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Samoa Joe Should Be The Next Universal Champion

Mr. Brock “The ‘Conqueror’ Beast” Lesnar will finally defend his Universal Championship at the aptly named Great Balls of Fire. His opponent is none other than Mr. Samoa “Samoan Submission ‘Destroyer’ Specialist” Joe. This has all the potential in the world to be a great match if WWE actually decides to book a proper match. It should be a hard-fought battle, but many feel that he is a placeholder contender until the proper Samoan can win the title. We still don’t know what WWE’s plans are, but hopefully, they crown the Destroyer in July. The Samoan Submission Specialist would be a great Universal Champion, and here’s why.

He’d Actually Be There Most of the Time

We can’t really fault Lesnar for wanting to work 10 times a year and get paid millions for it. He took Mr. Perfect’s advice to refrain from making wrestling his whole life. Good for him. I can respect that.

However, when Lesnar has the championship and disappears for months on end to go kill a wolf with his bare hands, it can leave Raw feeling a bit barren. Obviously, when he does show up, it’s a big deal, which adds to his star power (and to an extent, the star power of the belt).

If Samoa Joe had the title, we’d be seeing it a bit more often, what with the fact that Joe is actually a full-time Superstar. There are two groups of people when it comes to top championships. Some people prefer frequent defenses, while others want to save those for big occasions. Both are right, but there’s a fine line in between them. It’s been 69 days since the title was defended, and it hasn’t been successfully defended at all in almost 100 days. That’s kind of bad.

With the Destroyer holding the championship, we’d see it defended a bit more frequently, which could help boost the stock of the belt.

He Could Have Great Matches With the Rest of the Roster

Brock is an incredible wrestler, there’s no doubt about that. So is Joe. The problem is that ever since Lesnar defeated John Cena at Summerslam, his matches have since devolved into suplex spam. It’s like when you first learn to play Mortal Kombat and all you do is press one button and try to win. The difference is, Brock Lesnar actually wins. So there’s that.

Joe’ first/last feud with Seth Rollins sucked a whole lot, but that was because of the story. The matches were fine. There was just no real reason for the Destroyer to fight the Kingslayer other than “hurr durr Stephanie fell through a table, I’m gonna kick your ass”. Rollins defeated Triple H; that should have been the end of his story with Joe.

If the Samoan Submission Specialist got his hands on the Universal Championship, then he could put on great matches with the other big names on Raw. I wouldn’t mind seeing Rollins v. Joe again. I wouldn’t even mind seeing Balor v. Joe again. Heck, let’s put the two Samoans in one match and have them beat the hell out of each other for the Universal Championship.

It Will Boost the Championship’s Image

We are all aware of the Universal Championship’s lineage. Finn Balor was the inaugural champion and vacated the title the very next day. Kevin Owens held the title after and sucked more than a black hole during his reign. Goldberg won the belt in 30 seconds and dropped it in 28 days, and now Lesnar has the title. How many truly great Universal Championship matches can you count? Maybe 4 or 5. How many truly great WWE Championship matches can you count? Way more. Heck, even the World Heavyweight Championship (RIP) had more great matches. Randy Orton v. Christian at Over the Limit, Randy Orton v. Christian at Capitol Punishment, Randy Orton v. Christian at Money in the Bank, Randy Orton v. Christian at Summerslam, etc.

The Universal Championship hasn’t even been around for a year, so obviously, there have been less memorable matches. With Samoa Joe as champion, those matches can start happening. The Destroyer locking horns with the Demon, the Big Dog, or even the Eater of Worlds over the Universal Championship would be a sight to see.

Of course, none of this will come to pass because Lesnar is keeping the belt warm for the Big Dog. Beleedat.

Current Plans for Brock Lesnar and the WWE Universal Title

As previously reported, Samoa Joe’s opportunity for the WWE Universal Title against Brock Lesnar at the Great Balls of Fire event is expected to be a one-off match with no followup match planned. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the company has plans for Brock to defend the WWE Universal Championship against Braun Strowman at the SummerSlam event this summer.

Speaking of Brock, he’s expected to eventually have matches with both Seth Rollins and Finn Balor before he has his match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania next year. Market conditions and injuries could potentially change these plans.

Speculation on Lana Competing on SmackDown Live Before MITB

WWE confirmed on their website that Lana will not be competing before the Money in the Bank event in her match against Naomi for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. There was speculation online this week in regards to her facing in a match before hand but that obviously won’t be happening.

WWE wrote the following, confirming that her match at MITB will be her first official match on the SmackDown Live brand:

“At SmackDown LIVE’s WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Lana will make her blue brand in-ring debut when she challenges Naomi for the SmackDown Women’s Championship in a match that was made following the turbulent events of the June 6 edition of SmackDown LIVE.”

CM Punk Eliminated from MTV Show

Former WWE Superstar CM Punk was eliminated on this week’s episode of MTV’s The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros. Punk lost his elimination challenge, which was against Gus Kenworthy. He received $1,000 for P.A.W.S. Chicago, his charity.

