August 19, AJ Styles and Samoa Joe will do battle for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. 

But to get to this point of facing off against one another, both men have had to come a very long way. 

ROAD TO SUMMERSLAM 

The Phenomenal One, who currently holds the belt, spent over 14 years making a name for himself on the indy circuit, wrestling in ROH, TNA and NJPW.

He finally made the jump to WWE in 2016 - and since arriving, he's further confirmed the suggestion that he's one of, if not the best in the world. 

Like AJ, Joe spent many years grafting on independent promotions - but his road to the main roster was a little longer - as he was first in NXT.   

DOMINANT IN NXT 

"The Destroyer" made his debut in WWE's developmental territory in 2015 and less than a year later, he beat Finn Balor to win the NXT Championship. 

He held the title for 121 days before losing it to Shinsuke Nakamura - and winning it back two weeks later, becoming the first ever two-time NXT champ.

In January 2017, he debuted on the main roster, finally arriving properly in WWE - and he's since wrestled on both RAW and SmackDown. 

HE'S NOT ALONE

Of course, the path from NXT to the main roster is well travelled. In fact, it's rare these days that a new signing won't spend at least a little time on WWE's developmental brand.  

With TakeOver: Brooklyn just around the corner, we could expect a few more call-ups following that pay-per-view, as we haven't seen one for a few months. 

After coming through the ranks in NXT himself, Joe knows exactly what it takes to make the jump to the main roster - and do well in WWE.

MORE PROMOTED TALENTS

Earlier this week, he picked two other superstars that he thinks will do well, like him, when they're eventually promoted to either SmackDown or RAW.    

"I think Aleister Black is a good bet, then there is Velveteen Dream," Joe told SportsKeeda on a conference call. 

"There is a great crop of talent, and some of the newer guys are picking up well."

When picking out two you'd expect to make the jump soon, and do well, it's very hard to argue with Joe. 

Hopefully, we'll see at least one of them on the main roster shortly after SummerSlam.

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