Samoa Joe will be out of action longer than initially anticipated. WWE announced that Joe injured his foot on the January 8th edition of RAW in a match against Rhyno. WWE Senior Ringside Physician Dr. Chris Amann evaluated Joe backstage at RAW that night and said it seemed Joe had a plantar fascia rupture, which is a thick tissue rupture under the foot.

Joe underwent an MRI later that week and will miss more than two months of action. According to the Wrestling Observer, Joe has been pulled from WWE live events through at least mid-March. There’s no good time to get injured, but it appeared Joe was once again on the cusp of starting a program with John Cena, a feud that would have elevated his position on the roster.

Hopefully Joe is back in time for a WrestleMania program, but the 38-year-old Samoan destroyer is at risk of being labeled injury prone by WWE officials, which would hinder his upside.

On SmackDown, Kevin Owens had been advertised to compete in the main event of this past weekend’s live events, but did not appear. He was backstage. The Observer notes that Owens is dealing with a nagging injury that is not considered to be anything serious.

Owens and Sami Zayn were also held off this week’s SmackDown Live episode. In all likelihood, WWE is letting Owens heal up before the 2-on-1 handicap match against AJ Style at the Royal Rumble on January 28th.

Visit f4wonline.com to subscribe to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Former WWE NXT Champion Samoa Joe was recently a guest on CBS Sports “In This Corner Podcast” to talk about his run with the company. One key topic of discussion was Joe’s program with WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, which led to a match between the pair at the Great Balls Of Fire pay-per-view (PPV) this past July. “The Destroyer” said that when you’re working with Lesnar you have to show up ‘ready to deal with Brock Lesnar’:

“I think when you are dealing with Brock Lesnar, you have to show up ready to deal with Brock Lesnar. Brock is the type of guy who is not going to give you an inch. If you are going to get anything from him, you have to take it and he’s going to dare you to take it. Brock is a guy who kind of feeds off of emotion, and if you come out and you’re flat and you’re not putting out what he is putting out, he’s going to eat you alive. That has never been an issue with me.”

As far as what it’s like to work a match with Lesnar, Joe said you can’t hold anything back when working with “The Beast” because he’ll pounce on any weaknesses you may have and take advantage of them:

“If we are going to be in the ring together, Brock knows we are coming for a fight. I mean that literally and figuratively. There is no pulling anything with Brock. If you show signs of weakness, he’s an apex predator and he’s going to pounce on it and he’s going to attack and overwhelm.

“You have to know how to deal with it when you are in there with Brock. He is a person who is going to accept nothing but the very best and if you don’t bring the very best, he’ll have no problems doing everything he can to absolutely wipe you out.”

You can read the highlights from Joe’s interview on CBS Sports “In This Corner Podcast” by clicking here. Listen to Joe on “In This Corner” at this link.

WWE announced on Tuesday that Samoa Joe injured his foot during his submission win over Rhyno on this week’s episode of RAW.

WWE Senior Ringside Physician Dr. Chris Aman told WWE.com that Joe felt a pop at the bottom of his right foot during the match. Joe was checked out and they believe Joe has a plantar fascia rupture, which is a thick tissue rupture under the foot.

Joe is scheduled to undergo an MRI to confirm the initial diagnosis. Treatment for a plantar fascia rupture would involve Joe wearing a boot on his foot and platelet-rich plasma injections.

WWE released this RAW Fallout video of Joe getting checked out backstage on Monday night:

WWE has announced that Samoa Joe suffered an injury during his match against Rhyno on this week’s episode of RAW.

A report at WWE.com features comments from WWE Senior Ringside Physician Dr. Chris Amann:

“During his match, [Samoa Joe] felt a pop at the bottom of his [right] foot. We took a look and believe he has a plantar fascia rupture, which is a thick tissue rupture under the foot. We will get an MRI to confirm. Treatment includes a period of immobilization in a boot with crutches and platelet rich plasma injections.” 

