It’s official. Samoa Joe beat the odds to defeat top stars like Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt and Finn Balor to become the Number 1 Contender for the Universal Championship and will face The Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire.
This is a match that has excited many WWE fans and even got the ratings back on track after it had reached record lows in the recent past. Why has WWE put so much faith into a man, who was once told that he may never make it to the main roster after NXT?
Sportskeeda Wrestling gives you 5 compelling reasons for the same.
#5 Saving bigger stars for bigger pay-per-views
All said and done, while we are genuinely happy for Samoa Joe, as fans of the talented sports entertainer, the fact remains that Great Ball of Fire is still a B pay-per-view. Bigger stars such as Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman are presumably being saved for the bigger shows, through the year.
Samoa Joe will have his moment and go toe-to-toe with the legendary Brock Lesnar, and he may even win the match, but as of this moment, it certainly seems like WWE has bigger plans for the remaining roster as compared to the indestructible Samoa Joe.
#4 A genuine dream match for many fans
WWE has distanced itself from fans in the recent past, by pushing Superstars that they have not necessarily rooted for, and as a result, have suffered in terms of ratings. At a time when the viewership reached record lows, WWE finally heard the demand of fans to put this match between the two monsters together.
This caused an immediate spike in ratings and genuine interest among fans on social media to see this contest actually take place.
In addition to fans who have been calling this match, we recently reported how Jim Ross said he is looking forward to this match as much as any other this year and how it would be his dream to actually call this match.
In addition to this, Jim Cornette proposed a match between Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe for a fantasy Wrestlemania booking. They echo the feelings of the WWE Universe, who want to see these two giants slug it out.
#3 Samoa Joe is a believable opponent
The fact of the matter is that most of the active roster just doesn’t seem like they can take on Brock Lesnar and believably conquer The Beast. The same is especially true for Finn Balor who is dwarfed by Lesnar. Samoa Joe may not have the most chiselled physique in the company, but he looks like a dangerous opponent for The Beast.
Heading into the match, we know for certain that Lesnar won’t walk all over Joe like he had with Cena, because of the same reason. This lends the match some credibility and keeps the fans guessing, as to the outcome of the big money match.
Vince McMahon is known to love matches between ‘the irresistible force vs. the immovable object’, as was the case with the legendary match that changed professional wrestling forever- Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant at Wrestlemania 3. This is the closest thing to that legendary contest that we can see in a modern day environment, and that’s why WWE did not hesitate to make it happen.
#2 Injury to Braun Strowman
The Raw after Wrestlemania saw Braun Strowman confront Brock Lesnar, staring him in the face. It was clear that Strowman was being groomed for something big, in the near future. Internet rumours speculated that he was supposed to be Brock Lesnar’s opponent through the summer.
This dream match did not happen as Strowman suffered an injury. Samoa Joe was the most believable opponent for Lesnar in Strowman's absence and filled his void. We’re certain we shall see a confrontation between the men in the future.
#1 MMA background & promo skills
Last week on Raw, Samoa Joe proved how he can go head-to-head with Paul Heyman on the mic, and sent shivers up our spine. Unlike other people who cower in front of Paul Heyman's verbal onslaught, Joe just seemed to become more vicious and choked out the advocate.
The rear naked choke hold he used, called the Coquina Clutch, is also an MMA move, and lest you forget, Brock Lesnar is a former UFC champion. For all intents and purposes, if Brock Lesnar had never been born, Samoa Joe should have been the ideal Paul Heyman guy.
Thankfully, Brock Lesnar was born many years ago and we will get to watch these titans collide very soon indeed.
Now, this is awesome!
How did Ric Flair spend $1500 at a pizza place? More details here
