8 Ups & 0 Downs From NXT TakeOver 36

3. Seeing Samoa Joe Wrestle Again

Samoa Joe Karrion Kross
WWE.com

Boy, did that feel good or what?

Takeover 36 marked Samoa Joe's first in-ring appearance as an active talent since the 10 February 2020 episode of Raw. There, he teamed with Kevin Owens and The Viking Raiders to wrestle Seth Rollins, Murphy and AOP. If you think that feels like a lifetime ago, then his last singles bout was even further back.

Joe's last one-on-one match was a 6 September 2019 house show loss to Roman Reigns. Before that, he also went to a double pin finish with Ricochet in a King Of The Ring quarter final on the 2 September 2019 Raw. Man, this has been some wait for those, "Joe is gonna kill you" chants.

It was worth it.

Seeing the Samoan strut his way down to the ring and then trade blows with Karrion Kross felt good. There was a time when it seemed he'd never pull on the tights and do his thing again (at least in WWE), so this was a welcome sight.

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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.