RAW General Manager Kurt Angle announced that due to Joe’s injury, he has been pulled from the fan poll to determine Bayley’s partner in the Mixed Match Challenge tournament. Joe had been the front-runner in the poll by a longshot. As a result of Joe’s injury, Elias (the runner-up) will team with Bayley.

Thank you all for voting for @itsBayleyWWE partner in #WWEMMC, but due to an injury suffered on #Raw @SamoaJoe is unable to compete…

— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) January 9, 2018

…therefore the runner-up @IAmEliasWWE will be Bayley’s partner. #WWEMMC

— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) January 9, 2018

As of this writing, Joe is still advertised to participate in the Royal Rumble match on January 28th.

On the bright side, Samoa Joe wil be joining the cast of the new Transformers animated series, Power of the Primes. Joe be the voice of the character Predaking. The show premieres in mid-2018 and also features Mark Hamill and Ron Perlman as cast members.

Very happy to announce I am joining the cast of the new Transformers animated series. #PredaKingLives #transformers https://t.co/HCP5yxoQkk

— Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe) January 9, 2018

Tonight’s WWE live event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada abruptly ended after Samoa Joe bled profusely during the main event match against Intercontinental Champion Roman Reigns.

After getting busted open above his eye, Joe continued brawling at ringside as he threw Reigns into the barricade. WWE personnel then began checking on Joe and despite him telling them that he was OK to continue, the referee decided to call off the match seconds later, ending the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpE930eTzCE

They will battle again this Monday on Raw as Reigns defends the Intercontinental Championship against Joe. Raw General Manager Kurt Angle made the announcement on Twitter on Friday, with an added stipulation being that Reigns will lose the title if he gets disqualified.

Angle wrote, “On the first #Raw of 2018 @WWERomanReigns will defend his #ICTitle against @SamoaJoe; if Roman is DQ’ed, he’ll lose the match AND his title.”

On the first #Raw of 2018 @WWERomanReigns will defend his #ICTitle against @SamoaJoe; if Roman is DQ’ed, he’ll lose the match AND his title

— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) December 29, 2017

• Nia Jax explains why she doesn’t date

Roman Reigns first won the Intercontinental Championship from The Miz on 22nd November’s edition of RAW:

Fast forward a month, and Reigns found himself able to retain his title against Samoa Joe after he used his Champions advantage to full effect, being disqualified.  He was later fined by WWE for pushing the referee official.

Kurt Angle has now arranged a rematch as Reigns is set to take on Samoa Joe during 2018’s first episode of RAW.  Angle has also added the stipulation that Roman Reigns will lose his Intercontinental title if he loses the match via disqualification.

On the first #Raw of 2018 @WWERomanReigns will defend his #ICTitle against @SamoaJoe; if Roman is DQ’ed, he’ll lose the match AND his title

— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) December 29, 2017

It’s also worth noting that The Miz has been cleared to return to the ring, after fulfilling his role in the next edition of The Marine franchise with Becky Lynch and Shawn Michaels.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see him return and make the match a triple threat. as he never claimed his contractual rematch.

Samoa Joe recently took to Twitter to comment on the upcoming Mixed Match Challenge and made a remark that some considered to be sexist. Joe stated that due to the “impending #WWEMMC” he will now have a full-time towel attendant ringside for him:

*Special Announcement*
Due to the impending #WWEMMC , I will now have a full time towel attendant ringside while I pummel the other male participants in the tournament unconscious.
Thank you,
-The Management

— Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe) December 14, 2017

James McKenna of Pro Wrestling Sheet took issue with this comment, calling it ‘lame’ and urged the former NXT Champion to re-think his words:

this statement is really lame dude.

i have always heard good things about you and in assuming best intentions I think you’re playing up heel stuff.

that said it reads like you just called the equally stellar women’s division towel attendants. please re-think it. https://t.co/xly1azMar3

— james mckenna (@chillhartman) December 14, 2017

Joe responded by defending his initial comments, refusing to apologize for how McKenna interpreted the Tweet:

How you interpret it is your business does not matter if it is a man, woman, or alien (extraterrestrial if you must). You stand in the corner hold my towel and don’t mess up my tournament run. I have equal opportunity disdain for all just in case anyone feels left out.

— Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe) December 14, 2017

– The WWE Network will be debuting a new show after Monday Night RAW entitled “Straight To The Source With Corey Graves.” Graves’ first guest on the show will be Roman Reigns as they discuss the reunion of The Shield. Over the past few days WWE has been releasing teaser clips on their YouTube channel for the show, with one including Roman Reigns making fun of Dean Ambrose’s constant flexing:

– Speaking of Reigns, he previously noted that he would be “stalking” Samoa Joe on tonight’s episode of RAW. Joe sent the following warning to “The Big Dog” via WWE’s Instagram page:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BcRL3kBgOn4/

– Below is video of Samoa Joe talking to Mike Rome after his win over Finn Balor on this week’s WWE RAW from Houston. Joe says he does not feel better after the win because something keeps going around in his head – why do they all choose to live in ignorance, why will they not learn? Joe says it’s very simple – he will strike down with righteous vengeance if you trespass on him. He will torture you, beat you and punish you, and when you are at the apex of your pain threshold, he will grant you the mercy of putting you to sleep. Joe says Balor learned that he will always get his comeuppance and anyone else will suffer the same fate.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVfCSR8b-yY?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

– No word yet on why Kalisto did not appear on this week’s RAW in the cruiserweight segment that saw Mustafa Ali, Rich Swann, Cedric Alexander and Akira Tozawa face off with WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore, Drew Gulak, Tony Nese, Noam Dar and Ariya Daivari, but Kalisto did do media appearances with Bayley on Monday morning. Kalisto lost a title match to Enzo on Sunday’s Survivor Series Kickoff pre-show.

– Matt Hardy’s feud with Elias continued on RAW as the two brawled around the ring, just one night after Hardy lost to Elias on the Survivor Series pre-show. Matt tweeted the following on Elias after the show:

I've had enough.

Elias pushed me on the wrong day.

Time for me to TAKE IT. https://t.co/ilKnpswxfj

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) November 21, 2017

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hXlS0xdpo4?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

– Above is video of Samoa Joe talking to Mike Rome after teaming with Finn Balor to defeat Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson on this week’s Survivor Series go-home edition of RAW. Joe says its no secret that he and Balor haven’t seen eye to eye but Balor is a strong competitor and a strong part of Joe’s team for Sunday. Joe says Balor is not a weak link. Regarding Triple H being named the fifth member of Team RAW, Joe says Jason Jordan is the young upstart and the prodigy, but Joe isn’t here to compete with potential – he’s here to compete with professionals.

Joe says it’s unfortunate that Jordan got hurt but it’s not unfortunate for the team because Jason Jordan is a weak link. Joe says now that Jordan was injured, it’s a good thing Triple H did what he did because Joe would’ve. Joe says now they’ve upgraded and The Game is on their side, but so is the most dangerous player. Joe walks off to end the segment.

– As noted, the two-hour WWE Survivor Series Kickoff pre-show on Sunday will feature Kalisto vs. WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore. Tonight’s WWE 205 Live episode will feature a birthday celebration for Kalisto, who turns 32 years old today. Below is video of Kalisto and Akira Tozawa talking to Mike Rome after their loss to Drew Gulak and WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore on RAW. Kalisto says the loss fires him up and motivates him for Sunday. Kalisto believes they had the match won but he’s confident about leaving Survivor Series with the title.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lEyXCGpCQ8?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

– Triple H and SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon tweeted the following after The Game named himself the final member of Team RAW on last night’s Survivor Series go-home edition of RAW from Atlanta. Sunday’s pay-per-view will now see Triple H team with Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor and Team Captain Kurt Angle to face Team Captain Shane, John Cena, Bobby Roode, Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura. Triple H wrote:

Things just got interesting…#SurvivorSeries is LIVE this Sunday ONLY on @WWENetwork.#GameTime pic.twitter.com/vx1fEkUYC5

— Triple H (@TripleH) November 14, 2017

Team #Raw certainly upped it’s “Game” tonight! But will fall @WWE #SurvivorSeries due to lots of egos, dissension and a complete lack of team focus. Go Blue!

