Samoa Joe Set To Destroy at WWE’s Greatest Royal Rumble

Samoa Joe has put WWE on notice. The man known as The Destroyer is finally ready to make his presence known in a very big way. After a red-hot start on the main roster in early 2017, Joe’s forward progress was slowed at times but now he’s back in action and ready to make a statement.

That statement could come as soon as WWE’s Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia on April 27. Joe will step into the ring against Finn Balor, The Miz and Intercontinental champion Seth Rollins in a Ladder Match. Rollins’ title will be on the line and Joe could very well be the man to walk away with it. But he doesn’t necessarily need the belt to begin his path of destruction.

Braun Strowman has been WWE’s resident demolisher over the past year and because of that, Joe has not really had the opportunity to get started. Ripping Superstars apart and destroying equipment is evidently a one-man job in WWE. Though physically different, Strowman and Joe were just too similar. But now that Joe is on SmackDown, everything is going to change.

Watch Samoa Joe confront Roman Reigns on Raw:

Samoa Joe confronts Roman Reigns: Raw, April 16, 2018

Now WWE has the chance to book Samoa Joe the right way. Joe is the best of both worlds because he can get it done in the ring and on the mic. He’s had 19 years to prepare for Vince McMahon’s company and the time is right for him to start doing some damage. But first he must climb a ladder in Jeddah.

The Greatest Royal Rumble is the perfect place for Samoa Joe to come out swinging. The Miz has already had multiple Intercontinental title reigns. Balor is one of the most popular Superstars in WWE and one more loss won’t do much damage to him. The same can be said of Rollins.

However for Samoa Joe this match is indeed very important. This is Joe’s chance to dominate, to show his prowess against three of WWE’s best. Fans know that Joe is tougher than leather and they know that once he gets started, it’s very hard to stop him. He leaves it all in the ring every time and he does it like no one else can. But on a worldwide stage in a high profile event, Joe should be especially ready to impress.

So if Joe is not booked to win the match, he must wreak as much havoc as possible. He must be in control more often than not and he must go on a rampage in the ring. Fans need to see Joe at his most dominant, when nothing on earth can stop him. He could be outside the ring when the title belt is pulled down. He may even be battling through the crowd when the moment happens.

Watch Joe destroy Sin Cara on SmackDown Live:

Samoa Joe debuts on SmackDown LIVE in the Superstar Shake-up: SmackDown LIVE, April 17, 2018

But no matter what happens Joe should not be on his back. Samoa Joe’s purpose in this match should not be to put someone else over but rather to get over. He must give everything he has and he must fight as if his life depended on it. Of course when he does that, the only logical outcome is a championship win. So why not let Samoa Joe take the gold back to SmackDown Live?

Though he arguably does not need a belt right now, there seems to be no good reason to keep the Intercontinental Championship away from him. Rollins became a Grand Slam champion after winning the IC title and though he’s not really had much of a run, he’s another guy that doesn’t need a belt to get over. It could very well be said that Samoa Joe needs the belt more than Seth Rollins does.

The problem of course is the United States Championship. If Samoa Joe does indeed win at the Greatest Royal Rumble, then he will take the IC championship back to the same program that also features United States champion Jeff Hardy. The only way to prevent that from happening is if Hardy loses to Jinder Mahal on the same night, sending The Modern Day Maharajah back to Monday Night Raw as the two-time U.S. champion.

Whether or not WWE will go in that direction is unknown. But if Samoa Joe is to leave Saudi Arabia without the strap, then at the very least WWE must protect him. There can be no doubt after this match is over that Samoa Joe’s time is now. If that happens, then he will have momentum heading into Backlash on May 6.

Watch Joe promise victory in Saudi Arabia and at Backlash:

Samoa Joe promises victory at the Greatest Royal Rumble & Backlash: SmackDown LIVE, April 24, 2018

On that night, Samoa Joe will step into the ring with Roman Reigns. Reigns is facing Brock Lesnar in a steel cage at the Greatest Royal Rumble for the WWE Universal Championship. Reigns should win that match and if he does, then he will take Raw’s top title to Backlash against The Samoan Submission Specialist.

But that match may end with Joe once again coming up short. The Reigns and Lesnar story began at WrestleMania 31 in 2015. Since then their rivalry has taken many turns but they keep coming back together when it counts the most. The point is obviously to elevate Reigns, as Lesnar is the one man that he simply cannot defeat. Once he takes The Beast Incarnate’s title, no one will be able to wrestle it away from him.

Of course Reigns may not be the ultimate target for Samoa Joe. That possible target lives on the blue brand and his name is AJ Styles. Joe and AJ have a history together in Impact Wrestling and WWE must revisit that history. Joe and Styles share the same air now and it’s only a matter of time until they cross paths. Could it be that Joe has a WWE title run in his future?

Joe is in a great spot and appears to be ready for anything. WWE loves the idea of a top heel as the top champion and Joe may be the best heel to reign over SmackDown Live. WWE may or may not have an immediate plan to put a championship around Joe’s waist but there’s no question that he can carry one with distinction.

Eventually Samoa Joe will have gold. He’s already got the killer instinct to get him there and most importantly, he has WWE backing him up. He’s a great talent that can do anything asked of him so when the time comes to push him up, Samoa Joe will be ready. This is his time to shine and it begins at the Greatest Royal Rumble.

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Wrestling Rumors. His podcast, Tom Clark’s Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, iHeart Radio, Windows Phone, Amazon Android and online at boinkstudios.com