There's a killer in the NXT locker room at Full Sail University. A Samoan monster who has left a trail of choked-out, muscle-busted bodies across the entire globe. An uncompromising, intense individual. And he's fast for a big man. Too fast.
His name is Samoa Joe.
This past May, Joe made his debut at NXT Takeover, defending Sami Zayn from the cruelty of Kevin Owen. Owens had dominated since his own debut, and had a knack for putting his opponents on the shelf with a his signature powerbomb on the ring apron. Joe arrived and K.O. stopped dead in his tracks. There would be a few more exchanges between these two alpha predators, a prelude to a larger feud we've yet to see.
Joe played the hero at first. You might even mistake him for a laid back, fun loving kind of guy, what with his funky theme music and all. But fans of the wrestling world outside the 'E knew the truth: Samoa Joe's arrival meant hard times were ahead for the NXT roster.
Joe isn't Rikishi. He isn't Umaga. He isn't Yokozuna. He's more like ECW legend Taz, but add an arsenal of Muay Thai kicks and a more subdued demeanor. The Raw and Smackdown audience will soon learn what Finn Balor is about to learn in London this week: Joe is not a man to be taken lightly.
Joe's journey begins in 2000, where he got his professional start wrestling against a young John Cena in WWE's developmental territory Ultimate Pro Wrestling. Legend has it talent scouts like Bruce Pritchard and Jim Ross told Joe he had "no future" in professional wrestling. Even the experts are wrong sometimes. And boy were they wrong.
Joe would wrestle in Japan after that, until a promoter there wanted him to take on a more "gimmicky" character. Joe would return to the states frustrated, and was able to vent those frustrations on many poor souls in Ring of Honor as Christopher Daniels's "hired assassin". He would then break out on his own and climb all the way up to the ROH Championship, where he reigned for nearly two years. Joe and the fledgeling C.M. Punk would have a trilogy of title matches that took the dirt sheets and pundits by storm (see picture below). Joe had become, at least in the eyes of fans and reviewers, an elite worker who could steal the show from any spot on the card.
Joe's opponents during this time reads like a who's who of international wrestling today: Bryan Danielson, Tyler Black (Seth Rollins), Takeshi Morishima, Kenta Kobashi. This was a magic time for ROH and indy wrestling in general, when notions about what a wrestler "should look like" started to change. Body builders are impressive to look at, but lethal grapplers come in many shapes and sizes.
Then comes TNA.
The most unfortunately named promotion in wrestling history would become Joe's stomping ground for several years, beginning with an undefeated streak that would see the company's "X Division" outshine the main event scene. Wrestlers like Joe, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Sonjay Dutt, Chris Sabin, and Alex Shelley (just to name a few) would turn the division into must-see television for wrestling fans of any stripe. During a time when fans were starting to grow bored with John Cena, Triple H, and Batista headlining shows in the 'E, TNA's X Division was a breath of fresh air.
While in TNA, Joe would clash with legends like Sting as well as veteran WWE alumni like Christian and Kurt Angle. He fought his way up and down the card for years, suffering through the Hulk Hogan and Eric Biscoff era of TNA only to leave the promotion and return to ROH for a short stint earlier this year.
Now Joe has arrived in NXT, and although his offense has changed a bit to reflect the PG-era's sensibilities, he's still a monster. Good Luck, Finn. I'll send you some of those Legos you like so much to play with while you recuperate.
Wonder what Bruce Pritchard and Jim Ross think now?
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