— Shane McMahon (@shanemcmahon) November 14, 2017

WWE returns to Madison Square Garden on December 26th for the annual holiday tour. MSG has announced several top matches for the show, including:

• John Cena vs. Samoa Joe
• The Shield vs. Bray Wyatt & The Bar
• Braun Strowman vs. Kane

Other Superstars advertised to appear include Finn Balor, The Miz, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Bayley, Matt Hardy, Enzo Amore and more.

John Cena and Samoa Joe had been working together on live events this summer prior to Samoa Joe suffering a knee injury that kept him out for several months. House show matchups are often an indication of feuds we’ll see on WWE television in the months to come, so fans hoping for a full Cena vs. Joe program might be in luck.

• Video: John Cena vs. Samoa Joe at WWE Live Event

Cena returns to the ring next weekend at Survivor Series as part of Team SmackDown in the traditional team elimination match.

Two WWE Superstars who have been off television are reportedly in Baltimore, MD for tonight’s RAW from the Royal Farms Arena. According to reports at PWInsider, both Samoa Joe and Nia Jax could be returning as soon as tonight.

Samoa Joe has been out of action since late August. During his time away, Joe underwent surgeries on his knee to repair a nagging injury and his nose, which had been broken several times and was affecting his breathing.

Nia Jax has been on the sidelines for approximately two weeks. There have been conflicting reports surrounding the nature of her hiatus, but on Sunday she retweeted a message stating that she’d be returning to RAW tonight and was dealing with a nagging back injury.

Both are expected to be added to RAW’s Men’s and Women’s traditional Survivor Series teams.

Join us here later tonight for our weekly WWE RAW Live Coverage!

Samoa Joe recently spoke with Sky Sports to talk about various topics. Here are the highlights:

Recovery from a knee injury:

“The recovery’s going really well but I’ve only been able to perform at about 80 per cent capacity since joining NXT. Back then I had no chance to take time off because of the WWE opportunity, before I was just treating the knee problem with ice and elevation at home.”

(Joe noted that he’s doing better and is hoping to be back for WWE’s UK tour in November). “Now it’s the best I’ve ever felt, it really is. I also needed nasal surgery as I’ve broken my nose about eight times in my career so I was only breathing at around 60 per cent. You have no idea how invigorating it is now.”

Roman Reigns beating John Cena at No Mercy:

“Roman Reigns is very good, he’s at the peak of his career,” Joe said. “The fans have a bone to pick with him but that doesn’t concern me. He’s WWE’s guy, he’s beaten Cena but he’s never beaten me. Next time I’ll beat his ass.”

WWE Superstar and ex-Universal Title challenger Samoa Joe recently did an interview with USA Today’s “For The Win.” “The Destroyer” discussed Brock Lesnar’s title reign on RAW as a part-time talent, which he made an interesting comparison to – WWE Hall Of Famer, and arguably the greatest Superstar in WWE history, Hulk Hogan:

“You go to the Hulk Hogan era reigns, and I definitely didn’t see him on TV every week,” Joe said. “There is a mystique to him not being on TV that much. When he does make appearances, it’s usually for purposeful reasons. That’s been the big theme for Brock. You hear he’s not here, but if you look back at the shows, he’s here when it counts and when I need to get my hands on him. As long as that still happens, I’m good with that.”

You can check out Joe’s full interview with USA Today’s “For The Win” by clicking here.

