Tag: Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe Returns On AEW Dynamite Maximum Carnage

AEW’s latest episode of Dynamite delivered another unforgettable moment as Samoa Joe made his highly anticipated return to the company. The former ROH World Television Champion came to the aid of Hook, who found himself outnumbered after a disqualification victory over Christian Cage.

The chaos began when Hook’s match against Cage concluded, only for Kip Sabian and Nick Wayne to blindside the FTW Champion. The Patriarchy’s two-on-one assault left Hook at a serious disadvantage. Just when things were looking grim, the familiar strains of Samoa Joe’s theme music echoed through the arena, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Joe stormed the ring, clearing out Sabian and Wayne to even the odds and offer his assistance to the young champion.

Joe’s appearance marks his first in-ring return to AEW programming since July. His last match was the grueling Stampede Street Fight against Chris Jericho on Dynamite, after which Joe stepped away to focus on other projects. Fans of the hard-hitting veteran may recognize him from his role as Sweet Tooth in the Peacock streaming series Twisted Metal. While Will Arnett provided the voice for the character, Joe’s physical portrayal of the terrifying, ice cream truck-driving villain left a lasting impression in the show’s first season. Joe has reportedly been working on season two of the popular series in recent months.

Outside of his on-screen projects, Joe has continued to express enthusiasm for AEW’s growing roster and exciting matchups. In an earlier interview, he praised the company’s trajectory, highlighting the additions of top-tier talent like Will Ospreay and the return of Kenny Omega, who recently battled back from his struggles with diverticulitis. With the company expanding its talent pool and Joe back in action, the future looks bright for AEW fans.

Now that Samoa Joe has reinserted himself into the AEW landscape, fans are left wondering what’s next. Will this alliance with Hook evolve into something more? Or is Samoa Joe setting his sights on a larger prize? One thing’s for sure—his return has once again shaken things up in AEW, and the locker room better take notice.

Video: See Samoa Joe Go Wild As Sweet Tooth In Twisted Metal Series Trailer

Last year, Samoa Joe took some time off from wrestling to film a new TV series: “Twisted Metal,” based on the video game series of the same name. Marketing for “Twisted Metal” has ramped up in recent months, and a new trailer has now dropped, giving fans another look at Joe’s performance as the villainous clown Sweet Tooth.

While Joe portrays Sweet Tooth’s physical form, the masked clown is voiced by “Arrested Development” and “Bojack Horseman” star Will Arnett. “Twisted Metal” will be available to stream on Peacock, with the first episode premiering on July 27. In addition to Joe and Arnett, “Twisted Metal” features Anthony Mackie, Neve Campbell, Stephanie Beatriz, and Thomas Haden Church.

It’s unclear how prominent a role Sweet Tooth will play in the series, or how many episodes Joe will appear in. However, what the trailer does make clear is that the character is in control of Las Vegas – or what remains of it in the show’s post-apocalyptic landscape.

The Twisted Metal series began in 1995, with the iconic Sweet Tooth gracing the cover of the first game. The series was developed and published by Sony as a PlayStation exclusive, and the first four Twisted Metal entries were released for the original Sony console between 1995 and 1999. In 2001, Sony brought the franchise to the PlayStation 2 with “Twisted Metal: Black” and, over a decade later, a reboot was released for the PlayStation 3.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Samoa Joe Could Be Returning To AEW Soon

Samoa Joe could be returning to the AEW ring sooner than later, according to PWInsider.

PWInsider reports that the Peacock series “Twisted Metal” has now wrapped shooting, which means Joe could be returning to the ring soon. Based on the PlayStation video games, the series will see Joe in a dual role with Will Arnett as the character Sweet Tooth. Arnett is the voice, while Joe will be the physical appearance of the clown. The series also stars Stephanie Beatriz, Neve Campbell, Thomas Haden Church, and Anthony Mackie.

Joe last wrestled at the ROH Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view, where he defeated Jay Lethal. Joe is the current ROH World Television Champion. He has held the title since defeating then-champion NJPW star Minoru Suzuki on the April 13 episode of “AEW Dynamite.”

After his WWE release on January 6, Joe signed with both AEW and ROH. He made his AEW in-ring debut on the April 7 episode of “Dynamite.” He won his debut match against The Acclaimed’s Max Caster and qualified for the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. Joe made it finals of the tournament but lost against Adam Cole at Double Or Nothing.

