Samoa Joe: Brock Lesnar and Beyond

Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe.

Five years ago, this match seemed impossible. Brock was barely getting by Triple H. Joe was feuding with Aces & Eights. Joe even coming to WWE seemed unfathomable at the time. Feuding with Brock Lesnar was a pipe dream.

Well, dreams come true. We’re just says away from Lesnar vs. Joe.

Not only is WWE giving us Lesnar vs. Joe on Sunday, they’ve managed to not screw it up. This is a match that feels important. It feels like two guys going into a fight, ready to kill each other at all cost.

Most Lesnar matches have that feel. It’s not difficult to build a match with Brock Lesnar. You do some pull apart brawls, you have Lesnar be cocky and dismissive, you have the opponent ready to win at all costs. This is the same build we saw with John Cena, The Undertaker, and Goldberg. But those three are legends in their own right.

This is Samoa Joe. A guy who wasn’t on the main roster until the end of January. WWE giving Joe the same build as Cena, Goldberg, and Undertaker speaks to their trust and their brain. It’s easy to say, “of course you build Joe the same way. He’s a badass Samoan who just looks like the toughest guy in a room.” But, have you seen the way WWE portrays their characters? Thought so.

They’ve allowed Joe to get the better of Lesnar. They’ve made Joe a threat in a matter of weeks with simple storytelling and flawless execution. The serial killer like whispering and promising delivering to Paul Heyman. The headbutt and superkick to an unsuspecting Lesnar. Attacking Brock from behind and then locking in the clutch multiple times despite Lesnar having seemingly battled out. Ending an interview to find Lesnar and fight him.

Not only has WWE made Joe look like a threat to Lesnar by going directly at Lesnar, they’ve made him a threat by taking out the rest of the roster.

In the last month and a half, Joe has a singles victory over Seth Rollins, a tag victory over Rollins and Roman Reigns, a triple threat victory over Bray Wyatt and Finn Balor, the Fatal Five Way victory at Extreme Rules, and a singles victory over Reigns. He’s defeated every star on the RAW roster with the exception of Braun Strowman.

WWE has done everything in their power to make Joe as credible as possible when he steps into the ring on Sunday against Lesnar.

Joe is unlikely to win on Sunday. That’s fine. The long term plan (or maybe short term plan based on the latest reports) is for Roman Reigns to beat Lesnar. WWE can continue to make Joe a threat in defeat. And, given how they’ve built Joe the last month and a half, I suspect they will.

If they continue to be smart, they’ll have Joe go toe-to-toe with Lesnar. He won’t lock on the clutch because that’s a finish that should continue to be protected. He’ll come close to victory, but ultimately fall short. The better man will win. But Joe will prove himself to be a worthy advisory.

What comes next for Joe might be more important than his match on at Great Balls of Fire. WWE can erase everything they’ve done right this past month in a matter of three hours on Monday.

That’s when we’ll find out if they actually see something in Joe or if they’re giving him this opportunity because he’s facing Brock Lesnar. To me, he’s grabbed the brass ring in this feud and deserves to be treated like a top star from here on out. But WWE doesn’t often know what to do with guys who aren’t feuding for the belt or with Roman Reigns.

Dean Ambrose and Miz have been stuck in the same feud, across two brands, for what feels like a year now. Bray Wyatt is still cutting his same no substance promos. Finn Balor and Seth Rollins are just kind of doing things. The lack of creativity and motivation attached to each of these men is alarming.

That’s what I’m afraid will happen to Samoa Joe after Sunday.

Let’s talk about Samoa Joe and Brock Lesnar punching each other on the face. @jeremylambert88