Much like AJ Styles, Samoa Joe was on an elite list of great wrestlers who hadn’t performed inside a WWE ring. For years, it seemed that Vince McMahon simply wasn’t interested in him and the speculation is that he was unfairly judged by his body type. Regardless of whether or not that is true, Joe has had a great run with NXT and became the first to win the NXT Championship twice, which is an important achievement.
Samoa Joe came into NXT as the brand was picking up significant speed and his run has brought it into a new era. Just like Kevin Owens or Finn Balor before him, Joe will leave NXT a much better place than when he arrived. Most recently, he dropped the NXT Championship to Shinsuke Nakamura in Osaka, Japan. The expectation is Samoa Joe’s run is over and his emergence onto WWE’s main roster is imminent.
There is no question that he’d be a great addition to Raw or SmackDown and his run in NXT was proven his worth to the WWE product. The WWE Universe knows Joe’s time in NXT is about to end, which means he’s bound to debut on WWE television any day. Obviously, WWE officials are going to give him a big first night. Many are expecting him to debut during the WWE Royal Rumble, but his moment may come much sooner.
[Image by WWE]
According to a new report, there is a rumor going around that Samoa Joe could be making his WWE debut as early as WWE Roadblock: End of the Line this Sunday. There isn’t anything specific being rumored for him, but the rumor talks about Joe getting involved in the WWE Universal Championship match at the PPV between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens. The belief is a feud with Reigns could be coming after Sunday.
Aside from Samoa Joe finally debuting on WWE’s main roster, a potential feud between Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe for the United States Championship is something that would look great on paper for the WWE Royal Rumble PPV. Although the WWE Universe would cheer Joe heavily, he’d be able to transition from NXT as their top heel into a feud with one of WWE’s top faces in storyline. That would make things easy.
It was reported recently that Samoa Joe could be entering the WWE World title picture after his debut, so getting into a feud with Kevin Owens may be a possibility as well. The only question there is if Joe debuts in a feud with Owens or Reigns, he’d be the newest member of Raw. Nothing was confirmed, but a lot of WWE fans believe he’d be a better fit for SmackDown. There were also rumors of him heading to SmackDown.
[Image by WWE]
The only troubling issue about Samoa Joe’s WWE main roster debut is the recent reports that he suffered an injury. It was recently announced during an NXT live event that Joe wasn’t cleared to compete, but he may still be recovering from a steel cage match with Nakamura from NXT’s tour of Australia earlier this month.
WWE officials may give him some time to heal, but it’s clear to the WWE Universe that Samoa Joe will be on WWE television sooner rather than later. At the WWE Royal Rumble last year, AJ Styles made his WWE debut and a year later he is the WWE Champion. This year, it could be Samoa Joe’s turn to make an impact on the biggest stage wrestling has to offer. He’ll be an asset to WWE on Raw or SmackDown, but the WWE Universe just wants to finally see Samoa Joe on WWE television. At this point, it’s only a matter of time.
[Featured Image by WWE]