10 Awesome Wrestlers WWE Sacrificed For The Greater Good
7. Samoa Joe (Great Balls Of Fire 2017)
Samoa Joe killed the Great Balls Of Fire build.
Booked opposite indomitable Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, he made the most of his big opportunity, cutting some of the most imposing promos of his WWE career. One particularly memorable episode of Raw saw Paul Heyman consent to getting choked out by Joe to sell the angle. In another, the former NXT Champion trapped Lesnar in three Coquina Clutches. 'The Beast Incarnate' had rarely looked so vulernable, and Joe was so hot, there was a significant clamour for him to upset Brock at Great Balls.
This didn't happen. A berzerk sprint of a match saw Joe attack before the bell, battering and bludgeoning 'The Beast' all over ringside. He came close to toppling Lesnar on several occasions, and looked great throughout, but ultimately fell, as Lesnar put him away following the match's sole F5.
The Greater Good:
Preserving Brock's lengthy Universal Championship run so that he could hold it all the way to WrestleMania 34, where he was originally supposed to fall to Roman Reigns. Although those plans changed, Joe, despite his incredible pre-PPV performances, was only ever supposed to be a filler contender. Getting to the following year's 'Mania was deemed more important than capitalising on him.