– Samoa Joe is currently out of action recovering from a knee injury that took place at a recent WWE live event in a match against John Cena. Joe last wrestled on the post-SummerSlam edition of RAW on August 21st, when he Joe teamed with the Miz in the main event against John Cena and Roman Reigns.

While initial estimates had Joe on the sidelines until early October, the latest on Joe is that he’ll be probably won’t be back in the ring until late October – after the RAW brand’s Tables, Ladders, Chairs pay-per-view on 10/22.

– In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer provided additional information regarding the issues surrounding Mauro Ranallo’s hiatus from WWE earlier this year, the bullying culture in WWE and JBL’s recent announcement that he’s leaving his role as a broadcaster on SmackDown Live.

According to the report, Mauro Ranallo leaving the company back in April was not entirely due to JBL’s bulling, but more so about the culture of the company going back several years. JBL certainly played a role, but the belief is that JBL’s on-air comments towards him were coming from “somebody else.”

Prior to returning to WWE, Mauro Ranallo spoke to the Associated Press about his decision to walk away from his “dream job” on SmackDown. “I was willing to walk away from my dream job, let’s leave it at that,” he said. “In order for me to do that, I had to be true to my convictions and what makes you a human being.”

When Ranallo returned to the company in June as one of the lead announcers for NXT, the terms of his new agreement included that he’d be reporting to Michael Cole and Triple H, not Vince McMahon.  With the Mauro Ranallo situation resolved, JBL made his own decision to leave WWE television and it was unrelated to their previous disputes.

– Reby Hardy took to Twitter to react to Global Force Wrestling’s (GFW) Global Wrestling Network press release. Here’s what she had to say:

https://twitter.com/RebyHardy/status/905534932969246720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fnodq.com%2Fnews%2F506816656.shtml

– WWE Superstar Samoa Joe offered some valuable advice on Twitter regarding what social media can be used for these days. “The Destroyer” noted that the platform could be used for good or could be used to jeopardize your future employment options:

Social Media is a lot like a superpower. You can use it for good or your can use it to potentially jeopardize your future employment options

— Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe) September 7, 2017

– Samoa Joe was in Birmingham, Alabama earlier this week getting his knee checked out, according to PWInsider. Joe is expected to be sidelined for 4-6 weeks, so he should be back on TV by mid-October.

– The next episode of Table For 3 with Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat and Sting is rumored to premiere on the WWE Network on Monday, September 11th after RAW.

– Earlier this week, Rusev noted on Twitter that he’s ‘going home’ and said, “Goodbye America.” He and Lana are visiting Bulgaria. She tweeted the following on Friday afternoon:

Time to milk a cow in a #Bulgarian village ??? Hope I am making @RusevBUL proud ? pic.twitter.com/80OdNVZ38R

— CJ Perry (@TheCJPerry) September 1, 2017

– Primo Colon and Darren Young have been cleared to return to action. Based on this tweet from Darren Young, it looks like he could be competing at tonight’s WWE live event from Witchita, Kansas.

Back at it. #UKNOWWHATTIMEITIS #wwelive #wwewitchita ????? pic.twitter.com/iGaQNEam81

— nodaysoff FRED ROSSER III (@realfredrosser) September 1, 2017

It’s been a rough week for injuries in WWE. Last week on RAW, Big Cass tore his ACL in the Brooklyn Street Fight against Enzo Amore. Cass underwent knee surgery on Thursday and is expected to be out of action until early 2018.

On Monday night, Xavier Woods appeared to injure his knee at a SmackDown live event from Texarkana, Arkansas.

Samoa Joe is the latest Superstar with a knee injury. As noted on Monday afternoon, the plan was for Joe to wrestle John Cena on RAW. That match obviously didn’t happen and the word going around backstage is that Joe tweaked his knee on Saturday during a match against John Cena in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

• Video: John Cena vs. Samoa Joe from Friday night

Joe was advertised to wrestle Cena again at Sunday’s live event from Tupelo, Mississippi but was replaced by Bray Wyatt. According to PWInsider, Joe will be out of action for at least four weeks.

