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Immediately after Monday Night RAW, we saw the return of RAW Talk. Following a hiatus of over two years, the talk-show is now a weekly addition to WWE programming. Charly Caruso and Samoa Joe are the hosts of the newly reinstated RAW post-show, with a different look and feel to the vastly popular Talking Smack.
SmackDown's post-show from 2016 was the perfect vehicle for Superstars to elevate their stock by cutting passionate promos and spending time to express themselves in an unscripted environment. The likes of Naomi, Mojo Rawley, and especially The Miz benefited a lot from Talking Smack.
Hopefully, while the look for the show has changed, RAW Talk can allow various names to get over with promos. It can be used to effectively build storylines, including ones with the host. The Miz and Daniel Bryan began a heated rivalry on Talking Smack through an impassioned promo, even if Bryan could not wrestle at the time.
However, Samoa Joe can wrestle. He is awaiting his in-ring clearance. And he could be as good as, if not better than Daniel Bryan in his new role as the host of a weekly WWE post-show talk. And once he is ready to return to the ring, WWE could plant the seeds of his return match on RAW Talk.
Joe could have a burning issue with somebody that could play out similarly to the one between Bryan and Miz, making RAW Talk the gateway to his in-ring return. There are several Superstars on RAW who could play that role on the talk-show.
Here are 5 Superstars Samoa Joe could start a feud with on RAW Talk.
#5 Bobby Lashley
WWE will need to make sure they keep Bobby Lashley around the top of the card following his WWE Championship program with Drew McIntyre. And with a match against Brock Lesnar seeming more and more like a possibility, it would be wise for Lashley to be kept strong.
Depending on when Lesnar returns and when Samoa Joe gets cleared, MVP could have some fighting words to say on RAW Talk while his client gets up in Joe's face. It could stem from the simple discussion of Lashley's possible defeat to McIntyre at Backlash, or the pay-per-view after.
A match between Joe and Lashley is likely to be hard-hitting, one that would prepare The Dominator for a future match with The Beast.
#4 Randy Orton
After Randy Orton is finished with the "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" against Edge, he might be seeking out a new rival. And the facilitator for that could be RAW Talk. Both of them are industry legends, but Orton and Samoa Joe have never actually faced each other in a match.
However, that could change in the next couple of months thanks to RAW Talk. The Viper could be a guest on the show after Backlash, with Joe completely bashing him about the "Greatest Match" tagline and causing a little hostility between the pair.
This could eventually lead to further confrontations Orton and Joe have with each other on RAW Talk, with Charly Caruso attempting to be the peacemaker. The 13-time WWE World Champion is a master at cutting methodical promos.
Seeing Randy Orton vs Samoa Joe would be a dream match of sorts, considering the fact that they have been doing this for close to 20 years each. A passionate Superstar like Joe might be able to bring the best out of Orton.
#3 Baron Corbin
AJ Styles recently got traded from RAW to SmackDown for future considerations, meaning we are likely to see a Superstar or two jump from the Blue brand to the Red brand in the very near future. And out of everyone on SmackDown, Baron Corbin might be most in need of a change in surroundings.
His entire run as the King of the Ring is playing out on FOX, with the act getting tiresome as a result of an unnecessarily long feud with Roman Reigns. Corbin is still pretty good in the ring, in need of a storyline that is actually good. His fortunes could change on Monday nights, particularly thanks to RAW Talk.
Back when the brand split was in its infancy, Baron Corbin was semi-regular on Talking Smack. He used the show to cut some great promos and enhance his character. The momentum Corbin garnered at the time eventually led him to win Money in the Bank.
He could do the same on RAW Talk, cutting scathing promos on everything and everyone, including Samoa Joe. Corbin's behavior could rub Joe the wrong way, leading to more and more face-offs with the former NXT Champion on RAW Talk. He is the perfect heel for Samoa Joe to defeat in his in-ring return.
#2 Kevin Owens
Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens are currently allies on Monday Night RAW, despite the former being a commentator. The two joined forces at the start of the year until Joe suffered an injury that has kept him out of the ring to this day. It will certainly be interesting to see the dynamic they have when Owens hops onto the set of RAW Talk.
It could go swimmingly well and the two could remain close buddies over the course of RAW Talk, or their friendship could go in another direction. Joe could end up disagreeing with a lot of KO's words and butting heads with him, while the former Universal Champion could strike back by hurling some witty insults at him.
This could be a slow-burn story for viewers to follow along on RAW Talk, instead of the sudden and immediate combustion of The Miz on Talking Smack. It could make for a great program for Samoa Joe to make his return to the ring, in a match WWE fans have not actually seen before.
Joe has been linked with Kevin Owens for a lot of his WWE career, most notably his debut in NXT. It will be great to see the two of them finally duke it out in a decisive match, five years in the making.
#1 Seth Rollins
Despite the intrigue surrounding the possibility of Samoa Joe beginning a feud with any of the Superstars mentioned, he has one which did not actually end yet. Seth Rollins was the very first guest on RAW Talk and at the end of his interview, Joe interestingly said that he is looking forward to doing this many more times in the future.
The Monday Night Messiah could play a role similar to that of The Miz from Talking Smack a few years ago. He could constantly butt heads with the host, stemming from the bad blood they have had since before Joe got injured. This would continue until the Samoan Submission Machine officially gets cleared, finally allowing him to finish his story with Rollins.
Samoa Joe's first stint as a commentator on RAW ended when he got into the Messiah's face and AOP put him through the announce table. A similar situation could ensue on an episode of RAW Talk down the line, with Murphy and Austin Theory running in to attack Joe.
This moment has potential and could be integral in differentiating the consequences of RAW Talk to those of Talking Smack. Obviously, Renee Young and Daniel Bryan at the time could not get involved physically but in due time, Samoa Joe could get back in the mix.
Having him get attacked while hosting RAW Talk would not be a bad way of bringing him back, especially with the story that could be told.
