Posted in: Mr. Tito
MR. TITO STRIKES BACK - Samoa Joe Should CHOKE OUT Brock Lesnar at WWE Great Balls of Fire
By Mr. Tito
Jun 10, 2017 - 9:00:07 PM

Follow Mr. Tito on Twitter.com: @titowrestling

Welcome to a COMPLAINT-FREE edition of Strikes Back exclusively here at LordsofPain.net / WrestlingHeadlines.com. No, I'm not drinking the McMahon Kool-aid... And there weren't any WWE driven Brinks trucks attempting to bribe me to stop telling the wrestling world what's obviously wrong with their Creative Team and mindset.

Nope... Not today.

Why? Because the WWE is giving us SAMOA JOE vs. Brock Lesnar. THANK YOU, WWE, for that unique match-up and a "dream" match for many, many fans.

WWE could have given us rematches with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, as both are the WWE's two biggest pushed wrestlers of the last 2-3 years. The WWE could also have given us Lesnar against Bray Wyatt. I'm hopeful that recent events, such as the RAW ratings debacle of 2 weeks ago with Reigns vs. Rollins main eventing or the complete failure of Bray Wyatt as WWE Champion (also Orton's fault), has caused the WWE to rethink who should be getting pushed. Hopefully...

I must admit, too... I would have tolerated Finn Balor as the #1 contender to wrestle Brock Lesnar at WWE Great Balls of Fire. Yes, this column has been critical of the 190 pound "heavyweight" but I cannot deny that his in-ring work has been superb lately. The guy is a good bump machine that's beneficial to guys like Roman Reigns who actually struggles slamming wrestlers his size or larger. Finn's match against Roman was probably Roman's best match in a long, long time. Maybe that's where being a smaller wrestler comes in handy? Lesnar vs. Finn could have given us one of those throwbacks to Spike Dudley vs. Mike Awesome where Awesome would murder Spike but Spike just kept coming up for more. I would have been OK with that...

Most of all, I would have been OK with Finn Balor vs. Brock Lesnar because WE HAVEN'T SEEN IT BEFORE.

That's the problem with the WWE. Because we have monthly Pay Per Views and 2-3 hours of television content to fill, there aren't that many match-ups that are UNIQUE. Yes, Bray Wyatt vs. Lesnar would have been a unique match-up (well, sort of... there was that odd WWE Network event), but we've seen Bray Wyatt wrestle EVERYBODY ELSE since his WWE main roster debut as that character during SummerSlam 2013. Wrestling Lesnar would be just "meh" because Wyatt is completely over-exposed especially from the 50/50 booking of beating some guys (Ambrose, Bryan, Kane) while being unable to beat others (Undertaker, Cena, Roman, Orton). Well, not quite 50/50 but the point is that he dominates certain wrestlers but isn't allowed to beat the top, top guys ever. Plus, Bray is very injury prone.

Both Finn Balor and Samoa Joe are still relatively "new" to the WWE main roster. Yes, I'm well aware that both wrestled for NXT but with less than half of RAW viewers owning the WWE Network, they are still considered "new". Joe debuted during early 2017 and while Finn Balor joined RAW during the mid 2016 Brand Split, his injury at the hands of Seth Rollins kept him off the roster for a long time. Both wrestlers have NOT had enough mileage racked up on WWE television to become over-exposed like Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Bray Wyatt. Do the math... In a single month, you're watching 4 (sometimes 5) episodes of RAW at 3 hours each and then a 3 hour Pay Per View. Assuming 4 episode of RAW, that's more than HALF of a day (15 hours) during a given month dedicated JUST to the RAW roster. Then, multiply that over 12 months... 180 hours or 7.5 days dedicated to RAW roster content for a given year and Rollins/Reigns in particular are all over those shows.

Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar is potentially a DREAM MATCH, however... Sadly, you're seeing an older Samoa Joe with lots of mileage. Joe debuted during December 1999 which means that he has just under 18 years experience as a pro wrestler and he's 38 years old. If this was mid-2000s Samoa Joe against Brock Lesnar, HOT DAMN, that would be an amazing match. Under former LoP columnist Hustle's recommendation, I bought the CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe - Ring of Honor trilogy DVD and DAMN was Joe lethal as a wrestler back then. Joe took his act to TNA Wrestling where he SHOULD have been that company's main attraction. However, TNA gave attention to the incoming Kurt Angle instead and Joe was quickly jobbed to Angle. Never the same after that, although Joe had a few good moments here and there. Age and mileage have piled on ever since... BUT, he's still a solid performer AND he still has a legacy holding him up. Pro wrestling's greatest asset is how it can keep wrestlers, no matter their age, still relevant (see Bill Goldberg).

Reportedly, SummerSlam 2017 has Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar "etched in stone". Thus, why would the WWE risk having Lesnar lose a Pay Per View match before that?

Well, because WHY NOT?

As this week's RAW ratings just proved, wrestling fans were curious about the potential Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe match-up. The first and second hours "popped" above 3 million for the first time in a while and again, RAW this week beat the Memorial Day RAW that featured Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns as the main event (that 3rd hour did well under 2.5 million!). Furthermore, the RAW segment where Samoa Joe choked out Paul Heyman did 1.5 million views by itself. There's some interest there, folks... Just from my inner circle of friends whom I used to watch Pay Per Views regularly with, they were excited about Samoa Joe and they only sort of care about wrestling now for Wrestlemania time. That's a small sample, but my Twitter timeline, email inbox, and message boards are ALL BUZZING about Lesnar vs. Joe. There's some momentum here, folks...

And what if...

What if...

Samoa Joe BEATS Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Title.

As I said above, WHY NOT? With a real ratings threat of being "permanently under 3.0 million", which I predicted during 2016 would happen to RAW if the Creative Team's direction didn't change, will occur. What do you have to lose? Houseshow attendance is deplorable. Many of you will cite the WWE propaganda that "Roman Reigns merchandise is selling well". Ha ha ha... Let's do a little Math. 3 years ago, WWE could get about 5,000 people in attendance to see a Houseshow. Now, it's becoming 3,000 or 2,500. So if there are FEWER people in the stands, there are fewer t-shirts and other merchandise being sold. And let's get real. Kids will want anything at an event but they aren't the ones earning Incomes to actually (a) BUY TICKETS and (b) PAY CABLE/INTERNET BILLS. That's who you're losing...

Don't dispose of Samoa Joe in ONE match against Brock Lesnar... Let him win!

Why not? Wouldn't it be SHOCKING for Samoa Joe to CHOKE OUT Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Universal Title? Wouldn't that get you talking? Wouldn't that get the wrestling world talking? After all, a 49 year old squashing Lesnar at Survivor Series 2016 actually got not just the wrestling world talking, but mainstream media and non-wrestling fans talking. It put eyes on the WWE product who wouldn't normally care. It brought out older fans of Bill Goldberg who were willing to eat mouthfuls of WCW Member Berries. Then, Lesnar showed vulnerability again at Royal Rumble when Goldberg tossed him. Continued to draw numbers... Suddenly, RAW was beating my prediction of "permanently under 3.0 million" and readers were mocking me for it. Did that hurt Brock Lesnar? NO! Lesnar simply redeemed himself with an impressive win at the end.

Do the same exact thing for Samoa Joe. Joe CHOKES out Brock Lesnar at WWE Great Balls of Fire. That sets up a "submission match" at SummerSlam 2017... Whether Joe is successful or not, it's a battle and it sets up the RAW exclusive Pay Per View (not sure if it is or not this year) at Hell in a Cell 2017. Do you smell the money? I certainly do and Joe will give Brock Lesnar GREAT matches.

