Introduction
All hail the new king of AEW: Samoa Joe. After what seems like an eternity, Samoa Joe is finally, and more than deservedly, is a world champion. For context, the last time Samoa Joe was a world champion outside NXT, was back in his TNA heyday back in the 2000s. That is frankly criminal given the man’s talents so hence with his AEW Championship reign still in its infancy stage, I’ve decided to look at 10 long term opponents for his title. And yes, this is in no particular order. So, without further ado let’s see who I’m submitting to the championship committee of Samoa Joe in this list….
10. Jon Moxley
Ok, so this one is purely for my love of hard hitting, stiff matches but don’t tell me Samoa Joe and Jon Moxley beating seven shades of sh**e out of each other wouldn’t be very compelling TV? Also, the promos the two men could have with them both being badasses who can’t stand for locker room drama and beef adds another compelling layer to the match. But maybe the only sticking point here is how little Moxley loses which would take a hit should he lose and you’d rather save that defeat for a younger guy. But on the other hand, this could quickly legitimise Samoa Joe’s reign so bring on the Death Rider.
9. Bryan Danielson
Sticking with a Blackpool Combat Club centric theme, why not let Samoa Joe renew his rivalry with Bryan Danielson one last time? Look, Bryan’s retiring and after this year we will likely never get this chance again so run it back again, please Tony Khan. Simply put, there’s very few men who are better at being the underdog than Danielson and given both men’s technical proficiencies this would tear the house down on any given day. And just think of the video packages given the access to the ROH archives and the promos that Joe would inevitably cut about Birdie. There’s too much potential here not to at least give us a one off match on Dynamite or Collision.
8. Darby Allin
Well, similarly to Bryan Danielson there’s some serious history between Samoa Joe and my next possible challenger: Darby Allin. Given their shared history with the TNT Championship and Joe being the one true King of Television as well as the utterly brutal no holds barred match they had last year, Darby is more than an in ring match for the Samoan Submission Machine. Also, whilst Danielson may be the undisputed GOAT of underdog babyfaces, Allin ain’t far behind and his ragdoll-like selling (as well as the abuse he puts his back through) are a perfect match for Joe and his violent attacks.
7. Christian Cage
Have I put this in here purely for making Joe uproot the patriarchy jokes? Shout out to the people who remember Memeulous saying that. And, yes I have and it’s definitely the least likely match to happen. But imagine the promos between Joe and the father of the year: Christian Cage. Also, the fact Christian is still as good as he is mirrors Joe. Also, look at the fact they were never taken seriously in WWE. Now with both men on the runs of their career, why not give Cage a shot at the World Championship?
Joe is good enough to be a badass tweener if needed. Oh and Cage is eventually going to drop the TNT Championship to Adam Copeland. So the Father of the Year is going to need to step up once more. Also, imagine the jokes Joe would end up making about the Patriarchy because once again he’s just that damn good.
6. Keith Lee
While his run has been more stop-start than a Transpennine Express Train, Limitless Keith Lee is still one of the best wrestlers in the world on his day. Just think of the prospect of a Big E Special. And yes, insert big meaty men slapping meat GIF here… Unlike the previous two entries, Joe wouldn’t be able to ragdoll Lee so would have to be more cerebral. All this is while Lee has the same athleticism as an Allin so would be pulling out moonsaults and all sorts of nonsense moves to keep Joe on his toes. And honestly, since he’s cursed to never get the Strickland feud ending, why not give him Samoa Joe as a match instead? Otherwise, we’ll have to start calling him Limited Keith Lee….
5. Wardlow
This one feels obvious given Adam Cole’s promo on Dynamite two weeks ago but despite them wrestling a lot, this match has often felt like Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar in WWE. Basically, an easy match to book in concept but the company keeps fumbling those big meaty men slapping meat matches for some reason. Also, imagine Wardlow wins the World Championship only to have to face the prospect of laying down for Adam Cole. I’m already getting MJF and Pinnacle vibes off this storyline… But anyway just let Wardlow and Joe murder each other for 15 minutes and it’ll be grrrreat Tony. And speaking of Adam Cole…
4. Adam Cole
We all know at some point once his leg doesn’t resemble a cheese string, Adam Cole is going to make good on that promise and finally win the AEW World Championship. Either from Wardlow via Samoa Joe or directly from the Samoan Submission Machine. And again, AEW can play up the two mens shared history in ROH. Seeing how they’ve both dominated the promotion and the fact Cole could never break Joe’s longest consecutive ROH World Championship reign. And that’s before the fact both men are immensely talented on the mic. So the promos would be immense and naturally it would maybe be Joe as a tweener. Only because of Cole’s superheel status right now. But either way, story time with Adam Cole could become very interesting soon…
3. Jay White
From storytime with Adam Cole to breathing with the Switchblade and suddenly it’s another global megastar gunning for Samoa Joe’s crown in the form of Switchblade Jay White. Given the fact White was inadvertently cast aside for MJF to fight against Samoa Joe twice, there’s a lot of history there. Also, White has been screwed twice by the Devil’s men. Maybe Joe had a hand in that? So he’s definitely earned his spot opposite Samoa Joe. Just imagine the shenanigans White and Bullet Club Gold could try to pull against Joe. And even before you see the brilliant in-ring work of both men. Also, this is realistically one of the closest matches to be happening on the list and speaking of that…..
2. Hangman Adam Page
This seems so close to reality with that staredown on Dynamite hinting that once Hangman is finished with the Mogul Embassy he’s going to be gunning after Samoa Joe. And honestly, the promise of this match is tantalising given what Page has gone through. Given the ferocity of his rivalry with a certain other person, Page has been psychologically battered and is in no mood to run away any longer. And factor in how brutal some of Joe’s matches have been and this all sounds very appealing. But also this could turn into another redemption World Title win for Page if done right however the next man on this list could have a big role in that….
1. Swerve Strickland
Speaking of Hangman and his constant feuds with the Mogul Embassy, Prince Nana’s crown jewel will definitely be in and around the world championship scene and Samoa Joe. That man obviously being Swerve Strickland. Few in AEW have had as meteoric a rise recently as Swerve and that eventual match with Samoa Joe will definitely be intense. All this will definitely be complicated by the fact that despite the many heinous things Swerve has done he’s become a rather badass tweener. So, on top of all this the in ring work is going to be incredible as well as the sheer aura both men have will already generate enormous hype. And besides sooner or later, Swerve needs to be cemented in the world title scene asap to prove that his rise was worth it.
