7 Best Options for Samoa Joe's First Feud as US Champion on WWE SmackDown Live

Samoa Joe as United States champion.Credit: WWE.com

After two long years, Samoa Joe finally won his first title on the WWE main roster on Tuesday's SmackDown, defeating R-Truth for the United States Championship.

This feels long overdue, as Joe was brought to the company with a lot of hype. He was one of the biggest stars in TNA and had been one of the most respected workers in the industry for years.

This puts Joe in a good position to get a high-profile match at WrestleMania 35, but it's unlikely he will end up facing R-Truth in a rematch.

As good as Truth is, WWE has never taken him too seriously. He will probably end up in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal while Joe faces someone else.

This article will look at the best options for Samoa Joe's first feud as United States champion.

Before he went down for a few weeks with an injury, Mustafa Ali appeared to be on the fast track to success. 

WWE was putting him in the ring with some of the biggest names on SmackDown, and he was not only holding his own but also picking up some surprising victories.

If management wants to continue his push, a great way to get him back in the game would be a U.S. title match with Joe at WrestleMania.

Joe might be known as a big man, but he is more than capable of keeping up with Ali's signature brand of high-flying and fast-paced offense.

A feud between these two would produce some great matches and give both Superstars a chance to shine on a big stage.

Rey Mysterio has made a career out of taking out guys who are much larger than he is, so being put into the ring with someone like Samoa Joe would be par for the course.

These are two veterans who have had limited interactions both in and out of WWE, so seeing an extended program with a David vs. Goliath storyline would be something everyone could get excited about.

Like Ali, Mysterio is known for the way he can fly through the air with great ease. His style would complement Joe's in-your-face intensity.

WrestleMania should be a night full of great matches, and Mysterio vs. Joe for the United States Championship would fit the bill.

Andrade has been stuck in a weird place for the past few months on SmackDown. It's clear WWE wants him to succeed, but it might not know how to use him.

His in-ring ability is on par with the best in the company, and Zelina Vega has been an excellent manager who helps her client cut corners when necessary.

El Idolo is operating as a heel, but either man could turn babyface if WWE felt like the feud needed a good guy.

Then again, WWE fans don't always need someone to cheer for when two guys are as good as Joe and Andrade, so just putting them in the ring together might be enough to satisfy the crowd.

One of the greatest WWE failures of the past few years has been the company's burial of Sanity, a stable made up of Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain.

This group had so much potential, and WWE squandered it the moment they debuted on the main roster. Anyone who watched them in NXT knows how good Sanity can be when given the right opportunity.

If WWE wanted to give the stable a second chance, putting the leader in a feud with Samoa Joe for the U.S. title would accomplish that goal.

Joe and Young have a long history, going back more than a decade. WWE might not have the footage to show their time in TNA together, but that wouldn't stop the company from acknowledging how the two Superstars knew each other before their days in WWE.

We have seen WWE loosen its policy on mentioning other promotions on the air in recent years, so it may as well exploit the history between these veterans in order to get Young back on the right track.

Shelton Benjamin has barely been used on SmackDown since Chad Gable was moved to Raw in April 2018. It's a shame because he is one of the best technical wrestlers on the roster.

The Gold Standard is a former United States champion, so simply wanting to regain the title is all WWE would need to kick off a storyline between him and Joe leading up to WrestleMania.

Even if the plan is to keep the belt around Samoa Joe's waist for the time being, Benjamin would make a great opponent because his high-impact style of wrestling would match up with Joe's style perfectly.

WWE brought him back because it recognized his value. It should start finding better ways to use his veteran experience to help the rest of the roster while also giving him the spotlight he deserves.

Kofi Kingston is experiencing his first singles push in years, but that doesn't mean WWE can't also give one or both of his New Day teammates something significant to do on the Road to WrestleMania.

Woods is probably the most underrated member of the group because it seems like he doesn't wrestle as often on television as Kingston and Big E, but he has shown how good he is multiple times in both tag team and singles matches.

Like Young, Woods has a history with Joe, going back to their days in TNA, in which he worked under the name Consequences Creed. 

The New Day doesn't have to break up for each member to find individual success. In fact, it would be refreshing to see a group stay together and support each other's goals instead of someone getting jealous and stabbing their teammate in the back.

Rowan has settled into his new gig as Daniel Bryan's personal enforcer, but we still have no idea how the company intends to use his former tag team partner, Harper.

Out of the three main members of The Wyatt Family, Harper always showed the most versatility in the ring. His first singles run was a disaster because WWE didn't know how to use him.

He has a lot in common with Samoa Joe. They are both powerhouses who are more than willing to dive out of the ring to take down their opponents.

A repackaged Harper returning and setting his sights on the U.S. title would be an interesting direction to take his character, especially if he returns to something closer to the Brodie Lee character he portrayed on the indy scene.