.
The Lucha Brothers have been part of AEW dating back to the company’s first show in 2019, when they lost to The Young Bucks at the very first Double or Nothing. Since then, they have held the AEW Tag Team titles on one occasion and the AEW World Trios titles one time with PAC, where together they are known as Death Triangle. Fenix is also a former International Champion.
Death Triangle recently made an appearance in CMLL last month, where they lost to Mascara Dorada, Mistico, and Volador Jr..
In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that Khan indicated he has confidence in bringing Penta back. Meltzer noted that there was some unhappiness with the 39-year-old surrounding his inability to be on the same AEW events with CMLL wrestlers as he has been affiliated with AAA in the past.
As Meltzer reported on this week both on Wrestling Observer Radio and this week’s newsletter in a lengthy lead feature, those issues appear to be somewhat rectified.
Meltzer did note that some people think Penta is looking at buying the rights to his name so he can use it elsewhere, like WWE, if needed, and that others think he will indeed explore his options if he hits free agency.
Along with his brother Rey Fenix, Penta is an AEW original and even brawled with the Young Bucks during a February 2019 press conference announcing a ticket on-sale date. He and Fenix have held the AEW Tag Team titles once and the AEW Trios titles once with PAC.
Penta will take on The Butcher as part of tonight’s AEW Rampage.
An AEW original could be looking to test free agency this summer.
Penta El Zero Miedo’s contract is set to expire between August and September 2024, according to LuchaLibreonline, and WWE is reportedly interested in his services.
“PentagĂłn Jr’s contract with AEW is scheduled to expire between August and September 2024. He is scheduled to become a free agent. There is interest on the part of WWE in his services. This free agency will be extremely interesting,” reads a translation of the below post.
— Lucha Libre Online (@luchalibreonlin) June 6, 2024
No mention was made of Penta’s brother and tag partner, Rey Fenix’s contract status. Both Lucha Bros have been part of the AEW roster since its inception in 2019. Fenix recently returned to AEW in April after having been out of action since October due to injuries and may have had time added to his AEW deal as a result, but that’s only speculation.
Penta is scheduled to wrestle The Butcher on AEW Rampage this Friday.
During his time with the company, Penta is a former AEW Tag Team and World Trios champion. The Lucha Bros were voted Tag Team of the Year in the 2019 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards and their match against The Young Bucks at All Out won Match of the Year in 2021.
Penta El Zero Miedo will have one more match before his TNT title match on Wednesday.
Collision will see Penta take on Komander in the main event just days before his TNT title match on Dynamite. Komander won a Final Four Elimination match on AEW Rampage, defeating Bryan Keith, Action Andretti, and Daniel Garcia.
Saturday will also see the second spot in the AEW Tag Team title match at Dynasty be determined. FTR will face Top Flight in a semifinal match of the AEW Tag Team title tournament. The winners will go on to face The Young Bucks, who defeated Best Friends on Wednesday to advance.
Other matches will see Claudio Castagnoli take on The Butcher, Chris Jericho will team with Hook to take on Shane Taylor Promotions, House of Black will face Christopher Daniels, Matt Sydal, and Bryan Keith, and PAC will also be in action. Yuka Sakazaki, who has been out of action, will return to take on Trish Adora.
Due to NCAA Final Four coverage on TNT, this week’s Collision will have a special start time of 11:30 pm ET.
If anyone is still awake after that snoozer of a WrestleMania main event, we’re here with a late night Collision. Sir Elton John welcomed us to the show, with Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness on the call.
AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament Semi-Final Match – FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) defeated Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin)
Top Flight got the first advantage of the match, hitting a quick strike combination that sent Wheeler to the floor. FTR took control soon after, rolling through Darius with double shoulder blocks. Neither team could hold control for long, with quick tags keeping the match at a high pace. Dante launched off of Darius to send Harwood to the floor, but Wheeler snuck a tag in on the way back into the ring. Harwood then baited Dante into a chase on the floor where Wheeler dropped him with a clothesline.
We came back from a commercial and saw Dante reverse a Harwood superplex for a nearfall. Darius tagged in, but Harwood took him down with a heavy chop. Darius fought his way out of the corner and caught Harwood in a backslide for a nearfall. Top Flight ran wild, with Darius hitting an outside-in facebuster for a nearfall. Things broke down, with Wheeler dragging Darius to the floor. Dante went for a frog splash, but Harwood got the knees up for a nearfall.
