The idea of Samoa Joe coming to WWE programming was once a fantasy, and there were several dream matches and scenarios that would be left unfulfilled because Joe wasn’t what WWE officials were looking for in their talent before NXT became established a few years ago. Not only is NXT an amazing developmental system for the WWE product, but it allows bigger stars from the industry to come into WWE, rebrand themselves, or bring their personas onto WWE programming.
This formula has allowed WWE to create new stars from the ground up, but also give great veterans like Samoa Joe the chance to finally come to WWE and give the WWE Universe some of those anticipated dream matches. For example, the main event of NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II was Samoa Joe defending the NXT Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura.
Joe vs. Nakamura may have been overhyped or very satisfying depending on your taste, but the impact it has on WWE’s programming is important. Nakamura was victorious and became the new NXT Champion, which means that the NXT product is now in the hands of the former. Samoa Joe has had an excellent run in NXT, but it seems that he may not be there much longer.
According to a report from Daily Wrestling News , the expectations after WWE Summerslamweekend is that both Bayley and Samoa Joe are headed for WWE’s main roster in the very near future. Bayley coming to WWE television has been looming for the majority of 2016 and is imminent after her appearance at WWE Battlegroundand the ending of her match this weekend.
On the other hand, Joe being brought to WWE television and finishing up in NXT hasn’t been heavily rumored, but there has always been some speculation about when WWE officials think the time is right to bring him to WWE television. It is only a matter of time before he’s wrestling on Raw or SmackDown , but the timing may be much sooner than many expected.
With Nakamura taking the reins over the weekend after NXT Takeover , Samoa Joe will most likely get his rematch for the NXT title over the next several weeks or a few months before leaving NXT for WWE TV. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of speculation about a potential jaw injury he suffered during the match with Nakamura , which could delay his main roster debut.
The same report is claiming that if Samoa Joe is coming to WWE television in the near future, he’ll be joining the SmackDownbrand instead of Raw. The interesting thing about that is Joe recently said that he’d welcome a match with Brock Lesnar. That would be much easier to pull off if Joe were on Raw, but SmackDownallows several opportunities for him on WWE television.
For example, a potential feud with John Cena would be another clash of two titans crossing paths in WWE, after over a decade of never being under the same promotion. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe has a rich history, which would be very interesting to see in a WWE ring. Samoa Joe vs. Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, or even Bray Wyatt would create great matches.
After the events of WWE Summerslam weekend, it’s obvious that Samoa Joe’s time in NXT is beginning to wind down. He’s accomplished a great deal there, been the NXT Champion, and added to his overall body of work with some of the best matches of his entire career. However, there is still so much for Joe to do in WWE, and WWE’s main roster is where he deserves to be.
[Image via WWE.com]