Before his AEW debut, he had made his return to ROH on April 1 at Supercard XV, where he saved Jonathan Gresham and Lee Moriarty from Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt. Supercard XV was ROH’s first event since being acquired by AEW CEO Tony Khan on March 2.

Along with his “Twisted Metal” role, Joe voiced King Shark for the upcoming DC video game, “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Tony Khan Confirms Samoa Joe Has Joined Both ROH And AEW

Tony Khan recently spoke with the media following Ring Of Honor’s Supercard Of Honor show about signing Samoa Joe.

The former WWE Superstar debuted at the end of the event, and Khan made it clear that he’s excited to have him on the roster for both of his promotions.

“I am very excited to have Samoa Joe in both Ring Of Honor and All Elite Wrestling,” he exclaimed. “I think his timing was impeccable, and I’m sure the champ (Jonathan Gresham) agrees. But I am very excited, and we are going to hear from him shortly, and you’ll get to hear from him as well. But I know I am very excited about having Samoa Joe in AEW. Samoa Joe is going to be on Dynamite on Wednesday, and it was great to have him here on Supercard.

“I thought it made a great night of great wrestling a bit more special. And it was a really cool moment to see Samoa Joe in the ring. I think with Jonathan Gresham and Lee Moriarity. A few different generations of great wrestlers, and great Ring Of Honor stars. All people that potentially could be competing also in AEW. I am very excited about a great championship match to end a great PPV tonight.”

Jonathan Gresham joined Tony Khan in being pleased about the situation. He admitted that there are people on the roster that he sees as originals, with Joe being one of those. He is also pleased to have these veterans passing on their knowledge to the next generation of talent.

“For me, I am just very excited,” Gresham said. “From the locker room to people that are making special appearances. Like tonight, Samoa Joe. Christopher Daniels is in this locker room, Jay Lethal is here, B.J. Whitmer is here. To me when I became conscious to how wrestling can be, in my mind, how wrestling should be, I call these men, these great men, the originals. They still possess the fire and the spirit of what I believe wrestling is built upon.

“Having them here in this company, to teach the next generation, to help us understand how to be pro wrestlers, it means the world to me. I am exactly where I am supposed to be, and I am very happy these guys are coming back to an umbrella that has someone who cares so passionately about the sports and the essence of this business. Tony Khan, and Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson, and all these guys are keeping the business of pro wrestling alive, and I am happy to be part of it.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Tony Khan Says Samoa Joe Is All Elite, Joe Set For AEW Dynamite

Samoa Joe is now All Elite.

Joe made his surprise return to ROH at the end of Friday’s Supercard of Honor XV event. The main event saw Jonathan Gresham defeat Bandido to become the Undisputed ROH World Champion, but Gresham and Lee Moriarty were attacked by Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal after the bout.

Lethal, who turned on longtime friend Matt Sydal earlier in the night after defeating Moriarty, challenged Gresham to an immediate title match but Gresham denied him because of his earlier actions. This led to Dutt hitting Gresham and Gresham getting beat down. Moriarty tried to help Gresham but he failed, and that’s when Joe came out. Joe faced off with Lethal, then choked Dutt out.

In an update, ROH announcer Ian Riccaboni noted on commentary that Joe would be appearing on AEW Dynamite this Wednesday.

Furthermore, AEW President and new ROH owner Tony Khan took to Twitter to declare that Joe is All Elite. Khan confirmed Wednesday’s Dynamite appearance for The Samoan Submission Machine, who has the longest ROH World Title reign of all-time at 645 days when he held the strap from March 22, 2003 – December 26, 2004.

Supercard of Honor XV marked Joe’s first ROH appearance since June 2015. He is a one-time ROH World Champion, a one-time ROH Pure Champion, and was inducted into the inaugural class of the ROH Hall of Fame earlier this year.

WWE released Joe from his contract back on January 6. He was believed to be under the standard 30-day non-compete clauses that most WWE NXT talents have, which would’ve made him a free agent on February 5 when the clause expired.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Samoa Joe To Be Inducted Into ROH Hall Of Fame

One week after AEW star Bryan Danielson was revealed as the second inductee into the Ring of Honor Hall of Fame, ROH has announced that a contemporary of Danielson’s will be joining him. In a lengthy statement released on their website, Ring of Honor revealed that Samoa Joe will be the third inductee into ROH’s inaugural Hall of Fame class.

