WWE: Brock Lesnar transforms into accidental face against Samoa Joe for 'Great Balls of Fire' PPV

The June 12 edition of WWE Raw finally got some life injected into it, particularly the segment that saw Brock Lesnar re-emerging after a hiatus. Following the events that went down last week involving challenger Samoa Joe, one could sense that fireworks were in the midst.

Rewinding a bit to last week, Lesnar’s manager Paul Heyman came face-to-face with Joe; the former was put to sleep with the latter’s patented submission move – the Cocina clutch. When Joe won the right to become the no. 1 challenger to Lesnar’s Universal title, most were pondering on whether he would play face or heel. After the two Raw episodes, it seems obvious that the "Samoan Submission Machine" would be the heel of this epic battle.

After putting Heyman to sleep in the June 4 edition of Raw, it was obvious that Lesnar would be in attendance at the June 12 show, though the pair did not immediately call out Joe. Rather, it was more about the building tactics of Heyman against Lesnar before Joe’s music blared and tension was taken up a notch.

Both came face-to-face. Neither backed down. The result was a brawl that required security and middle card WWE stars entering the fray – reminiscent of the one Lesnar had with the now-retired Undertaker. Does Joe stand a chance against the "Beast Incarnate" when the two meet this July at "WWE Great Balls of Fire"?

Physically, there is no question that Lesnar has the upper hand. He is huge and gifted with wrestling and mixed martial arts skills. While he has become the fan-favourite and the obvious face in this feud, anything is still possible depending on how the WWE creative team maps it out.

For Joe, his asset is speed. Despite his frame, he has shown how he can easily surprise opponents with kicks and low blows. Against Lesnar, that could be dangerous, especially if he succeeds in wearing down the beast. Once that is done, most know it would be the Cocina Clutch that can devastate and put the “Beast” to sleep.

Looking ahead, a lot may depend as well on the state of the Universal Championship. If Joe wins, it could eventually set the stage for a feud with Roman Reigns. The “Big Dog” is still a favourite, and word out is that he and Lesnar are likely to be in the main event of Wrestlemania 34 next year.

Take note that Reigns does not need to target the Universal title. He could tangle with Joe (and other top stars like Seth Rollins, Finn Balor or Bray Wyatt), where the ultimate prize is the WWE Universal title up for grabs at Wrestlemania 34.

Both battled at Wrestlemania 31, though a clear winner was never adjudged. Rollins crashed the party at that time and surprised everyone by becoming WWE champion. It remains to be seen if the 2018 Wrestlemania 34 main event will finally see an actual winner with the WWE belt on his waist.