Thousands of wrestling fans are counting down the days until that inevitable moment Samoa Joe finally makes his official WWE debut. The 37-year-old, over the past decade, has been one of the biggest wrestlers not to step foot in a WWE ring. Now he's here, but we're forever impatient for him to get onto mainstream WWE television.
If you haven't seen NXT TakeOver Toronto yet (go and watch it now), Samoa Joe is now NXT Champion. Many have perceived this as an end of any imminent debut plans, but guys do you remember how big an impact Kevin Owens made last year while holding the title? Joe could do the same, if not more.
After several main event bouts with Shinsuke Nakamura and Finn Balor, it's clear for all to see that Samoa Joe is now ready to transition to the main roster. He's proved his quality and versatility down in NXT and has been booked to look like an absolute monster.
There's no doubt that he's ready for the spotlight of WWE, but the only question is, which brand should the 37-year old make his home?
I'm here today to argue why Team Blue needs & deserves the presence of Samoa Joe more than Monday Night Raw.
#1 SmackDown lacks a dominant main event heel:
On SmackDown right now it's clear that there is a wide range of heels in the main event scene. We have the Miz, who is the precious egotistical self-entitled heel, AJ Styles who is the arrogant know-it-all heel and Bray Wyatt the mystical charismatic heel. All we're missing now is a physically dominant heel to lay waste to babyfaces on Tuesday nights.
Some would argue that Barron Corbin is that guy, but I'd argue back that he's not main event ready, yet. SmackDown needs that mirror presence of Strowman, a man who stands head & shoulders above his peers and Joe is that guy.
#2 Because of the mouth-watering match ups to be made:
Joe choosing to bleed blue would open up the possibility of several Wrestlemania worthy wrestling match-ups. For those who haven't had the privilege of seeing Styles & Joe lock horns, trust me you're in for a treat when it takes place on a WWE PPV. Samoa Joe is one of the best wrestlers on the planet.
For a man of his size, Joe is one of the most agile movers in the industry. He has the ability to go toe-to-toe with most; imagine the incredible matches he could have with Kalisto, Apollo Crews and Dolph Ziggler on Tuesday nights. On a completely different note imagine the special moments he could create with the 15-time World Champion.
For 15 long years, we've been dreaming about the possibility of seeing Samoa Joe step in a WWE ring with John Cena; two names that are synonymous with the sport of professional wrestling to millions of Americans. We've all envisaged the moment, now it's time to make it a reality.
#3 SmackDown needs more main eventers:
With the face that runs the place rightly pursuing mainstream opportunities, SmackDown needs more bodies in the main event now more than ever. For the ratings to be competitive, Shane McMahon needs his show to have a plentiful main event scene.
And if we're being frank and honest, the feud between Styles & Ambrose has been lacklustre at best; the fact that it's being overshadowed by a nobody like James Ellsworth says it all.
The main event scene needs freshening up and new match-ups. Joe needs to come in and steamroll the both of them and put Ambrose on the shelf, thus facilitating a Styles-Joe feud, which would set in motion the much anticipated AJ Styles face turn. I've got it all pictured out in my head.
Joe's switch to SmackDown would also go a long way in legitimising SDLive as the 'A-show'. The current top star on NXT going to SmackDown, evens the playing field, especially with Balor identifying as a RAW superstar.
#4 More likely to become a star on SD Live:
Let's be honest; RAW is the Roman & Seth show. You can have Owens & Jericho main event as many b-PPVs as you want, but we all know it'll be either Seth or Roman main eventing the big four PPVs. Joe would forever play second fiddle on Monday nights and would eventually get lost in the shuffle.
I can guarantee you that if the former TNA star gets drafted to Raw, he'll be getting pinned by Roman Reigns within two months, 100 hundred per cent. Joe needs the airtime to become a star, and in a less saturated show like SmackDown, he would be given sufficient time to breathe and grow as a main eventer.
On Raw, the Samoan would be seen as an afterthought to Vince's chosen guys, while on SmackDown the playing field is more even, and he would get to rub against a bonafide star like John Cena on a full-time basis. The only other star on Raw is Brock Lesnar, but it's hard to build a programme with someone who's only here once a month.
#5 So SmackDown can continue tradition of building wrestlers correctly:
Two hours is the perfect time to showcase wrestling ability, personality and build feuds. We don't want Joe to be in every in-ring segment and backstage segment, we want his moments on television to be revered and anticipated. SmackDown would make Joe feel like a big deal, instead of being another 'top guy' on Raw.
On Raw, there're too many guys clamouring for the top spots, on SmackDown you have main event calibre stars looking for an opportunity. That's the difference.
The one less hour SmackDown has over Raw, ensures quality trumps quantity. Every single segment is packed with quality and purpose, not filler. Joe's recruitment would continue SmackDown's tradition of using their time slot to build stars in every segment. Because we all know SmackDown doesn't waste talent like Raw.
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