“Ring of Honor is proud to welcome Samoa Joe, the most dominant ROH World Champion in history, into the inaugural class of the ROH Hall of Fame,” the statement read. “From the first time he stepped into an ROH ring in 2002, Joe proved to be an intimidating force whose hard-hitting offense, intensity and relentlessness made him one of the sport’s most dangerous competitors. ‘The Samoan Submission Machine’ is arguably the most proficient American pro wrestler in the art of strong style, a form of pro wrestling popularized in Japan that emphasizes strikes and submissions.  In just his 10th match in ROH, Joe captured the ROH Title in March 2003. Two months later, Joe officially elevated the championship to world title status when he successfully defended it in London, marking the first time the championship had been defended outside the United States.

“Joe went on to hold the ROH World Championship for a record 645 days and make 31 successful title defenses. It’s not only the longest reign in ROH history, but at the time it was the longest world title reign in any U.S.-based pro wrestling company in 15 years. During Joe’s historic reign, he and CM Punk engaged in an epic trilogy of matches that have become legendary. They wrestled to two 60-minute draws before Joe won their final meeting. Six months after losing the ROH World Title, Joe won the ROH Pure Championship. After leaving ROH in 2007, Joe won the TNA World Heavyweight Title by defeating Kurt Angle. Joe returned to ROH in 2015 for a series of matches before he departed for WWE, where he became the first two-time NXT Champion.”

Samoa Joe joins Danielson and The Briscoe Brothers in Ring of Honor’s inaugural Hall of Fame class; the final inductee will be revealed next week. Shortly after the announcement, Samoa Joe simply tweeted out “#Honored” along with a photo of himself and fellow ROH alumni CM Punk and Homicide.

The announcement comes a little more than a month after Samoa Joe was released from WWE for the second time in the span of a year. Originally released in April of 2021, Joe was re-signed by Triple H and brought to WWE’s NXT brand to work as an in-ring performer and talent scout. He would go on to defeat Killer Kross for the NXT Championship at TakeOver 36 but quickly vacated the title due to injury right before the launch of NXT 2.0.

Joe would never appear on WWE programming again and would ultimately be released on January 6, alongside several other so-called Triple H “lieutenants” William Regal, Gabe Sapolsky, and Road Dogg. In a statement following his release, Joe hinted at a potential return to the ring once he was legally able to. It is unknown what kind, if any, of noncompete clause Joe is under.

As also announced by Ring of Honor, a career retrospective of Samoa Joe will air this weekend on ROH’s weekly Ring of Honor Wrestling program, followed by a YouTube special focused on Monday. The Hall of Fame episode will air on TV next month on Saturday, March 5.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Samoa Joe Released By WWE

On Thursday, WWE released former NXT Champion Samoa Joe from his contract.

Following the news of his release, Samoa Joe issued a statement on social media that you can read below:

This is the second time WWE has released Samoa Joe over the past nine months. He was also let go from the company on Apr. 15 of last year, but WWE wound up bringing him back on a new deal. Samoa Joe returned to television as William Regal’s “Special Enforcer”.

He would go on to claim the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver 36. Joe defeated Karrion Kross that night. Kross was among the company’s round of cuts in early November. In WWE, Joe won the NXT Championship three times and the United States Championship on two occasions. In 2015, he and Finn Balor teamed up to win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

WWE has released several NXT wrestlers and employees since Wednesday. This included the stunning release of NXT mainstay William Regal, Scott Armstrong and WWE Hall of Famer Road Dogg. Wrestlers Hideki Suzuki, Timothy Thatcher, Danny Burch and Allison Danger were also released.

NXT talent contracts usually consist of 30-day non-compete clauses, and the clauses for main roster talents are traditionally for 90 days. It’s unclear how long Samoa Joe’s non-compete clause is for, but the well-respected wrestling legend shouldn’t have any problems finding a new home. Impact Wrestling could very well look to bring him back, and it obviously wouldn’t be a surprise if AEW made a play for the 42-year-old.

