Samoa Joe Now the Top Heel He Should Be Heading into NXT TakeOver: London

Fans familiar with Samoa Joe's exploits prior to arriving at NXT had to wonder exactly what the endgame was for The Samoan Submission Machine in WWE's developmental brand.

One of the most decorated stars of his era, he seemingly lost confidence early in his NXT run. A much-needed heel turn has seen him riding a wave of momentum heading into NXT TakeOver: London, though, earning him a date with Finn Balor for the NXT Championship.

After being one of wrestling's most dangerous men during his time with Ring of Honor and across the independent scene, not to mention a wildly inconsistent decade with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Joe arrived at Vince McMahon's company as a neutered version of the critically acclaimed character he used to be.

Gone was the edginess, and in its place was a wrestler who appeared to be going through the motions. His promos were generic, and his in-ring work lacked the spark of intensity and anger that had become a trademark of the heavyweight's style. Management's use of him did not quite jibe with what fans had expected.

Even his theme music was an awful representation of the character.

Then he turned heel, attacking NXT champion Balor and making his championship aspirations clear, and suddenly, Joe had purpose again. More importantly, he looked like the guy fans had come to love. He spoke with conviction, worked with intensity and carried that element of danger with him to the squared circle.

Perhaps the best element of the new character is the entitlement that Joe has demonstrated.

One week after the heel turn, he discussed serving as Finn Balor's tag team partner during the Dusty Rhodes Classic and how he waited for the champion to offer him a title shot. When he did not, he became angry and bitter. Why? Because he is Samoa Joe and he should get a title shot based on name value alone.

That was a great addition to the persona, one that suggests arrogance and an unwillingness to work hard for everything he achieves.

That two of his notable chokeouts of Balor have come while the champion was being subdued by security, denoting some cowardice in the man who fancies himself the biggest badass in the world.

Just days away from his first opportunity to claim NXT gold, Joe is finally at home in the biggest wrestling company in the world. He has rediscovered his passion, and a lot of that can be linked to the heel turn that allowed him to rediscover his edge.

Joe's beatdowns of Balor and his use of the Coquina Clutch to choke out the current NXT champion have made him the killer heel he should have been from the very beginning.

With a lack of any other real main event villains outside of Baron Corbin, Joe is poised to enjoy a quality run as the unstoppable force atop the NXT mountain, whether he wins the title in London or not. 

The one-dimensional babyface act never really clicked with fans. There was no reason to care about him other than his name and reputation, which can carry a wrestler only so far. The betrayal of Balor and ruthless and aggressive assaults on the Irish-born Superstar have rejuvenated the performer and given fans cause to invest in him and his actions.

With potential matches against Apollo Crews and Sami Zayn on the horizon, not to mention rematches with Balor, the scene is set for Joe to turn in his finest and most complete year in quite some time.

In the process, he will contribute to the ongoing greatness that is NXT.