It’s the hope that gets you in the end. It’s hope propelled by a first time ever – perhaps only – dream match. It’s hope propelled by one of the most decorated and fearsome wrestlers in WWE history taking on a challenger steeped in experience and talent. It’s hope propelled by the notion that for all the waiting and grating, we were on the cusp of seeing something pretty remarkable.
Alas, Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe’s squint of a scrap at Sunday’s Great Balls of Fire PPV was one big, hairy sack of a square up. We all know the build up to this titanic encounter was hot; Joe looking like a viable contender to Lesnar’s Shang Tsung-style untouchable throne of bones and his seemingly unassailable spot at the top of the company’s in-ring pecking order. Lesnar looked unsure, weak even, as the former ROH, TNA and NXT champion kicked his jaw sideways and choked him out on consecutive RAW broadcasts, looking to fulfil every stipulation of the ‘Destroyer’ tag that WWE have slapped on him.
Even with the crowd sapped after a somewhat tumultuous Ambulance Match between Reigns and Strowman – and buffered by the stretchiest of dead rubber matches in Heath Slater vs Curt Hawkins – tension was high and even the whiff of a title change was in the air.
The first note of dread set in when anyone applied some serious thought to the idea that even before the pre-hype package and each wrestler’s entrance, the PPV had just over 15 minutes to run. Cool. Groovy. Morning. Fine. It’ll be a quick, bloody, powerful brawl. To quote Homer Simpson: “It’s a little airbourne. It’s still good! It’s still good!”
Credit where it’s due to the bookers though, because the first few minutes couldn’t have gone any better. Brandishing his belt in an act of defiance to his challenger, Brock was blindsided by Joe and looked to be on a hiding to nothing before the opening bell had even rung.
A ura-nage put Lesnar through the Spanish announce table at ringside and courtesy of some mean-looking welts on his lower back, the Beast looked legit injured. It’s no secret that Brock sells for those he respects – or can be bothered to sell for – and in a matter of seconds he made Joe look a million bucks.
But it didn’t take long for things to fall into place, revert to type and meander through the motions again. Joe slapped on a few attempts at the Coquina Clutch and in between some yard dog scratching and biting, both the early pace and power of Joe’s initial assault subsided very quickly.
Six German Suplexes and one F5 was all Brock used to put Joe down for the three. Make no mistake, this was indeed a squash by any other name. In an era where marquee matches see four or five finishers applied and kicked out from, dispensing of an opponent with just one seems lacklustre. Indeed, the pendulum has swung the other way on that issue. If it was an attempt to make the F5 look more deadly than it has been in recent times, Joe isn’t exactly the man to run with that one with.
Take the power displayed by Strowman against Apollo Crews on the RAW go-home show before the PPV. Crews ,a man so far below Strowman’s station he could feasibly start a mining company, was toyed with and took three running powerslams before the pinfall. If you’re looking to put Joe over as a serious contender, have Brock pick him up again and deliver another F5 just to be sure. Hell, have him do a third. Brock retains his aura of strength, looks a dominant champion and Joe looks like the toughest of nuts to crack.
There will probably be a rematch at Summerslam. Instead of another straight-down-the-line fight, let’s jazz things up with a stipulation. Cage, submission, falls count anywhere, anything. For whatever reason it seems these two are a more limited pairing than we’d first thought. It’s at least time to try and deliver on the hype afforded to it.
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