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What's the story?
Samoa Joe has been out of action for quite some time, returning to WWE television on the Post-WrestleMania Monday Night Raw to verbally berate and confront Roman Reigns. However, the 'Destroyer' has yet to make a return to in-ring action but is set to do so at WWE's Greatest Royal Rumble event. He recently gave his thoughts on doing so to the Saudi Gazette (H/T wrestlinginc.com)
In case you didn't know...
Samoa Joe is set to wrestle in the Intercontinental Title Ladder Match announced for the Greatest Royal Rumble, where he'll compete against The Miz, Finn Balor, current champion Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley.
Lashley is a new addition to the match after PWInsider.com reported that a local advertisement had announced Lashley as a fifth participant in the match.
The heart of the matter
Joe has been injured for some time, so he is understandably keen to get back to wrestling, however, how does he feel about doing so at such a huge event, and in front of a new audience in Saudi Arabia?
"I'm dying to get back in the ring as I've been nursing an injury, so to be in Saudi Arabia and to be able to get all of those months of frustration out, well I'll definitely be ready to go. It's a return to the ring for me and it's a debut for me in a new culture, so that's two factors that mean I'm looking forward to it."
Samoa Joe also goes on to highlight how important it is for a mainstream western company and brand like WWE to spotlight the people of Saudi Arabia and show them enjoying wrestling just as we would.
It puts a face on people, its puts a face on the region, and it's a very different face than perhaps the one we are used to seeing through traditional media outlets. If we can help a fan in the West look over and say 'Wow, they are not much different from us, they enjoy wrestling as much as we do,' I think we've done a service. It's my greatest hope that comes out of these efforts."
What's next?
The card for the Greatest Royal Rumble event is still being added to, but as of now, this is the current list of announced matches:
Universal Championship (Steel Cage Match) -- Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns:
WWE Championship -- AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship (Ladder Match) -- Seth Rollins (c) vs. The Miz vs. Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe vs. Bobby Lashley
John Cena vs. Triple H
The Undertaker vs. Rusev (Casket Match):
United States Championship -- Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Jinder Mahal:
SmackDown Tag Team Championship -- The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The Usos: S
Raw Tag Team Championship -- The Bar vs. Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt:
Greatest Royal Rumble Match - Fifty Man Royal Rumble
Cruiserweight Championship -- Cedric Alexander (c) vs. TBD:
Author's take
The Greatest Royal Rumble event is looking so incredible that Joe's return from injury has been overshadowed somewhat. However, it's good to see that the Superstar is looking forward to his return and the positive impact his return can have.