The match broke down into a Pier Six brawl, ending with Harwood launching Dante onto the ropes before Dante launched off into a Shatter Machine. FTR got the win, and they will face off with the Young Bucks to determine the first-ever three-time AEW World Tag Team Champions.
We got a Kazuchika Okada highlight package, written by the Young Bucks and narrated by Nigel McGuinness.
PAC defeated Encore Moore
PAC obliterated Moore, finishing him off with the Brutalizer. PAC took to the mic and challenged Kazuchika Okada to a Continental Championship match, noting that he will eagerly await a response.
Bryan Danielson spoke with Renee Paquette in a pre-taped interview. Danielson says that he doesn’t compete against anyone else to be the best, he works to better himself. Danielson says that he’s in a constant state of evolution, noting that he’s not the same person he was when he was 21. Danielson said that he got excited to test himself against Ospreay, noting that someone watched Ospreay’s match at Revolution next to Danielson and said that Ospreay may be the best wrestler they’ve ever seen. This wasn’t as much of a promo as it was a conversation between Danielson and Paquette.
Chris Jericho & Hook defeated Shane Taylor Promotions (Lee Moriarty & Shane Taylor)
Taylor pounded on Jericho in the corner with clubbering punches. Hook and Jericho were able to get Taylor over with a double suplex, but Taylor muscled Hook over into the corner for Moriarty to work over. Hook took Moriarty over with an exploder suplex. Jericho chopped Moriarty once he tagged in, but a swing from Taylor caused Jericho to lose his focus and allow Moriarty to boot him down into a commercial.
Jericho fought off both members of STP, hitting a Lionsault on Moriarty before getting the tag to Hook. Hook ran wild on Moriarty, hitting various suplexes on him. Hook couldn’t get Taylor up for a suplex but did low bridge him to the outside. Jericho tagged in but got caught by Moriarty in the Border City Stretch. Jericho transitioned out of that into the Walls of Jericho, and after Hook took Taylor up and over with an exploder, Moriarty tapped out.
After the match, Hook got jumped by…Anthony Ogogo? I’m surprised he’s not physically covered in mothballs. Taylor and Moriarty helped him beat down Hook and Jericho, with Ogogo knocking out Jericho with a straight right hand. They stood over Jericho with a Shane Taylor Promotions flag, so it seems like Ogogo has joined Moriarty and Taylor.
Dustin Rhodes was backstage. He agreed with the sentiment that he was underappreciated, as he stood across from so many stars in the business. He remembered when his father brought home the World Heavyweight Championship after winning it, holding it in his hands when he was nine years old. He still hasn’t done it for himself yet, so while understanding that the offer could easily be denied, he challenged Samoa Joe for the AEW World Title. All he wanted was a chance to achieve his dream, and Joe could make it possible. He feared no man, and Joe was no different.
(Dustin Rhodes could lose every match he’s ever in, and all he would need is a two-minute promo like this to get me invested in him again. An excellent promo, and an intriguing challenge to Samoa Joe for the title.)
Will Ospreay spoke with Renee Paquette backstage. He noted that everyone in AEW was a lot quicker than the people in New Japan, who work a more grounded style. He noted that makes him more confident to wrestle Bryan Danielson because he has experience fighting against that style. He called Danielson an S-tier pro wrestler, but Ospreay believes that he is the best wrestler of the 21st century. He wants to prove that he is the best wrestler in the world, and he can only do that by beating who he calls the best wrestler of all time.
(This was much more of a promo than the Danielson interview, as he both complimented Danielson while putting over his motivations and belief that he could beat him.)
House Of Black (Brody King, Buddy Matthews & Malakai Black) defeated Bryan Keith, Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal
During the House of Black’s entrance, we got footage of Mark Briscoe winning the ROH World Title at Supercard of Honor. After some quick work to start, King dropped Daniels with a lariat as we went to a commercial.
After the commercial, Daniels fought his way to the corner to tag in Sydal. Sydal ran wild on Matthews but took a Gonzo Bomb from King. Keith got a blind tag in and got some shots in, but King leveled him with a lariat. Black laid out Daniels with the Black Mass. Keith caught Matthews with a rollup, but Matthews drilled him with a knee and hit Murphy’s Law for the win.