Fans in attendance at Friday night’s WWE live event from Carbondale, Illinois were treated to a ‘dream match’ between John Cena and Samoa Joe.

As noted earlier this month, John Cena and Samoa Joe are advertised for several upcoming live events, a sign that WWE could be testing the waters for a Cena vs. Joe television feud.

We won’t spoil the finish – but you can watch it below courtesy of Youtube user @MasterofMuppets (great name).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z791IpUTZYI&app=desktop

Here are the full results from the show:

• RAW Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose defeated Sheamus & Cesaro
• Cruiserweight Champion Neville defeated Akira Tozawa
• Titus O’Neil, Apollo Crews, Kalisto, R-Truth, Heath Slater & Rhyno defeated Curt Hawkins, Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel, Goldust, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
• John Cena vs. Samoa Joe
• Mickie James & Alicia Fox defeated Emma & Nia Jax
• Finn Balor defeated Bray Wyatt
• Roman Reigns defeated Braun Strowman via disqualification

Prior to SummerSlam, it appeared that The Miz was going to be involved in a feud with Jason Jordan for a while and the son of Kurt Angle will get a shot at the Intercontinental Championship sooner or later.

However, the only match these two had was a 6 men tag team match at SummerSlam in which Jordan teamed with the Hardy Boys and was defeated by the Miz and the Miztourage.

After this, the two stars didn’t interact on this week’s episode of Raw. Now it appears that this feud is over and WWE is planning something else for both the IC title and the Miz.

During the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer talked about the main event of this week’s episode of Raw and speculated that Samoa Joe could be next in line for a shot at the title.

Meltzer noted that their tag team match on Raw was possibly the start of a new rivalry and it could culminate in form of an Intercontinental Championship match at the upcoming No Mercy PPV.

It was also noted that if The Miz does gets involved in a programme with Samoa Joe the later may turn face for the feud and it shouldn’t be a surprise if he ends up snatching the belt from the former WWE Champion.

During a recent interview with the Hindustan Times, RAW Superstar Samoa Joe commented on which wrestlers from Ring of Honor he’d like to see in WWE. Joe, a former ROH World Champion who had one of the longest reigns in company history, had two particular names in mind.

“I would like to see Jay Lethal and Dalton Castle join the company,” Joe said. “Both have made their name in Ring of Honor and their addition can make WWE a very exciting place.”

He also commented on his memorable run in NXT, which he says prepared him for the main roster and WWE’s in-ring style.

“My experience at NXT was quite stellar. Being part of such a revolutionary atmosphere helps you grow as a wrestler and it helped me adjust to the WWE style of wrestling.”

Head over to HindustanTimes.com to read the full interview.

After coming up short in the Fatal 4 Way match SummerSlam, Joe put on another impressive performance in the main event of Monday’s WWE RAW. Check out Joe and The Miz facing the ‘dream team’ of John Cena and Roman Reigns:

Brock Lesnar defended his Universal Championship at WWE SummerSlam against Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns in a Fatal 4-Way match.

Lesnar and Joe battled in the corner to start off the match. Strowman launched Reigns out of the ring as Lesnar connected with a Belly to Belly Suplex on Samoa Joe. Reigns shoved Strowman into the ring post outside the ring and then stared at Brock Lesnar. Reigns hopped up onto the ring apron and entered the ring with Lesnar.

Lesnar connected with a German Suplex to Reigns and then delivered one to Samoa Joe. Reigns and Joe rolled out of the ring as Braun Strowman entered the ring and started shouting at Lesnar. The crowd chanted “yes!” as Strowman and Lesnar had a stare down.

Reigns and Joe got into the ring but Lesnar and Strowman quickly knocked them to the outside. Lesnar grinned as he approached Strowman but Braun launched him into the corner and then Clotheslined him out of the ring. Reigns tried to Clothesline Strowman out of the ring but Braun shoved him away. Strowman charged at Reigns but missed and hit the ring post and fell out of the ring.

