By John Napolitano It seems The Destroyer has really found his footing and has been hitting his stride as of late on Monday Night Raw.
Since joining the main roster in January earlier this year, Samoa Joe has quietly flown under the radar as a legitimate badass, putting on quality contests without true direction. Based on his reputation alone, The Samoan Submission Machine brought a lot to WWE’s flagship show, but up until recently he was not connecting with the fan base as the true fearsome fighter he is. A healthy scratch from “The Ultimate Thrill Ride,” WrestleMania XXXIII, Joe’s impact on the main roster was hardly spiking the Richter scale two months into his run. He engaged in a mini-feud with Sami Zayn just prior to The Show of Shows, but those flames fizzled before the rivalry could even ignite. His program with Seth Rollins served a purpose in the grander scheme of Rollins seeking retribution against Triple H, but it was far from his best work, and he came across as an afterthought. It was not until his historic victory at Extreme Rules against the likes of Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, Finn Bálor and Roman Reigns in a No. 1 Contender Fatal Five-Way match that Joe’s powerful potential poked through. Winning the right to face Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship at Great Balls of Fire was the spark that Joe needed to explode into the spotlight. The week-to-week build to Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar was some of the most engaging television WWE had produced in years and the perfect wake-up call to the post-WrestleMania lull in which they found themselves. Say what you will about their eventual encounter, but it was refreshingly physical, Joe was able to bring more out of Lesnar than many past challengers and he walked out of Dallas a bona fide star. With a full head of steam, Joe is on his way to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, to headline SummerSlam against Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title. Regardless of who has their hand raised when the lights go out and the cameras turn off, here are five must-see feuds for Samoa Joe after SummerSlam.
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July 17th is hands down my favorite day of the year, and no, it isn't my birthday or a national holiday (at least not to most people). Rather, I consider it to be CM Punk Day because it was on this day six years ago CM Punk defeated John Cena in a thrilling WWE Championship match at my favorite WWE pay-per-view of all-time: Money in the Bank 2011. I've re-watched the show at least a dozen times since then (I'm even doing so as I write this), and it never loses its luster to me and always brings back memories of that exciting time in WWE.
Mind you, that match didn't make me a fan of CM Punk, as I first considered him to be among my favorites around July 2010. Him completely taking WWE by storm the subsequent summer only solidified him as my favorite active wrestler at that point, and he remained at the top of that exclusive list until his abrupt departure from WWE in January 2014. One can argue WWE hasn't been the same without him, but he certainly left a gap on the roster and broke the mold for several of today's stars such as Seth Rollins, AJ Styles and Kevin Owens. I'm well-aware that Punk isn't everyone's cup of tea, especially nowadays, but there is no denying that he was among the best wrestlers in WWE for as long as he was there. In the eight years he was on WWE's main roster, he contested countless classics, and in honor of CM Punk Day, I figured it was fitting that I run down my most beloved bouts of his. It's unknown when he will return to WWE, if ever, but I have faith he will resurface one day, even if it's for a Hall of Fame induction down the road. Next to WrestleMania, Money in the Bank just might be my favorite WWE pay-per-view of the year. It's strange because it isn't one of the "Big Four" (though it probably should be considering how devalued Survivor Series has become over the years), but almost every installment since the event's inception in 2010 has delivered in some form or fashion. This year, it will be exclusive to SmackDown Live, and looking at the lineup, it's going to be tough for the show to be anything less than solid, especially considering two Money in the Bank Ladder matches will be taking place (one being the first ever women's Ladder match).
Speaking of which, it's amazing how the Money in the Bank concept has remained refresh by and large over the last decade. The winner cashing it at an opportune time hasn't really changed at all, nor has the match itself, but the various talents that are a part of them have. As cool as it is that the women will finally get the chance to compete in a Ladder match, the men's version of the matchup deserves to go on last considering who will be involved. Most importantly, it isn't incredibly predictable who will win, but this article will attempt to analyze each combatant and the probability of them emerging victorious with the opportunistic briefcase in tow. It was almost exactly six years ago that I was exposed to Austin Aries for the first time on an episode of Impact Wrestling, where he won a match that earned him a spot on TNA's Destination X pay-per-view. Almost instantly, I was a fan, and in the year that followed, he continued to win me over even more with his amazing work as X-Division Champion. The rest, as they say, is history, and I've been honored to have been able to closely follow his career since then in TNA, NXT and WWE, as well as get the chance to meet him in September 2016 at an independent wrestling event.
Sometimes I feel Aries doesn't truly get the credit he deserves in being one of the best in the wrestling world today. His greatest work arguably came during his first few stints in Ring of Honor (which I regrettably wasn't around for), but he is still delivering quality matches every time he steps in the ring. Unfortunately, he recently announced he will be sitting on the sidelines for the foreseeable future to heal from a handful of nagging injuries, but here's hoping he's back sooner rather than later and joins the heavyweight division on either Raw or SmackDown Live, where he belongs. In the meantime, let's look at my top seven favorite matches of The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived (note: only matches that happened in the time I have been a wrestling fan for since 2008 have been included). Also, don't forget to pick up a copy of Aries' new autobiography, available here! |
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