After the match, Adam Copeland’s music hit. He jumped them from behind as Black charged up the ramp. Mark Briscoe & FTR came out to help before The Young Bucks came out from their elevator. A Pier Six brawl broke out, as Copeland speared Matthews. Matthew Jackson ended up in the ring with the babyfaces, but Nicholas pulled him out of harm’s way.
Rocky Romero was backstage with Lexy Nair. He’s won titles all over the world, but he’s never won a title in AEW. He knows he can’t jump the line, but he challenged Roderick Strong to an eliminator match for the International Championship. Strong and the Undisputed Kingdom entered the scene, and despite believing that Rocky had little chance to win, Strong gave Romero the match.
It was announced that The Young Bucks will “present backstage footage from All In: London and will discuss it for the first time.” I feel like they are referencing something, but I just can’t put my finger on it.
Yuka Sakazaki defeated Trish Adora
This was a back-and-forth matchup, with Adora getting more offense than I thought he would. They traded forearms before Adora dropped Sakazaki with a German suplex. Sakazaki came right back with a high-angle powerslam. Adora hit a half-hatch suplex and a Bubba Bomb for a nearfall. Sakazaki dropped her with a Bang-a-rang type manuever before hitting the Magical Girl Splash for the win.
After the match, Serena Deeb came out and gave Sakazaki a round of applause.
We got a recap of Trent Beretta turning on the Best Friends.
Daniel Garcia & Matt Menard were backstage. Menard was fired up, and Garcia was motivated by being around great wrestlers in their prime. Garcia believed it was time to insert himself in the conversation with guys like Takeshita and Okada, and he would do it with Menard by his side.
Claudio Castagnoli defeated The Butcher
Butcher took a page out of Mike Tyson’s playbook and bit Castagnoli, but Castagnoli came back strong. Butcher took Castagnoli down with a backbreaker and focused on Castagnoli’s back. Castagnoli fired back with piston-like uppercuts before dropping Butcher with a lariat. Castagnoli got Butcher up for the Giant Swing, then hit the Neutralizer to score the win.
Samoa Joe was backstage, saying that he had to keep up appearances as World Champion. He chided Dustin Rhodes for not saying what he said to his face and reminded him that things don’t work like that around here. He denied Rhodes’ challenge for the title but would give him a fight. He agreed to an eliminator match and promised to set an example for anyone who said his name.
Penta El Zero Miedo (w/Alex Abrahantes) defeated Komander (w/Alex Abrahantes)
I’ve watched all four major shows today – NJPW Sakura Genesis, NXT Stand & Deliver, WrestleMania Saturday, and this Collision – and this is one of the three best matches of the day. An outstanding effort from these two to end this late-night edition of Collision.
We got a quick lucha spot to start before Penta booted Komander on a handspring. Komander took Penta to the floor with a headscissors, but Penta caught Komander in a gorilla press and dumped him on the stairs. After the commercial, Komander sent Penta to the floor with a double revolution headscissors. Penta caught Komander with a superkick as Tony Schiavone announced Mariah May vs. Anna Jay for Dynamite, Julia Hart vs. Leyla Hirsch in an Open House match for next week’s Rampage, and Roderick Strong vs. Rocky Romero in an eliminator match for next week’s Battle of the Belts.
Penta hit a Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall. Komander flipped out of the Fear Factor and went for a pair of rollups before locking on a leg submission. Penta got to the ropes but Komander caught him with a Spanish Fly for a nearfall. Penta cut off Komander on the apron and hit a Canadian Destroyer, but Komander dropped Penta with a back body drop.
They got back in the ring and traded forearms and chops before Penta caught Komander off the ropes with a Made In Japan for a nearfall. The crowd chanted AEW as Komander flipped out of a superplex. Komander stepped up the ropes and hit a tornillo splash for a nearfall. Komander dropkicked Penta to the floor and hit a step-up moonsault to the floor. Komander went for the ropewalk shooting star, but Penta caught him with a codebreaker. Penta hit the Fear Factor for the win.
After the match, Adam Copeland stared down Penta from the stage as they will face off on Dynamite.
A TNT Championship match is set for the Wednesday, April 10 edition of AEW Dynamite.
