Since injuring his thumb, Samoa Joe was added to the Raw announcing team where he quickly carved out a comfortable niche that his fans love him in. He gives great points while maintaining the serious and threatening demeanor in the vein of former wrestlers turned announcers like Jesse Ventura and Randy Savage. The thing is, his place is dominating and destroying people in the ring, and rumor has it the WWE has big plans for Samoa Joe going forward.
An unexpected face change
With Seth Rollins turning heel and having the AOP at his side and Orton tied up with a feud with Styles, there simply aren’t enough faces that would make facing them believable. The trick was how to do it and who to turn face.
That question was answered at last night’s (12/16) Raw Christmas taping that’ll air 12/23.
After Rey Mysterio retains the US championship against Rollins vie DQ when the AOP interfered, the AOP wanted to put Mysterio through the announcer’s table. Samoa Joe, who has shown an interesting soft side toward people being ganged up on in recent weeks, refused to move. The result was a fight between him and the AOP where he gets beaten down by them and Rollins Stomped Mysterio.
With Kevin Owens still in the mix, having called out the AOP in next week’s taping and paying the price for it, it give Mysertio a couple of allies going forward. More than that, their mix of different skills and styles will make for exciting matches if they do come together against Rollins and the AOP.
This is courtesy of Dave Meltzer as quoted by ringsidenews.com.
What it’ll take to make this work
I tend to believe Meltzer as I saw it as a face turn when I first read about Joe standing up to the AOP. But more than that, I think this is a great opportunity for the WWE and Samoa Joe if they unleash him and allow him to do what made him so awesome in NWA-TNA.
Samoa Joe is a beast that’s been relegated to putting over smaller opponents. With the possible rise of the big men in the WWE once again, there is no reason to hold him back. The same for Drew McIntyre. Both can and should destroy their opponents in the ring, and given how fans look bored at the events most of the time (Seriously watch the fans during the gauntlet on Raw’s 12/16 episode. Even at ringside they looked so bored), going back to the big men could be what they need.
Braun Strowman was supposed to challenge for the Intercontinental championship at TLC before he couldn’t compete due to a sore back. I love Shinsuke Nakamura, but Strowman should’ve won that if it happened.
When facing fellow big men like the AOP (Akam and Rezar), there’s no reason not to let them and Samoa Joe play.
It’ll be good for the WWE, it’ll be good for Samoa Joe and AOP, and it’ll be good for the fans as we’ll finally get some good, quality physicality that’s not based off jumping around like a hyper hummingbird.
The thought of what this group can accomplish if they’re unshackled brings goosebumps.
Just like that, the WWE would return to what’s worked great previously and deliver the high impact entertainment they’ve been promising for years.
It’d be so awesome to walk in the land of the giants once again.
