Daily DDT
Fansided

What’s Up Next for Samoa Joe on WWE SmackDown Live?

By Bryan Heaton

facebooktwitterreddit

He didn’t win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, or the gauntlet match on SmackDown Live. He’s not the next challenger for either the WWE Championship or the United States Championship. So what’s next for Samoa Joe in WWE?

Samoa Joe is one of SmackDown Live‘s most decorated performers, even if much of his resumé was filled in outside of WWE. Ring of Honor World Champion, TNA Grand Slam winners, two time NXT Champion — the list of accomplishments is long and impressive.

Since arriving in NXT back in 2015, Samoa Joe has been presented as one of the most dangerous competitors in all of professional wrestling. He started off as a fan favorite, but before too long he turned on then-NXT Champion Finn Balor. That’s when Joe went from good to outstanding in NXT.

Two championship reigns and numerous great matches and promos later, Joe arrived on the main roster in 2017 by literally snapping Seth Rollins’s knee into jelly. Once again, Joe was seen as a man to avoid if you wanted to keep all your limbs, or even your consciousness. Few have been as devastating as Samoa Joe.

In the summer of 2017, Joe earned the right to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. While he was ultimately unsuccessful, he was the first superstar in a long time to strike fear into the heart of The Beast Incarnate. Even Paul Heyman had to acknowledge the fact that Joe was a dangerous man to face.

But it’s been just about a year since Joe faced Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire, and since then it’s been a mixed bag of success. While injuries have no doubt played a part, it would be tough to argue that Joe isn’t quite having the type of run many fans would expect of someone with his history.

And it’s not that Joe isn’t getting high-profile matches, far from it. From feuds with Roman Reigns to Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn to Dean Ambrose, Joe has been involved in some pretty big contests. However, the results haven’t always been there, because a lot of times there’s been a title on the line in those feuds, and Joe has yet to win main roster gold.

Last week, Joe came up short in two huge matches with championship implications. First, he was one of eight superstars competing in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, which was won by Braun Strowman. Two nights later, he was one of five entrants in a gauntlet match to determine the number one contender for the WWE Championship. Joe entered third, but was eliminated by Daniel Bryan.

More from Daily DDT

For the time being, that likely leaves Joe out of the world title picture. Normally, a superstar in that position would be able to fall back on a mid-card championship. But Jeff Hardy, current United States Champion, seems to be focused on Shinsuke Nakamura. That doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for Samoa Joe.

So where does he go from here? If there’s no championship to push for, Joe would need a strong rival to properly showcase his strengths as a promo and a submission wrestler. But with the exception of Roman Reigns, since WrestleMania Joe has really only been involved with feuds where a championship was involved. He doesn’t really have a true rival right now.

Is there anyone on the SmackDown roster who can quickly be built up as a potential foil for Joe? All the top babyfaces or more virtuous characters are involved with other superstars. Maybe Randy Orton or John Cena will be returning to SmackDown shortly — I know I’m predicting one of them to be Daniel Bryan’s backup against the Bludgeon Brothers. Maybe the other can feud with Joe?

Next: Is Elias a Top Star in WWE?

Whatever the case is, it’s long past time for Samoa Joe to win some kind of championship on the main roster. He needs a big-time feud right now, and he needs to come out the victor.