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On the latest episode of WWE RAW, Samoa Joe started the show and was featured in segments throughout. The general theme of his role was that he was desperate to prove that he wasn't the man who attacked Roman Reigns on SmackDown Live.
He even started the show by standing atop the commentary table and demanding that Michael Cole prove him innocent. Later on in the show, Joe vowed to "show down" RAW until Roman Reigns came and when The Big Dog did arrive, Joe went to the parking lot to confront him. While there was a second or two of verbal confrontation, it all ended quickly when Roman Reigns jumped back in the car and his car was hit by another vehicle, who fled away.
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Samoa Joe then showed mercy and concern in the most Samoa Joe way possible, telling Roman Reigns to stay down while calling for medics and security out of concern. It's clear that WWE is turning Samoa Joe face and here are a few reasons why!
#5 He's never been a babyface on the main roster
Samoa Joe made his shocking main roster debut around the end of January 2017, one night after the Royal Rumble. He debuted as Triple H's hired gun and has since grown into his role as a heel.
WWE probably felt he was best suited as a heel and it was clear in NXT itself that he was a better heel, which is probably why he was only a babyface for around 5 months of his entire 4-year run with the company.
As a result of this, WWE likely felt that he has been a heel for too long and to change things up, decided to pull the trigger on a face turn.
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#4 He's versatile and will fit in well with either role
One of the most underrated aspects of Samoa Joe's game is that he is by far among the top 5 most versatile superstars on the WWE roster. While Daniel Bryan and Sami Zayn definitely fall into that category too, it's one that not many superstars belong in, and for good reason.
Prior to his heel turn in NXT, Joe was still a very popular and believable babyface. On the main roster, we've seen him cut some of the most intense promos in recent years as a heel, showing that he is well-suited to that role as well.
Even though WWE used him as a jobber to the main stars, they know exactly what Joe is capable of and would usually keep him in a top spot if there was nobody else. Either way, they probably recognize the versatility in his game.
#3 He didn't get that far as a heel
The fact that Samoa Joe never reached the World Championship level as a heel is slightly disappointing. He proved to be among the best promos in the company and had no issues when going in the ring.
Joe is a world champion caliber talent and should have reached that level but didn't because WWE clearly only saw him as someone who made others look good. One of the negatives you usually hear about management from creative is that they view their own booking failure and attribute it to the superstar, which is probably why they feel he'll have a bit more success as a babyface.
Either way, it's most definitely worth a shot and we hope for his sake that the babyface turn does work out for the better. He deserves a big push.
#2 RAW needs a top babyface before the Wild Card rule ends
The Wild Card rule is supposedly coming to a close by October, according to Sportskeeda's own Tom Colohue. The idea is that once the FOX Deal kicks in and SmackDown starts airing in October on the new network, the brand exclusivity that fans crave so much will return.
Right now, WWE has put themselves in an easy position where babyfaces and heels from each brand are easily interchangeable and it's hard to tell now who belongs to which brand.
With that being said, RAW has a lack of top babyfaces and will be that way once the brand split kicks in again. While Ricochet is clearly being targetted as the next big thing, he isn't ready for that top spot just yet.
Seth Rollins is clearly the #1 babyface on RAW and Joe can fill the #2 or #3 spot comfortably. There is no one better to fill that role.
#1 A potential Samoan alliance
Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe have been feuding on and off for a while. They last feuded post-WrestleMania last year and renewed their rivalry recently. However, this time around, there has been a lot of acknowledgment of Joe's Samoan heritage and they have hinted at it on more than one occasion.
WWE loves its Samoans and there's no doubt that they have considered the possibility of aligning Joe with The Usos, and maybe even Roman Reigns down the line. Since Reigns is in a different brand, we might see him align with Joe temporarily until the FOX deal. Either way, if Joe does align with his fellow-Samoans, it'll be interesting.
More than anything, it'll be a refreshing angle for Samoa Joe and one that he really hasn't been a part of before. Let's hope it works out!
