WWE superstar Samoa Joe talks with The Post’s Joseph Staszewski before battling Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns for the Universal title Sunday at SummerSlam.

Q: Is this fatal-four-way match for the Universal title on Sunday maybe the biggest of your career, considering it is SummerSlam and for a title?

A: Absolutely, I say it is. Obviously I’ve had big matches all around the world, but I think the biggest thing is [Sunday] at SummerSlam, one of the biggest kind of pay-per-view franchises in the industry, and I am in the main event. So yeah, by far this is the biggest match of my career.

Q: Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman have said they will leave WWE if Brock loses. If you are the reason that happens, what would it mean to add that distinction to your career?

A: (Laughs) It would be great. To be the guy that ran Brock Lesnar out of WWE, that is definitely a title I would love to hold and am looking to accomplish next Sunday.

Q: What’s your relationship with Brock and Paul backstage? I know there has been talk that they are big supporters of yours.

A: I think there is a lot of mutual respect there, for the most part. I think we both understand and have great respect for what we bring to the table. So, it’s at times amicable.

Q: You think that is one of the reasons the match at Great Balls of Fire (which Lesnar won) went the way it did, and both you guys left looking pretty good?

A: Absolutely, I think Brock and Paul definitely understand the intensity that I bring to the table and the vibe that I put out there whenever I’m getting ready for big matches. They recognized it for the big match that it was. I definitely did. At the end, I think it went to a lot of the fans enjoyment.

Q: The last time you performed at Barclays on SummerSlam weekend, you lost the NXT title to Shinsuke Nakamura. What do you remember most about that night?

A: I think the biggest thing I remember is how many fans from around the world come into Brooklyn, along with the native New Yorkers to attend these events, to attend this weekend. SummerSlam has kind of become part of this big Red Hook renaissance? Everybody comes out. It’s an event to attend and be a part of. So it is really cool to kind of see the atmosphere. It’s very international and it’s very, very lively.

Q: What’s it like performing with Shinsuke in the ring? He is known for his strong style.

A: Shinsuke, he is by far one of the best competitors in the world. It is no surprise to me that he found his way to WWE. I think when you look at the WWE roster now you are seeing guys who are consistently the top guys in this industry, all around the world, converging on WWE in all these events, SummerSlam, WrestleMania. It is a really, really cool time to be a wrestling fan.

Q: You have said in the past that when you first signed with WWE it was basically an NXT/merchandise deal and not a full-time one because you were in your 30s. How did you take it at the time?

A: I took it as an opportunity, which is what it was. I think something that escapes a lot of people is my entire career … I call myself the “often unwanted” because when I got to Ring of Honor I was told it was supposed to be one-off deal. I said, “That’s fine,” knowing that when I went in there it was going to be more than that and it was.

When I got to TNA, I was brought in because they didn’t have television. They told me, “Hey listen, we like you because you have an internet following,” and that was where they were broadcasting their shows predominantly and there was much more [for me] after that.

I knew once I got there and I did my thing that wouldn’t be the case and it wasn’t. When I got to the WWE, when I was presented with that initial opportunity, I knew once again it was my oyster to crack open and take the prize. That’s what I did, and I find myself here in the main event of SummerSlam.

Q: Why do you think that so many organizations have thought you didn’t fit what they wanted or viewed you as a one-off thing?

A: It’s tough to say. I think it’s obviously timing and being circumstantial. I think it’s varying different views. With Ring of Honor, it was more of a budgetary issue. I was a California guy and to pay that flight consistently every month, it was a tough go for them as a starting-up company at the time. They found the money and they made the time and brought me on full time.

With TNA it was very different situation. They didn’t have television. They were transferring from FOX to working out the Spike [TV] deal. Basically they were just trying keep a buzz and to bring in names that would turn the heads to the audience they were aiming to reach at the time.

With WWE, I have been on the outskirts of this company for the majority of my career, so an opportunity presented itself. NXT was a new hot product and specifically I was more or less brought in to help build the brand. Based on my efforts, I was brought up to the main roster.

Q: How much do you think things going well with WWE and getting a chance at the Universal title now goes back to the following that you brought with you to WWE?

A: I think the fans that I brought here are a major reason and a major component to my experience here. You get guys who say they have a following and they have something incoming and make an impact in the past, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. But in my case I was fortunate enough that fans of mine of the long term that stuck with me and have been more than supportive when I have been here in WWE.

