WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017 Results: Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe Highlights

In the main event of Great Balls of Fire, Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe met inside the squared circle. Did the Beast Incarnate retain the Universal Championship, or was it the Samoan Destroyer who made history?

Since arriving to Monday Night Raw earlier this year, Samoa Joe has been featured under a very bright spotlight. People take him seriously for his persona, his sheer athleticism, and the fact that he is willing to fight whenever against whomever. This ferocity and pure aggression aided him at Extreme Rules, where he outlasted four other Raw talents to become the number one contender to the Universal Championship. In order to secure the title though, he’ll combat arguably his toughest challenge yet; Brock Lesnar.

After conquering Goldberg at WrestleMania 33, the Beast Incarnate disappeared from WWE programming. However, as Universal Champion, fans knew it was only a matter of time before he returned to assert his hold over Monday Night Raw. Once Joe was announced as his future challenger, Lesnar decided it was time to remind fans exactly who he was. Eager to gain revenge for Joe’s treatment of Paul Heyman during his absence, the Beast fought Joe the first night they encountered one another. On that occasion, it took the entire Raw roster to separate the two men.

Two weeks following that brawl, Brock Lesnar was making his entrance to the ring when Joe struck from behind. Using the Coquina clutch, he managed to leave the champion down and confused on the entrance stage. He looked to continue the carnage this past Monday, but the Beast simply goaded his challenger and chose to wait until tonight. Because of this, the tension and (anticipation) associated with this contest was paramount. So, let’s go ahead and see if this match was able to live up to the hype.

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Out first is Samoa Joe, and similar to Braun Strowman earlier tonight, the Samoan Destroyer looks primed for destruction. He’s been itching for a real fight for weeks now, and tonight has granted him that opportunity. Glancing down the ramp, his eyes remained glued on Brock Lesnar throughout his entrance. As Paul Heyman did his usual pre-match introduction, Joe decided enough was enough and struck from behind.

Taking the action to the outside, the Samoan Destroyer slammed Lesnar through the table before the bell even rang. While he dragged himself into the ring, Lesnar was clearly not one-hundred percent when the bell rang. The Beast allowed a smile for a brief moment, however, he quickly found himself on the defensive. Refusing to let up, Joe leveled the champion with stiff strikes and mat wrestling, striking the iron while it was hot.

Sensing a chance to secure the win early, Joe locked in the Coquina Clutch on a dazed Lesnar. The Beast was able to fight out of the hold though, and in turn delivered a trio of German Suplexes. Letting out his animalistic yell, he was caught off-guard when Joe hit him with a low blow. Normally this would warrant a disqualification, but Joe had wisely distracted the referee from seeing the underhanded tactic. Moments later, a devastating slam to the mat allowed the challenger to lock the Coquina clutch in once more.

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His face purple due to a lack of oxygen, Lesnar lifted Joe in a final effort to get out of the hold. He did so with a sidewalk slam, and quickly followed it up with another trio of Germans. The Beast went for an F5, but Joe again locked in the Coquina Clutch. Down to a knee in the center of the ring, Lesnar slowly faded as Joe felt the title within his grasp. Somehow, the Universal Champion found it within himself to hit an F5, which ended up being the final move necessary to earn him the victory.