Brock Lesnar Defeats Samoa Joe at Great Balls of Fire

Brock Lesnar pinned Samoa Joe at Great Balls of Fire to retain his Universal Championship.

A quick, yet explosive match, ended when Brock Lesnar deadlifted Samoa Joe into an F-5, sending the Destroyer crashing to the mat for the fateful 1-2-3. In the end, Joe tested Lesnar, but The Beast Incarnate was simply too good.

Joe jumped Lesnar before the bell, grabbing the early advantage. Once the referee actually started the contest, Joe remained in control. Lesnar would fend him off with his patented German suplexes, but the Samoan persisted. Joe actually would wrap the Coquina Clutch on Lesnar but it wasn't enough as the Universal Champion powered out of the choke hold and ended the match.

.@SamoaJoe? Wait for the bell? NOPE! @BrockLesnar #WWEGBOF pic.twitter.com/qw7GYwzXWL

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) July 10, 2017

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The Universal Championship is proof that a good, believable feud is critical to keeping a title looking strong. Since entering the fray as number one contender, Samoa Joe has been fantastic. His weekly, fiery contributions have brought out the best in Brock Lesnar and the Universal Championship's value has been on a steady rise. Without a doubt, this feud will prove to be one of the best of 2017. Joe and Lesnar's big three tussles on from RAW have already garnered over 12 million views on YouTube. This is what an electric championship feud looks like.

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Even though Joe lost, he's been a nearly priceless hold over between now and Brock's SummerSlam blockbuster. When he first became number one contender at Extreme Rules, we as fans didn't know what to expect. If we ever doubted Joe, we have emphatically been proven wrong. Where he goes from here is still unknown, but the Destroyer has carved out a spot near the top of WWE.

For Lesnar, his reign will continue up to SummerSlam. His match will surely be the card's headline so expect a sexy, bankable match. It could be Braun Stowman, Roman Reigns or even John Cena - WWE has several attractive options.