As revealed during this week’s show, TNT Champion Adam Copeland will defend his title against Penta El Zero Miedo on the April 10 Dynamite.
Copeland has held the TNT title since defeating Christian Cage in an I Quit match for the belt on the March 20 Dynamite in Toronto.
In his first defense in his second reign as TNT Champion, Copeland defeated Matt Cardona in a “Cope Open” open challenge on last Saturday’s Collision episode.
Penta will be in action on this Saturday’s Collision in a tune-up match against Komander.
Although he has never held singles gold in AEW, Penta is a former Tag Team Champion in the promotion with brother Rey Fenix, and held the Trios Championship with Fenix & PAC.
The TNT title bout is the only match announced to this point for the Wednesday, April 10 Dynamite. The show will be held in Charleston, West Virginia at the Charleston Coliseum.
A Ring of Honor TV title match between Samoa Joe and Keith Lee is official for this Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite along with several other new additions.
Lee issued the challenge on Saturday’s AEW Collision in a backstage segment where Joe was recognized for being the longest-reigning ROH TV Champion ever. Joe said he had beaten everyone to which Lee retorted that he hadn’t beat him.
This will be the first time the two have squared off. They have shared the ring only once, that being in 2020 WWE Royal Rumble match.
After nine months on the injured list, Red Velvet will make her return to action as she faces Julia Hart. Velvet’s last match was in February when she lost to then-TBS Champion Jade Cargill while Hart’s recent long winning streak came to an end against current champion Kris Statlander at last month’s WrestleDream.
Also made Saturday was Jay White vs. Mark Briscoe. White is looking to continue his undefeated streak in AEW on his path to a shot at AEW World Champion MJF at this month’s Full Gear. Briscoe returned to action on Collision in a tag team match — his first in-ring action since late-June when took time off with a knee injury.
Swerve Strickland will go one-on-one with Penta El Zero Miedo after a backstage confrontation on Collision with Strickland, Prince Nana and Alex Abrahantes. The two have shared the ring several times dating back as far as 2015 in Lucha Underground. This will be their first-ever singles match in AEW and their first since a December 2018 indie.
After a win over AR Fox on Collision, Strickland is preparing for a rematch with Hangman Page at Full Gear while Penta is coming off a three-way victory over El Hijo del Vikingo and Komander on Friday’s Rampage.
The four new additions join the previously announced World title match between champion MJF and Daniel Garcia.
Here’s the current lineup for Portland, Oregon:
AEW World Champion MJF defends against Daniel Garcia
ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe defends against Keith Lee
A Lucha del Dia de los Muertos match has been announced for Rampage.
El Hijo Del Vikingo, Penta El Zero Miedo, and Komander will meet in a three-way match that will air Friday.
“Louisville Lucha Libre Lovers, celebrate Day of the Dead TOMORROW with this crazy 3 way fight @kfc_yumcenter + fans nationwide can see it FRIDAY on Rampage!” Khan posted on X Tuesday night.
This will be Vikingo’s first AEW match since late September, when he teamed up with Gravity and Metalik to defeat Angelico, Serpentico, and JD Drake on an episode of ROH television.
Penta El Zero Mideo was last seen losing to Jay White on the October 18 edition of Dynamite. Komander most recently was unsuccessful in defeating Eddie Kingston in a ROH Championship match that aired on the October 7 edition of Collision.
Here is the lineup thus far for Friday’s Rampage:
Lucha del Dia de los Muertos: El Hijo Del Vikingo vs. Penta El 0 Miedo vs. Komander
In a first time ever clash, Jay White will take on Penta El Zero Miedo as part of this Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite.
White will look to continue his undefeated streak as a singles wrestler (9-0) and is coming off a signature win over former AEW World Champion Hangman Page on this past Tuesday’s Dynamite.
White is set to challenge AEW World Champion MJF at next month’s Full Gear pay-per-view.
Primarily a tag team wrestler along with his brother Rey Fenix, Penta has been inconsistent as a singles wrestler, going 1-7 in his last eight outings dating back to June 2022. He was last in one-on-one action in the Grand Slam World title eliminator tournament, losing to eventual winner Samoa Joe in September.
Both men will give their thoughts on the match as part of Friday’s AEW Rampage.
The match joins the Dynamite Dozen battle royal as the only other bout or segment announced for the show to this point.
