Samoa Joe Must Remain Dominant Force Following WWE Raw In-Ring Debut

Samoa Joe feasted on WWE Raw's heroes in his first two nights on the red brand, and it was hard to look away.

The Samoan Submission Machine hobbled Seth Rollins last week in his debut appearance on the main roster. He followed that on Monday with a pre-match throttling of Roman Reigns.

After only two appearances on Raw, Joe looks every bit like the monster the show needs.

WWE needs to continue to showcase Joe, present him as a stalking predator and position him as one of Raw's top stars.

The former NXT champion's first act of destruction came on Jan. 30, when Triple H sicced the powerhouse on Rollins. Joe smashed The Architect, leaving him out cold in the center of the canvas.

The attack resulted in a real-life MCL injury that WWE has since milked as proof of Joe's destructive power.

The company produced a video in which Cathy Kelley broke down Joe gloating about injuring Rollins. On Monday's Raw, when updating fans on Rollins' condition, WWE didn't shy away from playing up Joe's role in leaving the babyface in need of crutches.

In his first official action on Raw, Joe took on Rollins' former stablemate, Reigns.

Before the bell even rang, The Destroyer pounced on his foe. He hammered him with right hands to the body and smashed his face against the ring post. 

Soon, Joe towered over a fallen Reigns, glaring at him in disdain.

The Big Dog recovered mid-match and mounted a comeback. Then Braun Strowman charged in, plowed into Reigns and made the path to victory easier for Joe.

WWE could have held back on that front and let Joe do more of the demolition on his own, but the net result was an impressive debut for the newcomer from NXT.

As Vaughn Johnson of Philly.com wrote, "Joe was made to look like a star on his first full night in WWE." 

PWMania writer Jason Solomon praised how WWE debuted Joe as well:

This kind of booking needs to continue.

For one, the role of the smothering, nasty bruiser suits Joe perfectly. He looks like a beast with his thick 282-pound frame and bloodthirsty stare. As fans saw at the peak of his NXT run and during his TNA days, he was always at his best when filled with rage, issuing a merciless attack on anyone in his way.

That's the Joe we've seen in his two appearances on Raw so far.

To best use his talents, he needs to continue writing a similar story of relentless violence. Joe has to look to hurt opponents outside of official action. He has to be a fearsome force who mauls inferior competition. 

Raw will reap the benefits from having a top-level, vicious villain in the fold.

The show's babyfaces need walls to run into and mountains to climb. Should Joe remain a prominent heel and overwhelming monster, he will thrive in that spot. The marquee rivalries at WWE's disposal will be plentiful—from Joe vs. Rollins to Joe vs. Sami Zayn.

If Reigns or Rollins rolls over Joe without a hell of a fight, though, WWE would be hampering a man capable of being one of its cornerstones. 

He can't end up becoming the second coming of Bray Wyatt—a man who promises destruction, only to fall to the knights of the squared circle time and time again. He can't slide into midcard comedy territory as Rusev has.

Instead, WWE has to commit to Joe as it has done with Brock Lesnar, Strowman and Reigns. The Destroyer's 1-0 record must balloon in the coming months, maintaining a winning percentage fit for a true titan.

Joe will enthrall as Raw's resident wrecking ball, but only if WWE puts trust in The Destroyer.