Originally Posted by Alienoid06
The guy might be overrated, and for your information, I am not a Samoa Joe cock sucker, I haven't seen too much of the guy's work actually. What I have seen are a collection of some of his better matches, and I think it's asinine that people act as if the guy is nothing.
What I love about the guy, is the ambience he creates for himself. Yeah, it's a shit justification for things, but occasionally I like to use the reasoning that if so many people get excited for him, then he's worth getting excited for. I mean, even if he's not your cup of tea, can't you admit the guy at least has support for a reason, even if you don't agree with it.
Joe is not "out of shape." That's just something anti-smark smarks use against him because he isn't chiseled. Umaga himself, who the Joe haters seem to love to blow, does not exactly have Johnny Nitro abs himself. It's a trait a lot of Samoan guys have, it's nothing to hold against the guy, especially when it doesn't hinder the guy at the all. Even if you're of the belief that it isn't a part of the "everyman" quality that makes Joe likable, then you have to at least admit it doesn't get in the way of the guy's ability.
The reason I love Samoa Joe, is not because he's agile for a big guy (which he is). Yeah, a lot of big guys can do stuff, but there are few who do it with grace. I mean, I love Kane, but when he attempted a hurricanrana once, it looked awkward as hell. What I love most about Joe, is that he does the dominant thing well (which he does). I love the way he rolls his moves, and uses combos against his opponents, that could believably put them down. His powerbomb into a modified Boston crab then into an STF, for example. This is brilliant, in my opinion. I'm not saying that Samoa Joe is always brilliant, dicks, I'm saying that in my opinion, that particular series of moves is brilliant.
Joe implements great psychology into his matches, and he is more willing to incorporate a more acrobatic style into his matches. Yes, Eddie Fatu is a little bigger (I don't buy he is 60+ lbs bigger than Joe, though, I'm his weight is exaggerated a fair bit by the WWE), and moves comparably well to Joe, but Joe balances his power and quickness really well. Like it or not, smaller guys have been able to work with Joe, take his shit, and make it look fantastic. A lot of them would not be able to take it from Fatu. Joe just has the right ingredients in the right ratio.
What I really like, is that he's just able to work with so many guys, and manages to produce this great matches where he does fly around and it works, and he does kick them and it works, and he does show off a lot of technical skill and psychology and it works. In my opinion, Samoa Joe works, and you only really need to look at his ROH run and early TNA days to see that.
I realise I am not going to be able to change your minds, but come on, the anti-Joe argument is just as weak, if not weaker than the Joe as demi-god argument. "Joe is amazing, and entertains many people" "Joe is fat, and doesn't entertain me," "Joe is a big guy who can move," "I don't like Joe because people who like Joe say he's a big guy who can move. I bet this guy could move just as well, you just haven't seen it yet." Hello, there is evidence of all the traits that Joe fans blow him for.
I respect BDC for flat-out saying it was his opinion. These opinions should not be taken as more informed than the rest of the internet's, though. There a lot of people within the industry, and who write about the industry, that believe Samoa Joe is TNA's money ticket. It's just a personal pet peeve of mine (I am still unsure of why, or whether or not it is justified) that Samoa Joe seems to get a raw deal in that the anti-Joe arguments are exaggerated versions of "he's not that great." Isn't saying "I feel the guy is overrated" enough? Why does it have to be so black and white on the guy?
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