Already one of WWE Raw’s biggest stars despite not being on the main roster for more than nine months, Samoa Joe is currently out with a knee injury. But when he returns, could he be a babyface?
Imagining Samoa Joe as a babyface on WWE Raw is difficult, because he’s just far too imposing to think of as a good guy. In his feud with Brock Lesnar, the WWE actually turned Lesnar babyface in order to tell a better story between the two of them. They achieved this by having Joe brutally attack Lesnar’s advocate Paul Heyman, suffocating him in the formidable “Coquina Clutch”. Prior to this, Joe told Heyman (via a secondary mic that helped make this encounter seem real), “Something very bad is about to happen to you,” calmly describing the “Coquina Clutch” to Heyman.
That is the most prominent example of Joe’s chilling demeanor and delivery, both of which have made him a fan favorite in the WWE. Joe has always been one of the best wrestlers in the world, regardless of the promotion. In NXT, he was a beast who plowed through everyone and used his wordsmith-like ways and inhuman strength to cause William Regal problems. It seemed like he may do the same to his old TNA buddy Kurt Angle, but a knee injury at a house show stalled his progress on that front.
Joe is insanely popular right now, and it’s thanks to his feud with Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire. While the match was only so-so, Joe was absolutely money in the build-up to the program, looking every part Lesnar’s equal. He could hang with Heyman on the mic, and we all know he can hang with Lesnar in the ring. While Joe’s wrestling ability has never been in question, it’s great to see that everyone in the WWE Universe can recognize just how heavy-handed, skillful, and visceral his Marcus Aurelius-inspired promos sound.
As such, perhaps the WWE could be interested in using Joe’s popularity to turn him babyface, and this is a notion that has been toyed with in various rumors. For example, before Joe’s injury, there was a rumor that The Miz’s next feud for the Intercontinental Championship at No Mercy would be with Joe. Both of them are heels, but the prevailing belief was that Joe could turn face. After all, we’ve already seen Miz as a face, and it didn’t exactly work all that well.
Both Joe and Miz were partners in a tag team match against Roman Reigns and John Cena, who are now feuding with each other in a No Mercy match. So it adds up. Plus, it’s not like The Miz has a set-in-stone feud right now, so creative could have been planning for Joe before that injury threw a wrench in their plans.
For what it’s worth, Joe told Between The Ropes back in April that he would find a feud with The Miz “compelling” and had some praise for “The A-Lister’s” work.
With Braun Strowman and Lesnar currently feuding for the Universal Championship and both Cena and Reigns lurking, the WWE could choose to put the Intercontinental Championship on Joe. Lesnar could hold the Universal Title for a lengthy period of time if Strowman doesn’t win at No Mercy, opening up the IC Title for Joe. Or if Strowman wins, the WWE could turn Joe face so that Strowman gets a different feud.
Considering how much Joe has been built up as a “Destroyer” and a monster on Raw, it’s hard to see him turning face. But he can be a compelling babyface with more nuance than the typical babyfaces on the current WWE roster who get run over all too easily. Joe can be a monster that the crowd can get behind as a guy who just wants to fight.