Samoa Joe says his match with Brock Lesnar had a "big fight" vibe.
At WWE Great Balls of Fire, Samoa Joe was unsuccessful in defeating Brock Lesnar for Lesnar's WWE Universal Championship. The match was physical as was the build up to the pay-per-view. In an interview with Inside The Ropes, Samoa Joe discussed his mentality going into the feud. He said some people underestimated him when he squared off with Lesnar.
"I recognize it for the opportunity it was. I think a lot of people, even before it started, weren't interested because they felt it was kind of a holding pattern type of feud. But, I knew better, and I know Heyman knew better. I knew Brock would shortly know better. Heyman even talked about it in his promos. I was the worst case scenario for Brock because I'm a guy that's going to go in there and will be in Brock's face," said Samoa Joe.
At one point, Samoa Joe put Lesnar's advocate Paul Heyman in a Coquina Clutch. Lesnar and Samoa Joe also had a few brawls leading up to WWE Great Balls of Fire. Samoa Joe talked about how his match with Lesnar felt.
"In the confrontations leading up to it. They knew what I was capable of and they knew what lengths I would take things," said Samoa Joe "There was an electricity that night, we went out there, the vibe was very much 'it's a big fight night and we're going to find out who's standing at the end of this.' That's something throughout my career, something I've tried to bring to my matches," he continued.
At WWE Summerslam, Samoa Joe was in a four-way match with Lesnar, Braun Strowman, and Roman Reigns. He didn't win, but he didn't take the pinfall, either. Fightful Wrestling provided live coverage and a recapping podcast.
The rest of the interview can be viewed below.