Various injuries unfortunately sidelined Samoa Joe for long periods of time in WWE after he joined the main roster in 2017. Still, Joe had high popularity among the fans and is an elite in-ring worker. Simply put, he should have had at least one world championship reign on the main roster, but WWE often failed to fully maximize his star power and potential. There’s little doubt that Samoa Joe will enjoy great success in his next stop.

Source: TheSportster

Samoa Joe Vacates WWE NXT Title

Samoa Joe has vacated the WWE NXT Championship due to injuries.

Joe released a video on Twitter Sunday evening, announcing he was relinquishing the NXT title after WWE medical informed him that due to “certain injuries” he will have to step away from the ring for a brief amount of time. Below is his full statement:

Recently WWE medical has informed me that due to certain injuries, they’d like to have me step away from the ring for a brief, but indeterminate amount of time. I realize this week we are on the cusp of a new NXT, we are on the brink of a new era in our history, and that era deserves a fighting champion. That’s why it makes a difficult decision very easy to make. Effective immediately, I relinquish the NXT championship. Best of luck to those who will vie for it. My sincerest condolences to whoever wins, because I will be along shortly to recollect what is mine.

Samoa Joe had won the title at NXT TakeOver 36 after he defeated Karrion Kross.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Samoa Joe Reportedly Returning To WWE NXT For Non-Wrestling Role

Samoa Joe is reportedly back with WWE after being released back in mid-April due to budget cuts.

It was reported last week that NXT officials wanted to bring Joe back to work as an in-ring talent, and that he was briefly at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando earlier in the week. Now PWInsider reports that Joe is coming back to work exclusively with the NXT brand.

Joe’s return to the company comes after Triple H reportedly “snatched him back” as soon as possible. A source noted that Triple H was not happy with Joe being let go, and wanted him back in NXT instead of going to work elsewhere, away from WWE. Triple H was the point person responsible for signing Joe back in 2015, and at one point gave him a unique contract where he was able to continue working indie dates.

Joe was not backstage at “Takeover: In Your House” on Sunday, and there’s no word on when he will officially make his return. Joe has not wrestled since February 2020 due to concussion issues, and was working as a RAW commentator at the time of his release. It was noted that when he was at the WWE Performance Center in recent weeks, he was not taking any bumps.

Regarding Joe’s in-ring future, it’s believed that while he could wrestle at some point, that is not the goal with this upcoming return as they want Joe to focus more on non-wrestling duties. It’s possible that Joe’s return is related to NXT General Manager William Regal teasing change for the NXT brand at the end of Takeover last night. WWE is promising that there will be a follow-up to Regal’s teaser on Tuesday’s NXT episode.

Dave Meltzer noted on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that Joe has been given “a Regal-like role” with NXT, and that Joe is the favorite to replace Regal, if the pro wrestling legend really is stepping down from the General Manager role. It was speculated by PWInsider that we could see Joe be the new General Manager, or some sort of enforcer for Regal.

Regal has been the NXT General Manager since July 2014, and has also worked as a trainer behind-the-scenes, and as WWE’s Director of Talent Development & Head of Global Recruiting. Joe worked the NXT brand from May 2015 until January 2017, and is a two-time NXT Champion.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Samoa Joe Reportedly Considered To Be A Permanent Member Of The WWE RAW Announce Team

Samoa Joe has reportedly permanently replaced WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler on the RAW announce team.

Joe has not returned to the ring because he’s still waiting to be medically cleared to compete from the concussion he suffered during the RAW commercial shoot back in February. He was brought back to RAW commentary in late April, filling in for Lawler, and now the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Joe is considered to be Lawler’s permanent replacement on the red brand announce team.

There’s no word yet on what this means for when Joe is medically cleared for in-ring action, but the Observer noted that Joe may have a role where he announces and then they shoot angles for him to wrestle using the other role. Things could change down the road if WWE runs into depth issues with the RAW roster, or if they feel they need Joe as a full-time wrestler, but they could also have Joe work both roles.

It was originally believed that Joe was filling in for Lawler due to concerns over Lawler being at a higher risk to work TV tapings during the coronavirus pandemic. It remains to be seen if WWE will bring Lawler back to the announce table once regular tapings resume.

Source: Wrestling Inc.