Joe applied the Coquina Clutch to Lesnar outside the ring. Reigns tried to Spear him but Joe got out of the way and Reigns Speared Lesnar through the barricade. Joe then slammed Reigns onto the table and Strowman launched Joe over the announce table. Braun then picked up Brock and hit a massive Running Powerslam through the announce table as the crowd chanted “this is awesome!”.

Strowman rolled Joe into the ring and Reigns connected with a Drive By to Strowman. Joe then launched himself through the ropes and hit Reigns with a forearm outside the ring. Strowman then launched a computer chair at Reigns and Samoa Joe. Strowman cleared off another announce table and grabbed Brock Lesnar. Braun lifted Lesnar up again and planted him with another Running Powerslam through a second announce table.

Strowman then lifted up another announce table and dumped it onto Lesnar on the floor.

You NEED to see what's happening LIVE on @WWENetwork RIGHT NOW! #SummerSlam #Fatal4Way @BraunStrowman @BrockLesnar pic.twitter.com/zN6VBgcLOh

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) August 21, 2017

WWE officials called for a stretcher for Brock Lesnar. The crowd chanted “na-na-na-hey-hey-hey-goodbye” as Lesnar was stretchered away. Strowman hit Joe and Reigns with the steel steps and then casually threw the steps into the ring. Strowman brought Reigns to the ring and Roman connected with a couple of punches in the corner.

Reigns bashed Strowman with the steps three times and Braun fell out of the ring. Samoa Joe rolled up Reigns from behind for a two count. Joe then hit an inverted Atomic Drop and a running Senton for a two count. Roman planted Joe with a Samoan Drop for a two count. Reigns went for the Superman Punch but Joe booted him in the chest and then applied the Coquina Clutch. Strowman then got back into the ring and hit a double Chokeslam on Joe and Reigns.

Brock Lesnar then made his return and marched towards the ring. Lesnar took down Strowman and connected with several right hands. Brock then knocked Braun out of the ring. Lesnar hit a German Suplex onto Reigns and then another one onto Samoa Joe. Braun Strowman got back into the ring and Lesnar went for the Kimura Lock but Reigns hit him with a Superman Punch. Reigns then hit Joe and Strowman with a Superman Punch and leveled Lesnar with a Spear for a two count.

Roman geared up for another Spear but Samoa Joe applied the Coquina Clutch to Reigns from behind. Strowman then hit a Dropkick to break the hold and planted Samoa Joe with the Running Powerslam. Strowman went for the pinfall but Lesnar dragged the ref out of the ring before the three count.

Reigns delivered a Superman Punch to Lesnar outside the ring. Back in the ring, Reigns hit Strowman with a Superman Punch for a two count. Reigns went for a Spear but Strowman booted him in the face and planted him with a Running Powerslam. Strowman went for the cover but Lesnar broke it up.

Lesnar went for the F5 but Strowman blocked it and lifted Lesnar in the air. Reigns connected with a Spear on Strowman and Braun rolled out of the ring. Lesnar then lifted up Reigns but Samoa Joe got in the ring and threw Reigns out of the ring. Joe then locked in the Coquina Clutch on Brock Lesnar in the middle of the ring. Lesnar broke free and planted Joe with an F5 but Roman Reigns sprinted to the ring and broke up the cover.

Reigns hit Lesnar with a Superman Punch and then hit a second one. Reigns hit a third Superman Punch and then geared up in the corner. Reigns went for the Spear but Brock caught him and hit the F5 for the pinfall victory.

