WWE started their push toward a Universal title fight between Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe at Great Balls of Fire with the new #1 contender’s appearance on the post-Extreme Rules Raw Talk last night (June 4).
A lot of fans are excited about this match-up, something which would have been unheard of a couple years back when Joe was still with TNA. But despite it being a showdown between two of the athletic big men with legitimate mixed martial arts skills, there’s still a bit of an uphill climb in selling it based on the casual WWE fan’s somewhat limited exposure to the Samoan Submission Machine and the hardcore fan’s knowledge of what the company currently has planned for Brock over the next year.
One thing they have going for them in those efforts are two gifted talkers in Joe and Lesnar’s advocate, Paul Heyman.
The former NXT champ’s discussion with Renee Young & Corey Graves, a portion of which you can see above, is an example of he’ll be hyping this showdown:
My preparations will be not very different from what I already do. And you’re right, this is a dream match to many people in this world. Cause let’s face it - we all try to act like we’re good people. We all try to act like we love and care about each other. But me vs. Brock Lesnar is what people really want. It’s when you wake up in the morning and you look for conflict. You look for two gentlemen who will do whatever it takes to beat the other man into submission. You think about me, and you think about Brock Lesnar. And I am more than prepared to take myself to that very very deep, dark, and violent place to get the job done. And I’m just very happy that I have this opportunity to do so.
Graves gave him an opening to address the Beast Incarnate directly, and added fuel to the fire with this:
To Brock Lesnar... you start your training camp up right now. You climb those mountains, you carry those logs, you throw people around, you beat up every sparring partner that you can bring into your camp. And I can guarantee you you still won’t be prepared for what I do to you.
Is it July 9 yet?