8 Ways WWE Can Make Samoa Joe The AJ Styles Of 2017
3. Have Him Wrestle The Best Of The Best
Part of AJ Styles’ success in 2016 came through wrestling against WWE’s biggest stars on almost every single pay-per-view.
From John Cena and Roman Reigns to Chris Jericho and Dean Ambrose, Styles worked some of the best wrestlers in the world over those 12 months, and he delivered every time he stepped into the ring.
The least WWE can do is give Joe the same opportunities. Joe doesn’t have AJ’s athletic gifts, nor is he as fast or fluid as the former WWE Champion in the ring. But he’s vicious, explosive, and hard-hitting. Expecting him to pull-off Match of the Year candidates with AJ’s regularity isn’t fair, but Joe can at least come close with the right opposition.
That doesn’t mean listless matches on the midcard. Guys like Baron Corbin wasted their early main roster careers by screwing around in heatless feuds with the likes of Dolph Ziggler and Apollo Crews. Such booking greatly diminishes a wrestler’s chance of ever making an impact on the main roster, and it’s important that WWE build on Joe’s white-hot start by having him cross paths with the best of the best immediately.
AJ’s first three pay-per-view opponents were Jericho, Reigns, and Cena. Pitting him against such top-tier competition was one of the first steps in establishing him has a major player in WWE, and Joe would benefit from a similar path. He’s already one of the best wrestlers in the company, and he has proven his ability to hold his own against anyone in the ring.
There’s no question he’d hold up his end of the bargain and deliver when called upon.