Examining Samoa Joe's Importance to WWE NXT Brand

A beast who thrills as he gnaws on his prey, a marketable star and a mentor on the mat, Samoa Joe is the heart of WWE NXT.

It's a role that shifts from wrestler to wrestler, as the brand's makeup is by nature transitory. Neville once carried that flag. Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Finn Balor did as well. But now with Balor no longer holding the NXT Championship and speculation rampant about him moving to the main roster, it appears to be time for another change at the top.

Joe is poised to be the face of NXT.

As much as fans want to see The Samoan Submission Machine start bashing heads on Raw and SmackDown, this is in many ways an ideal fit for him. He is key to NXT being both an in vogue, traveling brand and a developmental territory that preps the next wave of talent.

WWE can rest easy with Joe at the helm. It knows with him as its champion that NXT's main events will be stellar, that its top prospects will get quite the in-ring education and that it can reliably appeal to the kind of diehard fans who most closely follow NXT.

On the Marquee

NXT has become far more than just WWE's developmental offshoot. It's a thriving alternative brand.

At TakeOver: Brooklyn, over 15,000 fans, per the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, packed into the Barclays Center. NXT then filled the SSE Arena Wembley in London, then sold out the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas four months later.

And Joe was a prominent figure at each of those shows. He is one of the bigger selling points for major events like these, a future TNA Hall of Famer lending his name to WWE's little brother. 

WWE would never have been able to reach those kinds of attendance numbers when Deep South Wrestling or Ohio Valley Wrestling were its developmental territories. They didn't air on WWE Network for one, but they also didn't host established veterans like Joe.

For NXT to make those kinds of trips outside of its home base in Florida and to bring in those kinds of crowds, it needs star power. Specifically, it needs star power that will compel a certain kind of fan—those who consume wrestling.

Joe fits that bill. Diehard fans have seen his work at Ring of Honor and TNA, and were already invested in him before he first confronted Kevin Owens last year.

Joe, like Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura, possesses a cache with that part of the audience. His presence entices fans to tune into NXT. His status as an indy darling helps add to the hip energy that NXT already wields. 

The powerhouse will continue to lead NXT as it stretches its reach to different parts of the country, as it continues to grow into a brand that fans buzz about. He seems content with that role.

On Table for 3, he said, "I was kind of brought in to add to the momentum that NXT has going. I mean, obviously, I think we all want to go win the big one, but I also wouldn't mind helping NXT be part of a bigger thing."

Reliable in the Ring

When WWE books a newcomer like No Way Jose in a match for NXT TV, the company can't be sure what it's going to get.

Jose is a novice in the process of learning the art form of wrestling. It's important to get him experience and spotlight, and see how the crowd reacts to him, but chances are, he's not going to produce something exceptional every night.

NXT is filled with promising but unproven talents like him. Sure, the company has to develop these guys, but it has to create a quality product on TV, too.

That's where a guy like Joe comes in. WWE can confidently close out its shows with bouts that will have fans wanting to watch next week's episode, to tune in to the next TakeOver special.

Balor and Joe's battles have been stunning. Each time out, they deliver a hard-hitting, dramatic contest that elevates the card they are on.

It's matches like these that have made NXT so popular. The brand has become known for top-flight in-ring action—something Joe can provide on a nightly basis.

And Joe has looked good against just about everybody, enthralling audiences in TV bouts against everyone from Zayn to Tommaso Ciampa.

Not only is the NXT champion leaning on over 16 years of experience, but he's experienced a renaissance. In his last few years at TNA, he didn't seem to have the same spark he showed early in his career. Be it fatigue or frustration over booking, something seemed to be holding him back.

Since joining NXT, though, he has been reborn. The move has clearly invigorated him.

After NXT TakeOver: London, Greg Parks of PWTorch noted that we were seeing the best from Joe:

That has given NXT a major boost. One of the world's top performers is hitting in his peak while working for the brand. That's certainly an effective way to draw in more viewers.

Education by Slugfest

If Joe left for the main roster today and Balor, Nakamura and Austin Aries joined him, NXT's emerging talents would suffer. Training and shared wisdom are all vital to prospects' development, but in the end, one learns wrestling in the ring.

Up-and-comers need in-ring mentors. Edge echoed that thought in an interview with WrestleZone Radio when he said:

"

You need those guys there in a developmental system like that to be able to lead and show the way for some of the younger guys that don't have that New Japan experience. That don't have some of that international cred under their belts already. It's really important to have Finn [Balor], Samoa Joe and Sami [Zayn]there.

"

Zayn is currently on the main roster in hot pursuit of the Intercontinental Championship. Balor is many folks' guess as NXT's next call-up. That leaves more teaching for Joe to do.

The Samoan Submission Machine played that role for Baron Corbin, a promising big man who recently made the move to Raw and SmackDown.

Corbin was unpolished, limited, raw. At one point, his bouts consisted of little more than a handful of punches and The Lone Wolf's finisher.

It was his rivalry with Joe that saw him develop in a hurry and how he became more of a well-rounded performer. Per CageMatch.net, Joe and Corbin battled 24 times since last August. 

That was vital experience for the rookie, seeing how a professional Joe worked the crowd, having him lead the way in their bouts. 

Joe is sure to issue those same lessons to other prospects journeying toward the main roster. 

The WWE Performance Center acts as Wrestling 101. Getting on NXT TV is a wrestler's undergraduate degree. Sharing the ring with Joe under the bright lights is how one gets their master's degree.

With all that in mind, it's hard to blame WWE for robbing fans of a main roster run from Joe so that it can strengthen NXT.