10 New WWE Directions After Extreme Rules 2017

1. Beast Vs. Destroyer

Samoa Joe Bray Wyatt Seth Rollins Finn Balor
WWE.com

Samoa Joe emerged from Extreme Rules 2017 as a surprise number one contender to Brock Lesnar’s WWE Universal Title. The two brutes will now meet in Great Balls Of Fire’s main event on July 9th, and with ‘The Beast Incarnate’ set to return to WWE television on June 12th, there’s plenty of scope to build a heated rivalry.

Joe is perhaps the only Raw roster member who can rival Brock for pure intensity, and the challenger’s strong grasp of his character should make for some spirited back and forth with Paul Heyman. The next pay-per-view is just over four weeks away, however: WWE don’t much time to waste on endless talking segments, and with Lesnar set to appear on four shows ahead of GBOF, they’d be wise to cram as much physical violence as possible into the restricted time period.

This is the perfect moment to push the ageing Joe towards the main event. Physically, he’s greatly diminished from his mid-00’s heyday, but he’s still good enough to have a brutal, hard-hitting sprint alongside the Universal Champion. 10-12 minutes of all-out action fits the bill perfectly, with both monsters beating the tar out of each other throughout, before Lesnar takes what feels like an inevitable victory.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.