10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Aug 5)

10. Samoa Joe Immediately Viewed Himself As A Locker Room Leader In NXT

Arriving in May, 2015, Samoa Joe instantly made his way to the NXT developmental system rather than jumping straight to the main WWE roster. At the time, this was decried as an injustice, Joe certainly deserved to be on shows like Raw and SmackDown. All along, it was an entirely conscious decision.

Having traversed the globe in pursuit of his dream, Joe was ripe for slotting into NXT and immediately becoming somewhat of a locker room leader. Speaking to NOLA.com this week, the 'Samoan Submission Machine' said this was a position he relished from the start, because it allowed him to be the authority for younger wrestlers.

Far from arrogance, this kind of role was well-suited to Joe. Almost as soon as he had put pen to paper on a WWE deal, he was ready to help young talent grow and progress.

Now, as the NXT Heavyweight Champion, he is the leader on screen as well as off. WWE deserve praise for recognising Joe's leadership qualities, and allowing him to show them instead of possibly getting lost in the top line shuffle.