WWE Raw Opens Roman Reigns No. 1 Contender Tournament at 8 p.m. EST

Q: Who will survive the grueling Raw tournament to challenge Roman Reigns, or will a wildcard like LA Knight steal the title shot?

Penta looks like the strongest early favorite, but LA Knight remains the clearest wildcard if WWE chooses to pivot outside the bracket. The tournament is now underway to decide Roman Reigns’ World Heavyweight Championship challenger for the Sept. 14 Raw in Mexico City. On this Raw, Penta advanced by defeating Laredo Kid, and Austin Theory also moved on by beating Akira Tozawa. Additional reporting around the bracket indicates it is built around luchador-heavy matchups, with names including Dragon Lee, Rey Fenix, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., Psycho Clown, LA Parka and El Fiscal. Based on the in-ring momentum and the Mexico City setting, Penta stands out as the most logical challenger. He already has the strongest televised win in the tournament so far and would give WWE a high-energy, marketable title match in Mexico. A Penta-Rey Fenix final is also being discussed in coverage as a plausible marquee outcome. LA Knight, however, is the variable. Reports and show coverage point to his confrontation with Reigns as a serious possible direction, even though the announced focus is the tournament. That suggests WWE is keeping an alternative path open if it wants a bigger mainstream singles program rather than a pure tournament payoff. So, on the evidence available, Penta is the best bet to survive the bracket. But if WWE values star-power and storyline heat over the tournament result, LA Knight is the most credible spoiler to “steal” the shot.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 10

Raw airs live Monday from Norfolk’s Scope Arena, launching a tournament to determine Roman Reigns’ next challenger just over a week after SummerSlam.
The card includes first-round tournament matches Penta vs. Laredo Kid and Austin Theory vs. Akira Tozawa, framing the night around the title picture.
Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez face Sol Ruca and a mystery partner, while Becky Lynch is scheduled to appear and Stephanie Vaquer returns to speak.
The show streams exclusively on Netflix at 8 p.m. EST as WWE pushes post-SummerSlam storylines built around new stars and fresh feuds.