Samoa Joe doesn’t tend to walk away from a fight, but from a high-flyer? Sign him up. During a recent interview with veteran journalist Justin Barrasso for Sports Illustrated, Joe was asked about a notorious spot he’s done in matches since his early days in the ring.
Whenever an opponent climbs the top rope and goes for an aerial assault, he casually walks out of the vicinity of the attack and leaves his foe looking foolish. Joe gave some common sense reasoning as to why he’s implemented such a magical moment in the ring.
“As a small youth in my younger days, if I saw something large or very destructive coming toward me, it was only natural to step aside,” said Joe. “It’s not rocket science.”
Joe says the inspiration behind the fan favorite spot draws from the early days of mankind.
“The cavemen understood this, too,” said Joe. “If you see a rock coming toward you from the top of the hill, move a little to the left.”
While he’s done the “nope” countless times in matches, a recent moment in AEW went viral during a squash match where Joe walked away and the talent was caught mid-air with a “WTF” expression on his face.
It’s not just enhancement talent who falls prey to Joe’s “walk away.” CM Punk became just another victim of Joe’s casual decision-making during his AEW matches with his long-time rival.
Just two weeks ago, Samoa Joe had his first successful title defense when he choked out Hook in the main event of AEW Dynamite.
