10 New WWE Directions After Extreme Rules 2017
Samoa Joe stands tall, but will he conquer Brock Lesnar?
Extreme Rules probably won't go down as one of WWE's most exciting pay-per-views this year, but it certainly wasn't uneventful. Two titles changed hands, Universal Champion Brock Lesnar has a new number one contender, and while a few of the heavily-gimmicked bouts didn't live up to expectations, the show at least provided some big talking points.
Samoa Joe emerged as the night's biggest winner, choking Finn Balor out to earn his shot at 'The Beast Incarnate' at Great Balls Of Fire on July 9th. His surprising triumph helps set Raw's course for the next few weeks, and with The Miz and Sheamus & Cesaro capturing gold on the undercard, and Alexa Bliss squashing Bayley, the midcard title scenes look set for a shake-up as well.
WWE are deeply entrenched in their annual summer lull at the moment, making it extremely unlikely that they'll do anything radical over the coming weeks. Change is definitely in the air, however, and with Brock Lesnar set to return next week, there are plenty of exciting options on the table. Let's take a look at 10 potential avenues WWE may want to explore ahead of Great Balls Of Fire...
10. A Bigger Role For Samson
WWE deserve credit for the way they’ve handled Elias Samson’s transition from NXT to the main roster. Instead of giving him the standard jobber-squashing spree followed by a midcard feud, the company had Samson quietly lurking in the background on Raw, coasting through the building without acknowledgement (he is ‘The Drifter,’ after all), before finally bringing him into the ring almost two months after his debut.
It has been a novel introduction, and one entirely befitting the character. At Extreme Rules, Samson partook in a brief in-ring segment in which he "treated" the Baltimore crowd to a song about his miserable their city is, and while it passed without incident, it successfully irked the crowd.
He might not be the biggest name or the most spectacular athlete, but ‘The Drifter’ is one of only a few heels still capable of drawing pure heat from the crowd, not the usual mix of boos and cheers. That’s worth spotlighting in an era where villains often draw louder face pops than the supposed heroes, and could earn Samson a bigger spotlight. He should now transition to a solid role on the midcard, starting with his first real feud ahead of Great Balls Of Fire.