After spending over a decade as one of the top stars of TNA, the international superstar finally made his debut in WWE. After a few matches you can tell that this star is ready for a top spot in the company.
No, I’m not talking about AJ Styles…well, I guess I am. I mean, well anyway…Styles is not the only star in the WWE Universe that has this resume.
Sitting in Orlando, ready to emerge from NXT is the Samoan Submission Machine – Samoa Joe!
Like Styles, Joe made his name in America in TNA wrestling there dating back to 2005. Joe would hold the TNA championship on multiple occasions while battling wrestling legends like Sting, Kurt Angle and Kevin Nash just to name a few.
His most famous battle though came soon after signing with the company at the 2005 Turning Point pay-per-view in a three way match against Styles and fellow TNA original Christopher Daniels. The three put on a match that is still regarded as one of, if not the best match in TNA history.
Joe would spend the better part of a decade at the Orlando Impact Zone until last summer when he took his talents all the way to…well…a different part of Orlando and NXT. His impact was immediately felt as Joe’s first appearance was to confront then-champion Kevin Owens.
We would see him in the ring against the likes of Tyler Breeze and Baron Corbin to get his feet wet in the NXT pool. It didn’t take long though for Joe to put his name on the top of the marquee. After winning the 1st Annual Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with partner and NXT Champion Finn Balor, the Samoan Submission Machine would turn on his partner and challenge him for the title.
The two would cap off an amazing TakeOver show in London last December that solidified Joe’s spot as one of the major NXT attractions. It’s only a matter time until we see Samoa Joe on Raw.
HOW TO BOOK THE CALL UP
And, from what so many reports have been claiming, that matter of time might not be that long. Several reports of Samoa Joe making his main roster debut in the very near future – possibly as soon as the Raw the night after WrestleMania.
So how to introduce him to the Raw audience?
Well here’s something you may not know about the man referred to as Samoa Joe – he’s Samoan! OK, well that isn’t exactly the surprising part. He’s Samoan but he’s not, I repeat he is NOT a branch on the Anoa’I family tree! Take a second to let THAT fact sink in!
There’s you’re in!
Joe comes in upset that the Anoa’I family gets all of the Samoan wrestling credit. In a way to show that other the Samoan wrestling world does not revolve around the legendary family, he tries to make his own name by going through Anoa’I family members like The Usos at first.
From there, Joe moves up the tree and targets the current main roster figure head of the family, Roman Reigns which could provide a few solid pay-per-view matches. Not only would this put Joe on the main roster map, but it could also help give Roman Reigns the edge that he needs.
To continue this on to a very far-fetched thought…what about a future encounter with The Rock? In a perfect world this would be a match, but hey, I’d take an in-ring promo.
Whatever the plans are for the former TNA champion, Samoa Joe should bring the boost in bad-assery (yep, that’s a word) that the WWE roster desperately needs at this point.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE WAY SAMOA JOE WAS USED IN NXT? WILL HE BE SUCCESSFUL ON THE MAIN ROSTER? WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING GO UP AGAINST? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @FROM_THETOPROPE AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!
