5 surprising WWE Superstars who could replace Samoa Joe on RAW after his injury

Samoa Joe suffered a concussion on the RAW after Royal Rumble 2020, according to Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio. It's an unfortunate injury that may keep him out for a prolonged period. Meltzer said:

"The belief is that Joe has a concussion, which is obviously not a good thing. That's not 100% but that was the belief a couple of hours ago, maybe an hour ago.

The problem with that obviously is the concussion is that unpredictable injury where you know he can be back next Monday or he could be back in six months. You just don't know. It''s like, that's the situation, he landed on his head and got a concussion.

WWE doesn't get enough credit for the way they handle concussion situations. They're right in the way they handle it and the caution they take - not affecting performers' health in the long-run. Joe leaving means that Kevin Owens needs someone else to take his spot in the battle against Seth Rollins, Buddy Murphy, and AoP. Right now, he is aligned with The Viking Raiders. Unless WWE wants to kill off the storyline entirely, here are a few surprising options to take his spot.

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Before heading into that part, check out what our experts Tom Colohue and Korey Gunz had to say regarding the incident on the latest episode of Dropkick DiSKussions!

#5. Jinder Mahal

Before you bring out the pitchforks, hear us out. Jinder Mahal has been out since the post-WrestleMania period of 2019. It was always expected that he would return in early 2020 and that's still the timeline stated.

We expect Mahal to return anytime now, so why not try anything different? In the eyes of many, Mahal isn't a superstar who "belongs" in the lower card, but the big issue was with how WWE pushed him to the moon without any build.

Without the Singh Brothers or his "Modern Day Maharaja" gimmick, why not try something different and let Mahal have a babyface run? For all we know, he could end up getting over organically.

#4. Rusev

Rusev might be another surprising option to take that spot. Granted, this means that his feud against Bobby Lashley needs to end. With the road to WrestleMania 36 already underway, we can only hope that it does.

It started in late September and still doesn't look like it's going to conclude. Whether there will be any actual payoff, who knows? Rusev has yet to get the upper hand with a win over Bobby Lashley. Instead, he's taken three straight pins against him.

Rusev, with a big win to conclude the storyline, will undoubtedly have momentum on his side. While WWE has hardly ever capitalized on it, they could by putting him in the spot that replaces Samoa Joe.

Fans would undoubtedly prefer to see him team up with top stars to face other top stars rather than be in a storyline that has dragged on for ages. It can be great for him, but as we mentioned, it all depends on when WWE decides to end his long-term feud with Lashley and Lana. The sooner the better.

Do you think Rusev will have a solid spot on the WrestleMania card? Check out Kurt Angle's take on the potential WrestleMania main eventers from the current roster!

#3. Rey Mysterio

This is one that should have already happened. However, we got a surprise return from Big Show instead for a couple of weeks. While that was always going to be temporary, the plan was to eventually shift Rey Mysterio over from the United States Championship feud against Andrade to joining Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe's alliance.

It makes sense since AoP already beat Mysterio up and he has big name value as well. It's hard to imagine him as anything other than a babyface and if we're talking about the most practical and logical option as a replacement for Samoa Joe - Rey Mysterio is it.

Sure, he may not be as physically imposing, but he makes up for that with his incredible athleticism and constant improvement in the ring. Mysterio looks like he's only improving with age and it's no secret that he's going to have to wind down eventually.

However, that's only when Dominick is ready to debut. Until then, he's the perfect babyface to fill this spot and get heat for Rollins, AoP, and Buddy Murphy.

#2. Drew McIntyre

Brock Lesnar appeared on every single episode of RAW this January. It's a rare occurrence to get appearances that frequently and we know that he's going to be back in March. However, this leaves a bigger question - what will he be doing in all of February?

We expect him to take virtually the full month off and perhaps appear for a special match in Saudi Arabia - since it's a big payday, they demand the biggest stars and he seems to have no objection to performing there.

In all likeliness, he won't have much of a build for that match if he does end up appearing. But the problem is that it leaves Drew McIntyre without a feud for the full month. The Scotsman opened up about his plans to go at a "110%" from now until WrestleMania and WWE is obligated to help keep his momentum going.

What better way to do that than to put him in one of the hottest angles on RAW? He certainly fits there and can be a big foil to Rollins' "Monday Night Messiah" group.

#1. Aleister Black

This is another addition we fully expect and one that was teased in the Royal Rumble 2020 as well. After getting eliminated, Aleister Black had a ringside brawl with Buddy Murphy and AoP, indicating that he'll be resuming his feud against Murphy in a different form.

The trilogy between Black and Murphy was a brilliant one that benefited both men. Even though Black beat Murphy 3-0, the Australian looked great in defeat and it would serve as a catalyst for him to join Rollins.

Aleister Black is the second of the two most logical and sensible additions to this rivalry. Given his recent history with Murphy, who better to put in that spot? It would be a big push for Black as well and he would likely be protected in defeat.

Just like Murphy, he's long overdue for a regular spot on television and what better way to do that than to put him up with some of RAW's top stars? He'll end up benefiting more from one storyline than he did in his entire SmackDown run last year.

Edited by Shruti Sadbhav