Samoa Joe needs no introduction to the masses of pro wrestling fans out there. He dominated in Ring of Honor and Impact (TNA) and on the independent circuit as well, even before he ever showed up in WWE. Of course the fact that he premiered in NXT upset many of his fans early on in that WWE run of his…a run that came to an end just this week.
But still, we supported him. We stood by his side and as he dominated in NXT, we cheered him on. He did make it to WWE’s main roster, but that came to an end due to multiple injuries he had suffered—specifically a head injury that led him to not being medically cleared to compete. So, he joined the analysts’ desk on Raw…a job he was also quite good at.
But Samoa Joe was and is a wrestler, and wrestling was what he was born to do. He was released from WWE in April of 2021, but called back to NXT by Triple H, who it was reported was abhorrently against Joe’s release from the company. In that run, Joe started in a role as a sort of enforcer. That led to a feud and match with Karrion Kross—the then NXT Champion.
Joe would win the NXT title off of Kross at TakeOver 36, but before the rebranding of NXT from the Black and Gold to the 2.0 version we have today, Joe was stripped of the title…essentially, it was vacated, and he went onto a backstage role with the NXT brand. And now this….
He was released yet again for his efforts. He hinted recently at what the future now holds for him. He said:
“Extremely fortunate and grateful to all the young & amazing talent I had the pleasure of working with in the past months. Only saddened at the loss of an “excuse” to see their continued growth & achievement. I am very excited for (their) future….. and mine.”
via Samoa Joe on Twitter
via Impact Wrestling /YouTube
This statement was finished off with an upside-down smiley face. Perhaps that emoji says more than any can speculate, but really, the sky’s the limit for the like of Samoa Joe. He was ruler of Impact Wrestling in his day, but yet for a mind like his, there is definitely room over at AEW—in the ring or behind the scenes. Samoa Joe was the first-ever 3-time NXT Champion.
Looking forward to seeing what happens next for this legend of the ring and inspiring talent. We’ll keep you posted, dear readers, should anything come up.
Domenic Marinelli is an author and freelance writer/journalist. His work has appeared in The Sportster, E-Wrestling News, Pro Wrestling News Hub, CFL News Hub, XFL News Hub, Ringside News, Daily DDT, USFL News Hub, Slam Wrestling, as well as other print and internet publications. He is the author of Generic V, Summer of the Great White Wolf, His Old Tapes (stories & poetry), Across a Dark River in Palermo and so many others. He lives in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. https://linktr.ee/AuthorDomenicMarinelli
