The question currently on most WWE fans’ lips involves a certain Nuufolau Joel Seanoa, or as he is more commonly known in the world of professional wrestling, Samoa Joe. The question? When will he make his much sought after main-roster debut?
The former Ring of Honour stalwart has drawn huge amounts of praise since he began wrestling 1999, and has proceeded to win championship upon championship in promotions across the US; becoming Rong of Honour Champion and TNA Champion before his long-awaited transition into WWE in 2015. Since then, Joe became the first 2 time NXT Champion and has been embroiled in a feud with Shinsuke Nakamura after dropping the title to him on December 3rd at an NXT live event.
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After dropping the title in such inauspicious circumstances, the fans were convinced that this was going to be the time to call Samoa Joe up to the main roster, possibly to revitalise RAW and enter into a feud with Braun Strowman, or to add to the paper-thin main event scene on SmackDown Live, possibly entering into a feud with John Cena.
However, this is yet to materialize and Joe is still in the relative depths of NXT – leading fans to become ever so slightly frustrated with the entire situation. What was the hold-up?
It turns out that the reason might be simpler than we once thought – Chris Hero. Rumours are circulating that the reasoning behind WWE’s hesitancy to fire on the promotion of Samoa Joe to the main roster. is their continued search for a main event star to replace him – and it seems that the search may be over, as Dave Meltzer reported in The Wrestling Observer Newsletter in early December.
Chris Spradlin, or as he is better known on the independent circuit Chris Hero, is a wrestling veteran of 14 years, who has wrestled the world over gaining steady recognition for his style of wrestling, winning championships in NWA, CZW, Evolve, and GPW.
More recently, however, Hero was a part of FCW when it was rebranded to WWE’s developmental territory NXT, under the pseudonym Kassius Ohno, where he feuded on and off with the newly created Wyatt Family and Scott Dawson. However, come 2013, after a supposed lack of commitment to physical conditioning programs, Spradlin was released from his WWE contract. He then returned to the independent circuit but stated that the door for a return to the WWE was always open to him.
Though it is extremely exciting that NXT will be potentially acquiring more top talent, it is certainly debatable as to whether Hero can fill the shoes of someone as iconic as Samoa Joe on NXT. However, Hero has certainly proved his worth on the flourishing indie scene and it will be fantastic to see him back in the WWE fold, showing us exactly what we have been missing.
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