Oh, you say that Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar is scheduled for SummerSlam 2017? Well, plans can be changed... How about Strowman vs. Lesnar at Wrestlemania 34 instead? Give Strowman the the Royal Rumble 2018 victory and set him up for Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 34. Braun Strowman is the man who SLAYS the Lesnar monster and he's your BIG HOSS MOTHERF**KER WRESTLER that the entire WWE roster has to contend with for the next 10 years. $$$$$$$$$

Yes, I'm well aware that Vince McMahon wants Roman Reigns to be the one who slays Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 34. Well, Vince McMahon is a FOOL for how much resources and capital that he's dumped into Roman Reigns to become the #1 babyface. RAW has lost over 1 million viewers since the strong Roman push began during 2014 and attendance figures have dropped as well. Seriously, the Titantron will be TOUCHING the wrestling ring before we know it with how closely it has been pushed into cover for reduced attendance. If Roman cannot get over after (a) already wrestling Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 31 and being made to look strong against him (remember, he busted him open and was on his way to defeating him), (b) defeated Triple H at Wrestlemania 32, and RETIRED the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 33... God help him. Roman Reigns has defeated Seth Rollins, Undertaker, Triple H, Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and even Braun Strowman... And he's STILL NOT OVER.

Don't give me the "Roman will succeed if he's a heel" bullcrap... A bad wrestler is a bad wrestler no matter what persona you give them. Weak personality, poor speaking skills, actual lack of strength despite bulk on his frame, awful cardio, and ZERO to show for the many pushes that the WWE has given him. Oh, and he's one of the highest paid wrestlers. Do you think that turning him HEEL will instantly fix ALL of those problems? Well then sir, I have a bridge to sell you. Roman Reigns is NOT and I repeat NOT a successful Main Event drawing wrestler nor does he have the skillset to be such. Period. End of story. Stop watching wrestling if you feel otherwise because you are a McMahon loving mark who will eat any turd sandwich that they'll serve you.

Now, as a co-equal member of a stable and a brand known as the Shield, he could be OK. #ReuniteTheShield

LET SAMOA JOE WIN!

And I propose the following potential options for having Joe DEFEAT Brock Lesnar. Any of the following could work:

(A) Samoa Joe chokes out Brock Lesnar

(B) Samoa Joe defeats Brock Lesnar in controversial fashion, causes tension between Lesnar and Kurt Angle. Yeah, you know where that's headed. Lesnar vs. Angle at SummerSlam 2017 anyone?

(C) Paul Heyman turns on Brock Lesnar and joins Samoa Joe.

Personally, I don't like (C) with Paul Heyman turning. Heyman is perfect for Lesnar and having the non-wrestling mouthpiece speak for Lesnar with his limited dates works out well. Plus, Heyman has so many years of friendship with Lesnar that turning on him doesn't make sense.

But man, Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar is fascinating... Why? Well, because Brock Lesnar is a DIFFERENT wrestler now than he was during 2002-2004. Angle is older as well, but Lesnar's UFC credibility and strong WWE push since 2013 has made him become an entirely different wrestler. I believe that Angle has a few big matches left in the chamber and battling Lesnar again would be fitting.

However, I'd have Samoa Joe defeat Lesnar 100% clean via choking him out. The WWE Extreme Rules 2017 finish where Finn Balor was the recipient of the chokeout sets it up. That's a deadly hold and if he beats Lesnar with it, it converts Joe into a legitimate WWE equal to Lesnar. That sets up rematches to make a star out of Samoa Joe and then Lesnar can move onto making Braun Strowman into a star. At Wrestlemania 34, you can book Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar and then book the match that Michael "PS" Hayes just so happened to mention on the Eric Bischoff/Jim Cornette Table for 3 episode on the WWE Network. You don't think that was a coincidence? Hayes is a WWE yes-man who is extremely loyal to the wrestling company who hired him during the mid 1990s and has given him repeat chances to redeem himself in the company. Wouldn't surprise me that Strowman/Lesnar and Cena/Reigns happens at Wrestlemania 34 and Hayes's little "dream match" comment was planted to test the waters.

In summary:

(1) Samoa Joe chokes out Brock Lesnar at WWE Great Balls of Fire to become NEW WWE Universal Champion.

(2) Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2017 and Hell in a Cell 2017. Lesnar regains WWE Universal Title.

(3) Braun Strowman wins the 2018 Royal Rumble match.

(4) Braun Strowman defeats Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 34.

Sound good?

LET JOE WIN!

SO JUST CHILL... 'TIL THE NEXT EPISODE!

Comments and feedback are welcome. Follow and Tweet me @titowrestling or login in below to post comments.