Q: Was there ever a point where you thought getting a chance at WWE wasn’t going to happen and just said if it doesn’t, it wasn’t meant to be?

A: Yeah. I think I resigned myself that I was going to give it a shot and if it worked out great, great. If it didn’t, it didn’t, you know? I’ve had a fantastic career up until my signing, more than most guys that choose this as a profession could ask for. So what I am doing now in WWE is just kind of I am in the bonus, and I am definitely enjoying it.

Q: How did your judo and MMA background shape your wrestling style?

A: I think martial arts in general shaped my wrestling style. I think I grew up as a martial artist as a kid. It helped my transition easily into this career as an adult. I think a lot of the concepts and a lot of the technique that I had picked up early on definitely helped me in my career so far.

I think it helped define a newer style of wrestling that you see predominantly now, both on the independent and internationally and even here in WWE. It’s had a tremendous influence on my style and what I like to do in the ring.

Q: Do you think the popularity of MMA now is why wrestlers are starting to incorporate it more or people have just started to train in it along the way?

A: I think it is a combination of all those factors. I think guys are becoming more well-rounded grapplers in training and some guys are going back to the really, really old-school base fundamentals of professional wresting. A lot of early MMA was pretty much shoot wrestling, so I think in some ways it’s something new. It’s something that evolved over time. It’s a lot of rediscovery of older techniques and older mindsets on how to approach a match.

Q: Was mortgage broker really your last job before becoming a wrestler or was there something else in between?

A: There were tons of things. Obviously, I worked for my family’s Polynesian dance troupe for my entire life up until I started wresting full time. Mortgage broker, bouncer, party rental warehouse manager. I did any and all things to keep the rent paid.

Q: How good were you at those?

A: I was pretty good at all of them, but they were not things that I really wanted to do.

Q: What are your thoughts on Roman Reigns?

A: I think when you look at the top, elite performers in this industry right now, I think Roman Reigns is in that discussion. I think he is a polarizing figure, which is always a great thing in this business. I think whatever success that he comes by he works for, so I give him that credit.

Q Braun Strowman?

A: Braun by far is probably one of the most, how should I phrase this. For how little time he’s spent in the industry, his knowledge and his abilities have grown 10 fold every week. He is a guy that is constantly improving. He is constantly getting better. Now he is probably one of the biggest consummate, complete acts in the industry.

Q: A.J. Styles?

A: It’s in his moniker and it’s absolutely deserved. He’s phenomenal. I’ve worked with A.J. all around the world for the better part of my career. He’s never lost a step. He’s only gotten better, and he continues to deliver fantastic matches, so I don’t know what else you could ask for from a performer of his caliber.

Q: Who was your biggest wrestling influence?

A: There’s a lot. Real quiet, I saw a lot of UWFI (Union of Wrestling Forces International) growing up, so the [Nobuhiko] Takada’s of the world and then at the same time, guys like Arn Anderson really appealed to me, very business-like. They were really deadly at any given time. They just had an innate ability to take apart their opponents. Those are two big influences of many.

Q: Have you gotten a chance to sit down with Arn since joining the company?

A: Absolutely, and I’ve enjoyed my discussion with him. He’s a wealth of knowledge and of attitude.

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A: Bruiser Brody, I always say. I would love to have gotten in the ring with him and throw it around a little bit. Presently now, there are really far too many to list. We haven’t even scratched the surface as far as dream matches in WWE. I think in the coming weeks and months we will definitely see some of that come to fruition.

Q: Favorite hobby in your off-time?

A: I’m a big gamer, I think like most people my age (38). I’m a big reader. Whenever I am on the road, if I am in an airplane or on a bus, I am usually cracking a book and taking in some reading.

Q: Favorite game and book?

A: Favorite game? I really can’t even scratch the surface on that because there are too many I’ve played.

Q: Are you a Call of Duty guy?

A: Literally the entire gamut, everything from first-person shooters to RPGs to sports games. As far as favorite book, I think I constantly refer back to the Hagakure, which is an old Japanese philosophy book, but always find interesting insight in it.

Q: Lastly, what’s you prediction for Sunday night at SummerSlam?

A: At Sunday night at SummerSlam I will be more than happy to be starting my first reign as WWE Universal Champion.