What’s the story?
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, not only will Samoa Joe be called up to the main roster pretty soon, but he will also be in a massive big ticket match at Wrestlemania 33.
Meltzer speculates that Joe will lock horns with John Cena in a feud that stretches back several years from their shared history in UPW. Another match that was speculated about was a confrontation between Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon and the current WWE Champion AJ Styles.
So far, there has been no confirmation on whether Vince McMahon has okayed the match yet.
In case you didn't know...
Samoa Joe and John Cena go back a long way. Cena had a stint in Ultimate Pro Wrestling or UPW, which was WWE’s developmental facility at the time. The two Superstars wrestled each other several times during that time.
The heart of the matter
WWE recently put up a video of the shared time between John Cena and Samoa Joe in UPW recently. This might be a teaser for their massive contest at Wrestlemania.
Also read: WWE Rumors: Samoa Joe to win the Royal Rumble?
Dave Meltzer is probably basing his speculation off of these recent developments within the WWE as well as his backstage sources. Samoa Joe, in the past, has also spoken about his relationship with John Cena in the UPW, and has been quoted as saying:
“When John was just getting started, we hung out a lot.
Being a trainer at the school, I taught the beginner course. John was the type of guy, who even though he was past the basics, would come to beginner class in the morning. I would see him at the advanced class at night, where I would go to train and improve.”
Here's the video from their time together, as uploaded by the WWE:
What’s next?
It is rumoured that Samoa Joe’s debut will happen in the Royal Rumble match this weekend. John Cena is also facing AJ Styles at the same event in an effort to become a 16-time World champion.
For the match between him and Cena to take place, Joe will have to be part of the Smackdown brand upon his debut. This could lead to many interesting confrontations indeed.
Sportskeeda’s take
For a lot of fans, this is certainly a dream match. Samoa Joe has been the face of NXT in the recent past, becoming the first ever two-time NXT Champion.
His debut on the main roster has been long overdue, and this is also a much awaited TNA vs WWE contest that fans had never thought they would get to see. Joe deserves an opportunity on a major scale, and it doesn’t get bigger than a Cena match.
With the top positions in both brands growing stale due to having the same match-ups month after month, Samoa Joe’s inclusion will certainly freshen up the product. Smackdown will most definitely use him better than Raw, so he should be a perfect fit for the blue brand in almost every sense.
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