Samoa Joe has run away with his opportunity opposite Brock Lesnar at WWE Great Balls of Fire. And what is shaping up to be a one-off showcase—Samoa Joe is currently listed as a steep 17-2 underdog to win the Universal Championship, according to Wrestling Inc’s Kevin O’Neal—is suddenly developing into quite the intriguing rivalry.
The legitimacy of both Joe and Lesnar as real-life tough guys has created the aura of a UFC bout. The UFC booking strategy—rife with pre-taped interviews in front of dark backgrounds—is often used for Brock Lesnar matches.
But through a combination of Joe’s intensity, putting his hands on Paul Heyman and even getting the better of Lesnar in physical altercations, the shootfighting element of this feud does not seem as forced.WWE was going to have to work hard to get fans to overlook a pay-per-view title that has come under fire. And after a series of entertaining segments for this much-anticipated Universal Championship feud, it’s safe to say it almost succeeded.
Scott Fishman
“Hey, it’s better than Great Balls of Fire.” – Daniel Bryan on Battleground name. #WWE #SDLive #TalkingSmack
With a logjam of top stars on Raw patiently waiting to get their shot at Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship, there are many pros and cons of WWE shaking things up and pulling the trigger on a shocking upset in its Great Balls of Fire main event at American Airlines Center on Sunday.
Pro: The Universal Championship Returns to Weekly Television
WWE’s viewership has seen violent tumbles in 2017. Things got particularly ugly following the Memorial Day broadcast on May 29, where Raw’s rating was the second-lowest in WWE history, beating out only one out of all 288 episodes of the ill-fated Monday Nitro, per Dave Meltzer of the…
The post WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017: Pros and Cons of Samoa Joe Winning Universal Title appeared first on FeedBox.