10 Positive Developments In This Awful Post-WWE WrestleMania Season

7. Samoa Joe's Promo Game

Seth Rollins
WWE.com

Scripted WWE promos tend to fall into two modes, depending on which side of the spectrum a performer stands. Heels go the cocky, superior route before the faces cut them down with the draconian zinging verbiage of a Zack Morris. At least Screech once squared up to him. That's more than you can say for the chickensh*t heel characters of WWE.

Samoa Joe is no Screech Powers.

Samoa Joe is an intense and terrifying proposition, his inner fury manifesting as beads of sweat, his guttural warlord threats resonating with a primal sense of unadulterated badassery. Fusing the sinister menace of Jake Roberts with the bellowing anger of a Road Warrior, nothing on WWE TV even approaches Joe's authenticity, with the lack of stakes and glib delivery elsewhere only serving to underline and make special his dangerous aura. The prospect of Joe Vs. Daniel Bryan on next week's SmackDown is dynamite. We're meant to feel anxiety (of the correct kind) on behalf of Bryan. We're meant to feel like his getting back into the ring wasn't such a great idea. Joe is the man to inspire this terror and in turn inspire us to get behind our man in full, earnest voice.

Samoa Joe is a beacon of grit amid a sea of gloss.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!