WWE Raw: Samoa Joe Expected To Return From Injury In Late October

Ever since he joined WWE Raw in the build-up to WrestleMania 33, Samoa Joe has been an absolute monster, shining in a feud with Brock Lesnar. He’s currently out with a knee injury, but he could be ready to return to the ring next month.

So far this year, WWE Raw has been arguably the most compelling brand in WWE, and Samoa Joe deserves plenty of credit for that. When he was called up to the main roster from NXT, Joe started off white-hot by looking like a total monster by attacking Seth Rollins. The fact that Rollins suffered a knee injury was unfortunate, but it really sold Joe as a “Destroyer” who was sent to do Triple H’s bidding.

Recently, Samoa Joe suffered a knee injury of his own at a live event in late August. The initial timetable for his return pinpointed a date between the Sept. 29 and Oct. 13, but it looks like the WWE is planning on having him return a little later than this (perhaps for storyline reasons).

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer News reports that Joe is expected to make his return to the ring in late October, as transcribed by 411Mania’s Larry Csonka.

It will be interesting to see who the WWE Universal Champion is at that point in time, because Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman have a marquee matchup at No Mercy on Sept. 24. Lesnar is expected to win, which means Joe would likely have to move to a program for the Intercontinental Championship, though The Miz is a heel. I doubt a babyface turn is in the cards for someone as menacing as Joe, but there are many possibilities for him.

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What’s for certain is that Joe will remain a big part of Raw in the main event scene, and I hope he remains in the Universal Title picture. His feud with Lesnar in the build-up to Great Balls of Fire was one of the greatest storylines of the year, and Joe’s promo style has such a visceral feel.