New WWE Intercontinental Champion Penta will defend his title against Original El Grande Americano on the March 9 episode of WWE Raw. The match was announced by Raw General Manager Adam Pearce following Penta's victory over Dominik Mysterio last week. The event takes place in Seattle.
Penta captured the WWE Intercontinental Championship from Dominik Mysterio on the previous episode of Raw, one week before his upcoming defense. The win came after a miscommunication between Mysterio and his Judgment Day stablemates, compounded by an encounter with Danhausen, who debuted days earlier and cursed Mysterio shortly before the match. Prior to that, Mysterio had held the title since WrestleMania 41, except for John Cena's brief reign.
Adam Pearce announced the title match on Sunday, March 8, 2026, stating that Penta would face Original El Grande Americano, the persona of Chad Gable. This stems from a segment on the prior Raw where Americano wished Penta luck ahead of his title challenge and requested a future shot, to which Penta agreed. Gable returned to WWE at the Royal Rumble as the masked Original El Grande Americano and has been feuding with the second El Grande Americano, Ludvig Kaiser. In AAA, Gable's character was a face while Kaiser's was a heel, but their roles reversed on WWE's main roster.
The March 9 Raw from Seattle features additional matches: Oba Femi versus Rusev, and a Women's Intercontinental Championship number one contender's gauntlet match involving Raquel Rodriguez, Bayley, Lyra Valkyria, IYO SKY, Asuka, and Ivy Nile. Pearce promoted the card on social media, noting it airs live at 8 ET/5 PT on Netflix.
