WWE pulled the trigger at Extreme Rules and elevated Samoa Joe right into the main event for Monday Night Raw and set up a dream title match against Brock Lesnar. Fans were already thrilled with the idea that the two were going to battle over the WWE Universal Championship at Great Balls of Fire , but would the crowd be split? Well, after what happened on Raw tonight, it looks as if Lesnar has become the ultimate babyface in this new feud.
Last night, Samoa Joe choked out Finn Balor and had his hand raised in victory as he defeated Balor, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Bray Wyatt. That win earned him the number one contender spot on Monday Night Raw and a championship match against Brock Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire .
That match will be Lesnar’s first title defense and it is going to be a match that fans have wanted to see for years. The one problem for WWE is that both superstars are technically seen as huge heels even though the fans love of them, but that problem was solved on Raw .
Joe was able to turn the Universal Champion into the biggest babyface on the Raw and all without Lesnar not even being on the show.
As recapped by the official website of WWE , Samoa Joe came out to the ring to talk about being the number one contender and it ultimately led to Paul Heyman making his way out. Heyman wanted to let Joe know that his client would still be victorious at Great Balls of Fire due to Joe being the “worst-case scenario” for Lesnar.
The promo between both men was actually some of the best that has happened on Raw this entire year, and it seemingly ended with a handshake of respect. Unfortunately for Paul Heyman, that wasn’t the conclusion of the segment as he was then cornered by Samoa Joe who had more to say.
Joe spoke to Heyman as he backed him into a corner and let him know, step-by-step, that he was going to take him out with the Coquina Clutch. Holding true to his promise, Joe let one more thing be known and that he was “disappointed” that Brock Lesnar was not in attendance to confront his next challenger.
That was when it happened and Samoa Joe choked out Paul Heyman and put him to sleep in the middle of the ring. That was all it took as the crowd horrendously booed Joe and began chanting for the WWE Universal Champion in a loud, collective voice.
With that one promo and one big move on Heyman, Samoa Joe turned Brock Lesnar into the ultimate babyface on Monday Night Raw and probably in all of WWE.
According to Cageside Seats , Brock Lesnar’s next scheduled date for WWE television is next week (June 12) on Raw in Lafayette, Louisiana. That date is now making a lot of sense as it will be the first chance for the “Beast Incarnate” to seek revenge on Samoa Joe for taking out his business advocate.
As the segment was coming to an end and the Samoan Submission Machine had choked out Paul Heyman, the crowd at Raw continued to chant “We want Brock!” It was then that Samoa Joe brought the mic up, looked out at the fans, and simply said, “So do I.”
This segment between Joe and Heyman was absolutely brilliant and it made Lesnar an even bigger star without being present. Not just that, it turned him into the babyface that Raw needed.
When Samoa Joe finally hit the WWE main roster after spending a great deal of time in NXT, the fans were thrilled but Seth Rollins’ injury overshadowed his debut. Since then, he has been lost in the shuffle a bit and was even left off of the WrestleMania 33 card. Now, he is the number one contender to the WWE Universal Championship held by Brock Lesnar who he just made into the ultimate babyface by attacking Paul Heyman.
[Featured Image by WWE]