For those wondering about Punk’s future, there is no official word yet as to what the UFC actually has plans for him and if they are going to release him from his contract or not. We will keep you updated.

Sheamus Going After the Intercontinental Championship?

Sheamus indicated on Twitter that he wants to hold the Intercontinental Championship, the one title that has eluded him to date. Here is his twitter, which sparked a response The Miz:

Why WWE Should Give Mojo Rawley More Screen Time

This may seem an odd petition to many, but hear me out. WWE, please give Mojo Rawley more screen time. There, I’ve said it.

You may be wondering just why I would request such a thing. After all, who cares about him? Well, I do, apparently. I also believe that with the right circumstances and time, Mojo could turn into a big deal. He has most of the tools needed, and with some improvement, he could be very, very good. But these things will not happen until he gets more screentime.

He Needs to Improve

Right now, Mojo isn’t exactly setting the world on fire, particularly with his move set. Power-based repertoires are hardly the most exciting, but if they are done right, then they look spectacular. Mojo is quite far away from being spectacular.

Was he called up too early? Probably, but he was brought in to bolster the tag team division. He was going to be the hot tag, cleaning up while Zack Ryder wowed the audience with his 450 splashes. However, Ryder got injured. They didn’t want to leave Mojo hanging around like a bum, so they pushed him as a singles star, where his flaws and limitations were exposed.

What’s done is done. However, this can be corrected by giving Rawley more matches, which means he’d be on our televisions more often. It worked for Strowman. He couldn’t wrestle to save his life back before the brand split. Fast forward to not even a whole calendar year, and he’s one of the best parts of Raw. Some people just need to be put in a sink-or-swim scenario. Corbin wasn’t exactly good when he was called up in April. At the end of the year, he had one of the best Chairs matches against Kalisto, had an entertaining match with Jack Swagger, and was in one of the best matches of the year against AJ Styles and Dolph Ziggler.

If WWE wants Mojo Jojo to improve, then they’ve got to have him fight more people, even if its jobbers from the city.

Mojo Rawley Is Surprisingly Eloquent

When Mojo first appeared on Talking Smack as a singles guy, I was pleasantly surprised to hear him speak. He was quite well-spoken, a far cry from the man in the ring screaming for hype or whatever. I knew he was the youngest graduate from the University of Maryland or something like that (that’s what the graphics in his entrance told me). Well, I thought to myself, Talking Smack really can make anyone sound good. There’s less scripting, more creativity, etc. Then I heard his backstage promos.

We still came off as an eloquent speaker. He showed he could hang with the likes of Dolph Ziggler, who is no slouch on the mic either. Even with that weird, pointless segment where he gave some kids a tour and told them how hard Andre could kegstand, he sounded very natural. Yeah, the segment kinda sucked, but Mojo did his best.

When I saw/heard his promo on Smackdown with Shane, I genuinely felt for the guy. I’m probably just weak, but he seemed so sincere. He had been a ghost, he had been doing a whole lot of nothing. He just wanted one opportunity.

Then he lost to Jinder. I get it. You can’t have lower card guys beating the champ, and Jinder’s gotta get that Heel Heat™. But still, I felt bad, and I think that’s the most important part.

He Could Become Genuinely Likable

Right now, a lot of people don’t like Mojo Rawley. He’s got a limited move-set, and his hype shtick can rub people the wrong way. I get that. With some time, though, he could really turn some people around. Give him more promo time to show how genuine he is. Give him more matches to improve his move-set. This can be easily fixed.

In a show that runs for a whole year, you can’t tell me there’s no time for Rawley. This is the same company that made Jinder Mahal champion, has shown the Fashion Files for a month now, and had R-Truth challenge for the WWE Championship. These things aren’t bad; they’re just some of the more “out there” things WWE has done.

Lots of people say Mojo is a nice guy, whether it’s because they saw him on Breaking Ground, or because they follow him on Twitter. Give him a chance to show that he could be a big deal. If it fails, then that’s alright. These things happen. However, if it does take off, then you can make damn sure that I will be the conductor of this Hype Train.

The Miz Puts His Los Angeles Mansion Up for Sale

The Miz is selling his Los Angeles home for $3.65 million, according to Forbes.

The Hollywood Hills West property located at 1944 Laurel Canyon Boulevard includes a Mediterranean-style home with 4 bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms. The home has more than 4,500 square feet of space with a swimming pool, a spa and a basketball court.

