The War Report - February 24 2021: Sting And Darby Strike Back

Raw Superstar Samoa Joe is injured, according to a tweet posted by Kurt Angle earlier today. The former NXT Champion competed last night, defeating Rhyno, and didn't appear to be hurt - but the Raw General Manager revealed that he is being replaced in the upcoming Mixed Match Challenge.

https://twitter.com/RealKurtAngle/status/950760080563232769

Joe was originally scheduled to team with Bayley after winning a fan vote, but will now be replaced by the poll's runner-up - Elias.

It's unclear how Joe sustained this injury, how long he'll be out of action for, or if indeed it's a work. It was also revealed today that the former NXT Champion will have a voice acting role in the new Transformers animated series, 

Transformers: Power of the Primes 

- playing the role of Predaking.

The show is scheduled to be released in the second quarter of 2018, meaning that this injury could well be fabricated in order to give Joe time off to record his part. Then again, it's not unusual for a WWE Superstar to pick up an offscreen injury, given their often-gruelling workout and wrestling schedules.

Mixed Match Challenge begins next week after SmackDown Live, and is available on Facebook Watch. Several pairings have already been revealed for the competition, and are as follows:

Alexa Bliss and Braun Strowman, Sasha Banks and Finn Balor, Asuka and The Miz, Nia Jax and Apollo Crews, Alicia Fox and Goldust, and Bayley and Elias will represent Raw.

SmackDown's revealed teams thus far are Charlotte Flair and Bobby Roode, Lana and Rusev, and Naomi and Jimmy Uso.

Hopefully Joe's injury is a minor one, and he'll be able to wrestle in time for the Royal Rumble. Since debuting on the main roster last January, he's become one of the most popular heels on the Raw brand, enjoying entertaining feuds with the likes of Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.