Samoa Joe Talks Brock Lesnar; Randy Orton Rumors; Mercedes Martinez Injury Update

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

---

Samoa Joe Talks Working with Lesnar

As one of Brock Lesnar's best and most believable opponents in WWE, Samoa Joe knows a thing or two about what it takes to lock horns with The Beast Incarnate.

Appearing on Out of Character with Ryan Satin of Fox Sports (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Joe provided some insight regarding what is needed to earn Lesnar's respect:

"That's the kind of energy you have when you're out there with Brock. He probably won't respect anything less than that. If you don't show up saying you're gonna try to kick his teeth in and you're coming after him, he ain't trying to hear it. You've gotta keep that energy with him. That's kind of what I'm alluding to. You've gotta match that intensity."

Joe had two notable matches against Brock, the first being a one-on-one bout for the Universal Championship at Great Balls of Fire in 2017.

While Lesnar beat Joe in what was a fairly short match to retain, Joe came across as a legitimate threat and didn't hesitate to lay his offense in and make it look like a real fight.

He also showed no fear during the build toward Great Balls of Fire, as he cut some heated promos on Lesnar and engaged in a memorable brawl as well.

Joe would go on to face Lesnar again the following month at SummerSlam in a Fatal 4-way that also involved Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman. Brock would win that contest as well.

Few wrestlers in the history of the business come across as a more legitimate enforcer and tough guy than Joe, which is why he worked so well as a foil to Lesnar.

It also explains why he is thriving in his new role as NXT general manager William Regal's heavy, as Joe has added a new and exciting dimension to the black and gold brand in just a few weeks on the job.

---

Details on Orton's Absence from Raw

Randy Orton did not appear on Monday night's episode of Raw, and the exact reason remains unclear.

According to PWInsider (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Orton was not backstage for Raw, and there is "no clear indication" where he was.

After losing a Money in the Bank qualifying match to John Morrison last week, Orton was scheduled to face Drew McIntyre and AJ Styles in a last-chance qualifier this week in the main event of Raw.

Instead, Raw opened with WWE official Adam Pearce noting that Orton wasn't there and couldn't compete, which led to him booking a battle royal to determine who would replace Orton in the match.

Riddle entered the battle royal on Orton's behalf and was then inserted into the Triple Threat with the stipulation that if he could beat McIntyre and Styles, The Viper would become part of the men's Money in the Bank ladder match.

While Riddle performed well, he was pinned by McIntyre after a Claymore Kick, meaning Orton is out of Money in the Bank, while Riddle is still part of it.

The unlikely pairing of Riddle and Orton as RK-Bro has been one of the most entertaining things on Raw for the past several weeks, and Riddle failing to get Orton into Money in the Bank adds another layer to the story.

Given how well it played out, it is entirely possible that it was always the plan to keep Orton off television this week and put Riddle in his place.

Now, there is uncertainty regarding how Orton will react to Riddle's shortcomings when he does return.

---

Martinez Reportedly Taken to Hospital After Injury on NXT

Mercedes Martinez reportedly received a medical evaluation after suffering an apparent injury on Tuesday's episode of NXT.

According to Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp, Martinez was checked backstage by medical personnel and then transported to a hospital.

The apparent injury occurred during a mixed tag team match pitting Martinez and Jake Atlas against Tian Sha members Xia Li and Boa.

Li hit Martinez with a vicious-looking kick to the side of the head, and Martinez immediately looked to go limp before falling to the mat.

When Li went for the cover, Martinez seemed to be out of it and was only able to barely lift her shoulder off the mat to avoid a three count. Sensing Martinez was in distress, the referee called for the bell and the win was awarded to Tian Sha.

Martinez is a 40-year-old veteran who has been a professional wrestler for over 20 years, making her debut in 2000.

She first appeared on the WWE radar in 2017 when she was part of the first Mae Young Classic, and she also competed in the second Mae Young Classic in 2018.

She officially signed with WWE in January 2020, and she has been a key part of the NXT women's division ever since.

---

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).