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Not many have stood toe-to-toe with WWE's Brock Lesnar, but current AEW wrestler Samoa Joe has, and he is wishing the best after the “Beast Incarnate” made his return at SummerSlam.
Speaking to ClutchPoints about Twisted Metal Season 2, in which Joe returns as Sweet Tooth, Joe played it cool regarding Lesnar's return. Given that he is signed to WWE's top competitor, AEW, that should come as no surprise. Still, he “hopes” the best for it.
“Yeah, [I] heard he returned,” Joe said. “I mean, [I] hope that goes good and he does awesome and everybody's stoked about it. That's pretty much it.”
Lesnar came back to WWE after a two-year hiatus at the 2025 SummerSlam PLE. He came back to attack John Cena following his matchup against Cody Rhodes. The return was surprising, given that Lesnar was named in Janel Grant's lawsuit against Vince McMahon.
However, Joe still holds Lesnar in high regard as an opponent. They shared the ring five times, including one Royal Rumble match. Joe is one of the few who has given Lesnar a run for his money despite never beating him.
“He is just an incredible species of [a] human; a different type of athlete,” he praised. “[He's] probably one of the most unique ones I've ever been in the ring with as far as strength, power, speed, all these characteristics. Definitely a force of nature in that ring.”
AEW star Samoa Joe and Brock Lesnar's WWE history
The first time Joe and Lesnar shared the ring was at WWE's Great Balls of Fire event in 2017. Lesnar was the reigning Universal Champion at the time, and they headlined the PLE. It was a brief match, as Lesnar won in just over six minutes.
Their next televised match would take place the following month at SummerSlam. Lesnar defended the Universal Championship in a fatal four-way match that also included Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman. Once again, Lesnar retained after returning to the ring after being stretchered out.
The only other time they technically shared the ring was the 2020 Royal Rumble. Lesnar, the reigning WWE Champion, entered the match first to prove a point. He wanted to win the battle royal so he would have WrestleMania off.
Lesnar ran through the first dozen or so Superstars, eliminating 13 wrestlers. He would eventually be eliminated by Drew McIntyre, who would go on to win the Royal Rumble and beat Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35. Joe entered in the penultimate spot of the match, so they never crossed paths.
Joe would subsequently be released by WWE in 2022. He then joined Ring of Honor and AEW later in the year. He is a one-time AEW World Champion during his tenure. Joe is also a two-time TNT Champion and one-third of the reigning World Trios Champions with Katsuyori Shibata and PowerhouseHobbs.