The complete house listing reads:

“PARADISE FOUND! PRESENTING THIS MAGNIFICENT NEWLY RENOVATED AND EXPANDED SHOWPLACE SITUATED ON 3 LEGAL FLAT LOTS – TRULY A RARE OFFERING IN THE PRESTIGIOUS HOLLYWOOD HILLS. GATED AND SECLUDED BEHIND 8FT WALLS, THIS TUSCAN-INSPIRED VILLA OPENS TO LAVISHLY MANICURED PARK-LIKE GROUNDS WITH TOWERING MATURE TREES, AND LUSH TROPICAL LANDSCAPING. THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE DOUBLE OUTDOOR STAIRCASE IS THE DRAMATIC WATERFALL FEATURE THAT FLOWS DIRECTLY INTO THE SPARKLING POOL WITH AN ADJACENT ALFRESCO DINING AREA. CUSTOM GLASS SPA, FIRE PIT AND A BASKETBALL COURT FURTHER HIGHLIGHT THE RESORT-LIKE GROUNDS OF THIS OASIS IN THE CITY. ADDITIONAL FEATURES INCLUDE A TOP OF THE LINE SECURITY SYSTEM, HOME THEATER ROOM, NEWLY BUILT GAME ROOM WITH WALLS OF GLASS THAT OPEN TO A LARGE PATIO WITH BUILT IN BBQ AND A SPECTACULAR WALL FOUNTAIN. BEAUTIFUL KITCHEN WITH VIKING APPLIANCES AND SUB-ZERO REFRIGERATOR. THE ELEGANT MASTER SUITE HAS A SITTING ROOM, WALK-IN CLOSET AND PRIVATE BATHROOM WITH A RELAXING SOAKING TUB. FULLY PAID FOR SOLAR PANELS DRASTICALLY REDUCE YOUR ENERGY BILLS! THIS IS A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE A ONE OF A KIND HOME WITH EXPANSIVE FLAT LAND AND UNWAVERING ATTENTION TO DETAIL IN A PRIME LOCATION MINUTES TO THE SUNSET STRIP.”

Here are photos of the house:

Lana Reacts to Receiving Title Shot at Money in the Bank

As seen on Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live, Noami accepted Lana’s challenge for the Women’s Championship at the Money in the Bank event. Lana posted the following remarks on Twitter regarding her opportunity at the title:

Gail Kim Reveals If She Is Returning to Impact Wrestling

Gail Kim recently did an interview with Kevin Eck of Pressbox Online. Here are a couple of highlights from the interview:

Tell me about the nature of your back injury and how you’re feeling now.

“My back was injured just basically from wear and tear over the years. Luckily, Impact has been so good to me in terms of letting me take time off to make sure I’m healthy and never making me feel bad about it. I’ve been ready to come back for a little while but [Impact Wrestling] has had some time off because we film a bunch of shows once a month or once every other month, so that’s the only reason why I haven’t been back in the ring, but I’m going to be back shortly.”

You’re not under contract with at Impact at the moment, correct?

“Technically, no, but I have a contract in hand. I won’t ever go anywhere else. That’s my family.”

Have you given thought to how much longer you’d like to wrestle?

“Those questions have popped in my head. We kind of incorporated it into the storyline, and I guess we teased [retirement]. People really thought I retired because we never really continued it or explained it; I just really got injured and never came back, so people assumed I was retired. I said, “No, you will know when I’m retired. I wouldn’t go away that quietly.”

Click here for the full interview.

Dinner with the King Recap – Creating ‘The King’ Gimmick, Opinions of McMahon/Ross/The Rock, Great Balls of Fire! More!

Lawler is joined on today’s show by his co-host Glenn Moore.

Lawler informs that he injured his knee recently and it might require some attention in the near future. He recently visited a doctor with his son and the doctor told him that his son’s knees are three times worse than his, and his son is looking at a double knee replacement surgery. Lawler considers himself lucky to have been wrestling for 46 years and he has never required a knee surgery.

Lawler worked a cage match recently and had ‘The Mouth of the South’ Jimmy Hart in his corner for the match. He says that the cage was actually a very stable structure which surprised him, because he has worked in some pretty sad looking cages during his career. He informs that Hart threw his megaphone into cage at one point during the match and that reminded him of a cage match he worked against ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage many years ago.

Savage had Miss Elizabeth accompany him to the ring, and at one point she jumped into the cage. When she tried to climb back out of the cage, Lawler grabbed her skirt and the whole skirt came right off. The Memphis crowd got quite a show that evening. Lawler says that Elizabeth was a tremendous talent both as a valet and as an in-ring worker.

The Taz Show Recap – RAW Analysis, Heyman & Joe Steal the Show, Mae Young Classic Info, More!

Block 1:

Taz opens today’s show by saying RAW was really good last night on the whole. He says the Paul Heyman and Samoa Joe segment was fantastic and he loved a lot of the subtleties from Heyman and Joe in that promo.

When Heyman makes his way to the ring he does it nice and slowly, and he always asks the performer in the ring if he can step through the ropes before doing so because he respects the ring and the performers who stand in it. Heyman’s promos are always tremendous, but an underrated part of Heyman’s delivery is his facial expressions.

Taz says that he didn’t anticipate Joe attacking Heyman but once Heyman turned his back to Joe, Taz could see the writing on the wall. He actually anticipated Joe choking Heyman from behind because that would have been a real heel, scumbag thing to do. However, he liked what WWE chose to do by having Joe corner Heyman and threaten him while the handheld mics picked it up.

Taz thought this was very well done, and he has been asking WWE to do this type of thing for a while now. The focus should never be on the live audience, because the millions of viewers at home are the priority. For this reason, it was very cool to see Joe cut this promo right to Heyman’s face which made it more realistic, and only the fans at home knew what he was saying.