#3 Samoa Joe (#1 Contender to WWE Universal Title)
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In the previous Power Rankings, I’ve talked about how Samoa Joe was close to breaking out on Monday Night Raw, and “The Destroyer” has done so in a huge way ever since becoming the #1 contender to the Universal Title at Extreme Rules. Not only has he proved that he belongs among Raw’s elite, but he’s also proved he’s not afraid of the one man most people on Raw are afraid of, the Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.
A few weeks ago, Joe and Lesnar were involved in a pull-apart brawl that took the entire locker room to defuse. Two weeks ago, Joe jumped Lesnar from behind and laid him out on the stage thanks to his Coquina Clutch. Therefore, it was no surprise that this week, the Raw top brass did their best to keep the two men separated by conducting a split screen interview.
Samoa Joe, however, was having none of it, and halfway through the interview, decided to go find Brock himself and did so successfully. While being held back by officials, Joe screamed at the champ like a mad man, promising the destruction of “The Beast Incarnate” this Sunday, while Lesnar just laughed off his challenger’s words and antics.
Joe and Lesnar have combined to give us the big-time Universal title feud we’ve been waiting for since the belt was introduced last Summer. And there is really no doubt that Samoa Joe has done the bulk of the work in the build up to this match, and has solidified himself as a main event talent on Raw moving forward.
Standing toe to toe with Lesnar is no easy feat, and doing it three weeks in a row is a huge deal for a guy that some thought would never make it out of NXT. Even with an impending loss coming Sunday, Joe has proved he has all the tools to carry that belt someday in the future.
