Occasionally I will post one of these about an indy wrestler I've noticed and really taken a shine to, guys you
should know about if you're a wrestling fan. Broaden your horizons folks, there's more out there than WWE.
With the impending debut of TNA on SpikeTV, I thought one of the current best wrestlers in the world would be an ideal beginning for this article. If you only watch WWE television then you're really missing out where this guy is concerned. The individual in question? The currently styled "Samoan Submission Machine" Samoa Joe.
Samoa Joe's rise to fame began in 2002 when he debuted for Ring of Honor, a wrestling fed that focuses heavily on wrestling and lightly on angles. In March of 2003 Joe won the Ring of Honor Heavyweight Title and held it for 21 months. If you think that sounds like an ungodly long time for one individual to hold a title, you've never seen Joe wrestle.
Let me tell you about Joe. He's big. The first time you see him, your mind simply cannot help but make comparisons to Yokozuna or Rikishi...and it becomes very easy from there to dismiss him entirely. Until you see him move. He has insane speed for what appears to be a fat guy. He exudes presence in the ring, and makes you legitimately believe he will destroy his opponent. He's also a master of psychology; his moves and motions all make sense in the grand fabric of a match. On top of all this, he's excellent on the mic. There isn't a
more complete wrestler in the United States than Joe.
Since debuting for TNA, Joe has been placed in a dominating position, essentially destroying all-comers, culminating in an X-Division (essentially TNA's separate title for high-octane, high-flying wrestlers) match at TNA's last Pay Per View, Unbreakable. Joe wrestled TNA's favorite son AJ Styles and the X-Division Champion "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. Ultimately Joe and Daniels were defeated in a match that simply has to be seen to be believed and is far and away the best wrestling match so far this year.
Unfortunately, Joe will not be on the first two episodes of TNA Impact on SpikeTV, however it well behooves you as wrestling fans to track down some of this guy's matches. ANY Joe match you can track down is worth seeing but the holy grail of all Joe matches is his one hour bout with CM Punk at the marvelously titled "Joe vs. Punk II" Ring of Honor event held on October 16, 2004.
Enjoy, folks.
