What’s the story?
The contributions of Samoan origin wrestlers have been invaluable to the professional wrestling industry. From the Anoai’s to Maivia’s, Samoans have a stronghold over the industry for decades and have established themselves as wrestling royalties.
Samoa Joe, though not related to the Samoans we have seen on television before, is carrying the legacy of the Samoan wrestlers of the past in a stunning manner. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who happens to be half Samoan himself, recognised Joe’s achievements and acknowledged the same on Instagram recently.
In case you didn’t know…
Samoa Joe, was a reputed independent wrestler before he signed with NXT in 2015. Initially, he was called upon with the mindset that the company could use his help to nurture the upcoming talent. But soon they realised that they have a world-class performer on their hands and signed the Submission Specialist to a full-time contract.
Joe spent a year and a half at NXT where he became a two-time NXT Champion.
The Destroyer debuted on the Raw after Royal Rumble where he annihilated Seth Rollins as a part of his ongoing storyline with Triple H. He was set to face Rollins at Fastlane but the plans fell through as Rollins was diagnosed with a torn MCL.
Since then, Joe has commenced a program with the Underdog from the Underground, Sami Zayn. Samoa Joe vs Sami Zayn is set to take place this Sunday at Fastlane.
The heart of the matter
Recently at the Los Angeles episode of Raw, the Rock was in attendance to shoot for his production’s movie, ‘Fighting With My Family’. He made two off-screen appearances to greet the fans and send them home happy.
During his time backstage, the Great One met a lot of current employees of WWE and clicked photos with them. The Hollywood star shared one such picture recently on Instagram.
In the post, the Rock says that Samoa Joe, the man who is using a variation of Rock Bottom as his new finisher, reminds him of wrestlers of the bygone era and calls him a future champion.
What’s next?
This is not the first time that the Rock has shared such a post about a current WWE Superstar. A few weeks ago, the Brahma Bull had shared a similar post regarding Kevin Owens, where he appreciated his hard work and his battle to reach the pinnacle of the sports-entertainment.
Even though the Rock is a big star in Hollywood, it seems as if he just can’t keep himself away from the squared circle. We haven’t seen the Most Electrifying Man In Entertainment since Wrestlemania 32 and an appearance is speculated on 3rd April in Orlando.
Sportskeeda’s take
Samoa Joe is indeed a talented wrestler with a unique blend of strength and speed. He has struggled through various independent promotions and has finally made it big. We at Sportskeeda totally agree with the Rock and would love to see him as a World Champion in the near future.
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