The #F5 spells the END for @WWERomanReigns as @BrockLesnar survives an INSANE #Fatal4Way #SummerSlam main event! pic.twitter.com/khye5aS4Ss

— WWE (@WWE) August 21, 2017

Baron Corbin wants revenge on John Cena

Baron Corbin attempted to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on this past Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown. John Cena was facing Jinder Mahal in the main event. Cena had the match won after hitting an Attitude Adjustment off the second rope, but Corbin sprinted to the ring and attacked Cena. Corbin then tried to cash in his MITB contract but got distracted by Cena on the ring apron. Corbin punched Cena off the ring apron, but Mahal rolled him up from behind and retained the WWE Championship.

Tonight, Baron Corbin will face off against John Cena. WWE uploaded a video of Corbin backstage in the Barclays Center. Corbin stated that he wants to hurt and embarrass John Cena tonight at WWE SummerSlam.

Samoa Joe wants to shock the world

Samoa Joe will be competing in a Fatal 4-Way match tonight for the Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman. WWE uploaded a video of Joe backstage and Joe stated that he is ready to shock the world tonight and become the new Universal Champion.

Big Show says nothing

Big Show will be facing Big Cass at SummerSlam tonight. Enzo Amore will be suspended in a shark cage during the match. On Monday’s RAW, Big Cass slammed the cage door on Big Show’s hand while Gallows and Anderson held him down. Big Show was asked how his injured hand will hurt him in the match tonight and Big Show simply stared at the camera and then walked away.

WWE Superstar Samoa Joe recently did an interview with The New York Post to promote this weekend’s (Sun. April 20, 2017) SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) event, in which he will be involved in a Fatal Four-Way match for the Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, and Braun Strowman.

During the interview “The Destroyer” discussed this weekend’s bout being the biggest of his career, his relationships with Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, his thoughts on Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman, and more. Here are the highlights:

Is this fatal-four-way match for the Universal title on Sunday maybe the biggest of your career, considering it is SummerSlam and for a title?

“Absolutely, I say it is. Obviously I’ve had big matches all around the world, but I think the biggest thing is [Sunday] at SummerSlam, one of the biggest kind of pay-per-view franchises in the industry, and I am in the main event. So yeah, by far this is the biggest match of my career.”

What’s your relationship with Brock and Paul backstage? I know there has been talk that they are big supporters of yours.

“I think there is a lot of mutual respect there, for the most part. I think we both understand and have great respect for what we bring to the table. So, it’s at times amicable.”

What are your thoughts on Roman Reigns?

“I think when you look at the top, elite performers in this industry right now, I think Roman Reigns is in that discussion. I think he is a polarizing figure, which is always a great thing in this business. I think whatever success that he comes by he works for, so I give him that credit.”

Braun Strowman?

“Braun by far is probably one of the most, how should I phrase this. For how little time he’s spent in the industry, his knowledge and his abilities have grown 10 fold every week. He is a guy that is constantly improving. He is constantly getting better. Now he is probably one of the biggest consummate, complete acts in the industry.”

You can check out Joe’s full interview with The New York Post here.

Braun Strowman recently spoke with TV Insider to talk about various topics including his relationship with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and wrestling Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, and Samoa Joe in the Fatal 4-Way match at this Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view event. Here are the highlights:

Competing in the Fatal 4-Way match at SummerSlam:

“Just to share the ring with guys like Brock [Lesnar], [Samoa] Joe and [Roman] Reigns. They have all been doing this a lot longer than I have. They have been around the world and done it all. To be able to be in the main event of SummerSlam, about two years to the day when I debuted on Monday Night Raw. If that doesn’t speak for itself. I don’t know what does. …Everyone can look forward to me holding the Universal Championship over my head at the end of it.”

His relationship with Vince McMahon:

“Vince has been adamant that everything I do be spot-on, and when it’s not, I know. That’s part of the reason I take pride in what I do and give 100 percent of what I am capable of giving. That’s because I know that not only are there millions of fans watching to make sure I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing, but the boss himself is watching, too. He is so hands-on and wants me to be a peak performance at all times.”

Strowman also talked about working with The Big Show and more. You can read the entire interview here.