It was something fans had been waiting for all week, and on Monday Night RAW we finally witnessed Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe come face to face for the first time.
Joe picked up a victory last week at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view, choking out Finn Balor in the Fatal Five-Way match which also featured Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins.
BRAWL
The following night, Joe sent a clear message to The Beast Incarnate by choking out Paul Heyman in the middle of the ring with his vicious Coquina Clutch submission hold, prompting the Universal Champion to make his first appearance on RAW since the night after WrestleMania 33 in the build-up to their title match at Great Balls of Fire.
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It was a brilliant way to kick off RAW this week, as Joe showed no signs of fear when standing opposite Lesnar as the two engaged in a fantastic brawl, resulting in general manager Kurt Angle bringing out the remainder of the roster to split them up – but Joe perhaps had the last laugh as a kick to Lesnar’s head resulted in a bloody nose.
If fans get more of this in the coming weeks, then they’re in for a treat at Great Balls of Fire but they’re not getting carried away, as the plan has always been for Joe to be a one-and-done situation for Lesnar before he moves on to Braun Strowman at SummerSlam.
However, according to Cageside Seats via the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE could still change their minds and run this feud longer than originally planned.
Cageside Seats is reporting that WWE is very happy with the way this feud has kicked off, and if things fall into place then the feud could be extended further.
CHANGES?
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer did note that it’s still unlikely that Joe defeats Lesnar to become the Universal Champion, but that could all change if Vince McMahon has a change of heart and you can’t rule that out either.
An example of this was last year when Goldberg returned to have a match with Lesnar at Survivor Series.
Lesnar was supposed to emerge victorious but WWE changed their booking to extend their feud as that too was supposed to be a one-off match which would see Goldberg lose and then exit the company.
Ratings were high and there was genuine fan interest, so he stuck around and embarrassed Lesnar at the Royal Rumble, before finally losing at WrestleMania 33.
Fans of this Joe and this feud, in general, could be in for some good news if this rivalry goes down the same avenue as a rematch could be in the works if it all works out.
Meltzer noted that this all depends on how the ratings look over the next few weeks.
If the ratings improve and the angle is a success, then WWE could pull the trigger on extending the feud and give Strowman a chance at the gold at a later date.
It looks like this is now all down to the fans – if they show they are enjoying what they see and let the WWE know, then The Destroyer may not be the sacrificial lamb at Great Balls of Fire.
Will Samoa Joe get another crack at Brock Lesnar and the Universal Championship? Have YOUR say in the comments section below and the third episode of GiveMeSport’s WWE podcast is here! Check it out via this link. https://soundcloud.com/user-818579649/gms-wwe-podcast-all-the-fallout-from-wwe-payback
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