3 Ups And 4 Downs From WWE Starrcade 2018
1. Who Did Joe Piss Off?
Man, Samoa Joe just can’t catch a break, can he?
The Samoan Submission Machine has all the tools to be a vicious heel world champion, or at worst a secondary champ. Instead, he has been thoroughly defeated by AJ Styles in their feud. Joe played a great villain, tormenting Styles and his family for months, but after winning by DQ at SummerSlam, Joe lost to Styles in WWE Championship matches at Hell in a Cell, Super Show-Down and Crown Jewel.
Then Joe was the first eliminated from the men’s Survivor Series match, being taken out with a Claymore Kick in seconds. And at Starrcade, he cleanly tapped out to Styles’ Calf Crusher inside a steel cage.
While we often lament WWE’s 50/50 booking (and thus, we should be praising WWE for having a feud end decisively), it’s crazy to see how Joe has been thoroughly defeated in this feud at nearly every turn. While Randy Orton’s latest heel turn isn’t likely going to make him a hot commodity again, Joe as a bada** villain still has legs.