'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Even before joining WWE, Samoa Joe was a well-traveled and accomplished pro-wrestler. His imposing physicality and hard-as-nails attitude made him a star in Ring of Honor and IMPACT Wrestling. In 2015, at NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable, Joe finally made his WWE debut, and the fans instantly started talking about the dream matches he could have in the company.
He became the NXT Champion in just under a year and went on to have memorable feuds with Shinsuke Nakamura and Finn Balor. Though his main roster run wasn't as successful as everyone expected it to be, he was never far away from the main event scene for long. While a WWE Championship win has eluded him, he became a two-time US Champion.
The last couple of years have been disappointing for Joe due to multiple injuries keeping him sidelined from in-ring action. However, he has successfully transitioned to the commentary box and is currently a part of WWE RAW's commentary team.
Having been with WWE for over five years now, Joe has wrestled several memorable bouts that fans still vividly remember. Here in this article, we will look at the five best matches of Samoa Joe's WWE career. Do share your favorite picks in the comments section below.
#5 Samoa Joe vs AJ Styles (WWE SummerSlam 2018)
For many fans, it was surreal to see two bonafide TNA legends wrestle in a WWE ring, and that too for the WWE Championship at a massive pay-per-view like SummerSlam. Going into the event, this was easily the most anticipated match by the fans, and they certainly delivered on all expectations.
Joe and AJ Styles had a good 22 minutes, and the two Superstars crafted a fantastic match, with their years of experience and chemistry on full display. However, the one aspect which pulls this match down is the ending. In the final stages, Joe taunted Styles' family, which angered The Phenomenal One, who then hit the Samoan Submission Machine with a chair and lost the bout by disqualification.
While it became clear that this bout was used to kickstart a longer and more deeply-personal feud between the two, a match on a PPV like SummerSlam could have benefited from a clean and decisive finish. The feud spanned several more matches between the two, but Samoa Joe fell short of winning the WWE Championship on every occasion.
#4 Samoa Joe vs Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II)
Upon his WWE NXT debut, Shinsuke Nakamura was thrust into the NXT Championship picture in mere months. The champion at that time, Samoa Joe, was coming fresh from a string of memorable encounters against Finn Balor. Despite being in NXT, Joe and Nakamura were veterans of the wrestling business, and the fans knew well in advance that they would be treated to some intense bouts from the two.
At NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II, the two finally clashed, and it was a sight to behold. They presented a wrestling masterclass, with a classic heel vs face dynamic that led to the fans wildly cheering for Nakamura. They traded several power moves and wrestled a much stiffer encounter, unlike the typical WWE fare the fans were accustomed to watching.
In the end, while The King of Strong Style did become the new champion, Joe would recapture the title at the next PPV, NXT TakeOver: Toronto, thus becoming the first-ever two-time NXT Champion in WWE history.
#3 Samoa Joe vs Brock Lesnar (WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017)
In possibly the biggest match of his WWE career, Samoa Joe challenged the then Universal Champion Brock Lesnar for the championship at WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017. The build-up to the match was incredible. He won the opportunity to challenge Lesnar after winning a five-way match against Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, and Bray Wyatt at Extreme Rules 2017.
On the next episode of WWE RAW, the Samoan Submission Machine delivered an all-time great promo, by the end of which he locked Lesnar's advocate, Paul Heyman, in a Coquina Clutch. In subsequent weeks, Joe's segments and booking suggested he could legitimately defeat the Universal Champion.
At the PPV, while many were utterly disappointed by the fact that the match hardly ran for just over 6 minutes and saw Joe fall to just a single F5, it was an action-packed affair that's highly underrated. Despite losing, Joe was booked like a monster and dominated Lesnar for the entire run time, right until the end where the champion found the opportunity to deliver his finisher.
#2 Samoa Joe vs Finn Balor (WWE NXT TakeOver: London 2015)
A clash between the two of the greatest NXT Champions in WWE NXT history, Samoa Joe and Finn Balor's battle at NXT TakeOver: London 2015, was the first chapter of a deeply personal feud. Despite being friends and winning the first-ever Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament, Joe turned heel and attacked Balor, the then NXT Champion.
The feud showed the range Joe possessed in terms of character work. While he was always great as a face, in the vein of Stone Cold Steve Austin, his work as a heel in the rivalry made the eventual showdown between the two a must-see affair.
The match was a very physical battle that saw Joe dominating Balor for most parts, though the champion eventually used his speed and agility to come up on top. Unlike the usual TakeOver specials, where title changes took place more often than not, it was surprising to see the champion retain his title. Though he did not win here, the Samoan Submission Machine would go on to defeat Balor at a live event next year, becoming the NXT Champion for the first time in his WWE career.
#1 Brock Lesnar vs Samoa Joe vs Roman Reigns vs Braun Strowman (WWE SummerSlam 2017)
Despite losing to Brock Lesnar at WWE Great Balls of Fire, Samoa Joe was granted another shot at the Universal Championship at WWE SummerSlam 2017. This time, however, it was a fatal four-way match, also involving Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman. Going into the PPV, many had predicted Joe to walk out as the new champion, as it wouldn't require Lesnar to get pinned. The stipulation of Lesnar having to leave the company had he lost the title further solidified this possible outcome.
While this prediction didn't come true, the match was a tremendous battle of behemoths that was non-stop carnage. Several jaw-dropping spots were performed that left the fans in a collective gasp. There was a moment in the match where Joe locked Lesnar into a Coquina Clutch, exactly like he had done in their previous encounter. It felt like this might just be the Samoan Submission Machine's moment, though Lesnar quickly recuperated and delivered an F5 to keep the bout going.
After losing here, many thought this was as close as Joe would ever come to the world title picture. However, he proved everyone wrong and wrestled for the WWE Championship against AJ Styles the following year.
