Samoa Joe returned to the RAW commentary team last month. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Joe is considered to be Jerry Lawler’s permanent replacement in the role.
“(Joe) is also now considered the permanent replacement for Lawler as an announcer,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Samoa Joe is still not medically cleared to return to a wrestling ring. Joe was injured during a commercial shoot back in February. He was reported to have suffered a concussion. Shortly after that, he received a 30-day suspension for a failure of the company’s wellness program.
It is not clear what Joe’s role will be when he is medically cleared to return to competition. There is speculation that he could continue as an announcer but also participate in angles and matches.
As for Jerry Lawler’s role on the RAW commentary team, there was concern about bringing Lawler in for the shows during the pandemic due to his age and history of heart problems. Lawler is 70 years of age and suffered a cardiac arrest on the September 10th, 2012 episode of RAW from Montreal.
Joe’s last match for the promotion was on February 10th, 2020. On that night’s episode of RAW, Joe teamed with the Viking Raiders and Kevin Owens. Joe’s team lost to Seth Rollins, Buddy Murphy and the AOP.
