'%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)
Ric Flair believes Samoa Joe posed a legitimate threat to Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship when the two men worked together in WWE in 2017.
Joe unsuccessfully challenged Lesnar for the title in the main event of Great Balls of Fire in July 2017. A month later, The Beast Incarnate defeated Joe, Braun Strowman, and Roman Reigns in a Fatal 4-Way match at SummerSlam.
Speaking on his Wooooo Nation Uncensored podcast, Flair reacted to Joe’s recent release from WWE. The 16-time World Champion praised the 42-year-old and gave him credit for looking like a believable opponent for Lesnar. He said:
“Joe’s a hell of a hand. Somehow I feel that the guys that have the talent, if they want to keep doing it, he’ll land somewhere… When he grabbed Lesnar when they had that mini-feud, it was believable. When he came out and grabbed Lesnar on the stage, I went, ‘Man, this is believable.’”
Samoa Joe received his second release from WWE on January 6, seven months after he returned to the company as an NXT Superstar and talent scout. He won the NXT Championship for the third time in August 2021 but was forced to relinquish the title due to injury.
Samoa Joe worked as a commentator after facing Brock Lesnar
After producing impressive performances against Brock Lesnar, Samoa Joe’s career was blighted by injuries between late 2017 and early 2020. As a result, he became a color commentator on RAW from April 2020 to April 2021.
Ric Flair enjoyed Joe’s commentary and expects the former WWE Superstar to easily find a job elsewhere in the wrestling business. Flair added:
“He’s a hell of a talent. I like Joe a lot. I’ll tell you what else I liked: I thought Joe was great on the microphone. I liked when he was commentating. I don’t think Joe’s gonna have a hard time getting a job anywhere.”
Joe also won the United States Championship twice during his time in WWE. He challenged AJ Styles and Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship in 2018 and 2019, respectively, but failed to win the title.
Please credit Wooooo Nation Uncensored and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
