Current WWE United States Champion, Samoa Joe, competed last Friday during WWE’s Super ShowDown event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The champion didn’t have a title defense, however, instead taking part in the 50-Man Battle Royal, which NXT Superstar Mansoor eventually won.
In an interview with Brian Fritz of SportingNews.com, Joe recalled the experience of wrestling in the Saudi Arabian heat, and also touched on the injury he sustained at Money In The Bank.
“It Was A Chaotic Scene”
Joe described the Battle Royal as a “chaotic scene” adding that “let me tell you that in 101-degree weather and a lot of human body heat. It was quite the inferno in that ring.”
He explained that “That’s the kind of heat you don’t make adjustments for. You just realize it’s going to suck really, really bad. You’re going to have to grin and bear it. With the exception of maybe running sprints in a sauna, I don’t think there’s anything you can really do to prepare for that.”
“It Wasn’t A Break”
When asked about getting his nose busted during his match with Rey Mysterio at Money In The Bank, Joe confessed that it wasn’t a “major break” and that he’s had his nose broken enough times to know.
“I’ve broken it plenty of times and have stopped counting. Not really, it wasn’t a major break. Everything was fine. There’s always those who are very precautionary, which is appreciated. Yeah, it wasn’t a major issue. It wasn’t a break.”
Longing For A Long-Term Challnger
It was noted that Samoa Joe has yet to enter into a long-term feud for the United States championship. He replied that “I’ve always found myself in this unique situation in my career where people realized the magnitude of what it is to get into a program with me, but a lot of times, both creatively and physically, some cats aren’t ready for it. That’s the way I look at it. Yeah, obviously, I’m bummed. I’m out here searching for these long-term challengers and for that next great entanglement. It’s a process, but I think it’s going to happen, certainly.”
Samoa Joe competed in a losing effort last night on Monday Night RAW. He and his partners, Cesaro, and Bobby Lashley would lose to Ricochet, The Miz, and Braun Strowman.
Ricochet has since expressed his interest in challenging Samoa Joe for the championship—so it seems it won’t be long before Joe gets that long-term challenger he’s been waiting for.
