10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week

2. Samoa Joe Was Once WWE's Second-Hottest Merch Seller

Samoa Joe Triple H
@samoajoe_wwe/Instagram

There are two facts in here.

Firstly, Kevin Owens was WWE's top merchandise seller in May 2015. Triple H told Samoa Joe this on a tour bus, and personally congratulated him on finishing just behind the new main roster man. Joe, much to everyone in WWE's surprise, was number two on the list, and he was outselling some seriously big names.

As always, Joe didn't come across as big-headed or braggadocios when discussing this on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast. He was as shocked as anyone to hear Triple H say he was nip and tuck with KO as WWE's top merch man, especially because he'd only debuted that week.

Joe thought Trips means he was number two in NXT, not the full WWE roster. That means he was outselling John Cena, Roman Reigns and more within days of joining the company. It's similarly impressive that Owens, who debuted against Cena, was rocketing up the charts.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.