Samoa Joe vs. John Cena Is Must-Book Feud When The Destroyer Returns from Injury

Samoa Joe's knee injury will delay what should be inevitable—a massive showdown with John Cena.

The flashes we have seen of Joe vs. Cena thus far make it abundantly clear that WWE needs to pit those two together on a more sustained basis soon. Theirs would be a compelling battle more than worthy of prime time.

The company will hold off on that, however, as The Destroyer is hurt.

PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported: "Joe suffered a knee injury over the weekend at the WWE live events." Dave Meltzer also reported the news on Figure Four Online. Johnson wrote that he heard Joe could be out for four weeks; Meltzer said six.

Either way, Joe will likely miss No Mercy on Sept. 24. He'll be out of action as Cena and Roman Reigns clash at the pay-per-view.

After that story reaches its climax, WWE would be wise to send Joe after Cena.

When those two crossed paths last Monday in a segment that also included The Miz and Reigns, sparks flew. Joe confronting Cena was one of the most engaging scenes that played out that night. It was clear that Joe vs. Cena is a natural fit. 

Geno Mrosko of Cageside Seats wrote of Joe: "He absolutely belongs in the main event picture. He fit right in battling Brock Lesnar and he fit right in battling John Cena."

Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet believes Joe vs. Cena will be better than Cena's current feud:

Whether that ends up being the case or not, Joe needs to face Cena when he's healthy. For one, Cena remains the benchmark of WWE, the man you beat to launch your way to the top of WWE.

Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and others took that route. That's the path Reigns is on. Joe's turn should follow.

The bout would be a tremendous battle brimming with physicality. It would be a dream match of sorts as one of Impact Wrestling's cornerstones for so many years went up against the face of WWE for the past decade.

There's history to dive into as Joe and Cena both trained at Ultimate Pro Wrestling. WWE could weave footage of each man's early days into the story.

And with WWE delivering Cena vs. Reigns early, The Cenation Leader will be in need of a big-time WrestleMania opponent. The Destroyer fits that bill.