Samoa Joe says locker room troubles in AEW are a thing of past and this is a different AEW under his reign.
The AEW World Heavyweight Champion took part in the post-Revolution media scrum after successfully defending his title against Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page in a triple threat match at the show.
During the interview, he was asked about Swerve making fun of his commentary stint in WWE, and if he ever doubted he would be competing at this level again. The AEW star replied negatively, explaining that it was all about taking the time to heal properly:
“No, because obviously, I was planning and taking the time to recover so that I could be back here at this capacity, competing at this level. Far too many dumber athletes in this industry don’t take the time to heal, don’t bet on themselves and say, ‘Hey, listen, I’m gonna step away from things a little bit. And I’m going to come back, not 90%, not 80%, 110’%’
I took that time and I came back 110%. Now I’m AEW world champion. So this is just indicative of me understanding what I need to do to get things done. I’m playing this on a very different level than everybody else. Everybody else out here just hoping they get their shot. Hoping they’re doing things. I’m planning dynasties. It starts with me, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.
They’re playing checkers. I’m out here playing chess. It’s totally different game. That time doing commentary in ponchos, I still a millionaire. I don’t know what he’s talking about. He may not like that, but hey, that guy on the poncho just whipped his ass tonight and is still world champion. So I mean, you tell me, you tell me who’s running things around here?”
Samoa Joe Comments On Locker Room Issues In AEW
Samoa Joe was also asked about the many backstage issues that plagued AEW in 2023 and how are things now. The heavyweight star mentioned that there is genuine excitement in the locker room that has not been felt in a long time:
“I think you summed it up perfectly, that was last year. This is the AEW underneath my reign. As far as our locker room community and stuff, I don’t think it’s ever been tighter. I don’t think it’s ever been better. There’s a enthusiasm backstage that is infectious.
It’s because we have so much new talent. We have so many new opportunities to go out there and entertain the crowd with the people that we have at our disposal. There’s just genuine excitement among the locker room. I think it’s been a long time since the spirit has been felt here. I’m very much looking forward to where this leads us in the future.”
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