Samoa Joe was released by WWE back on January 6th, but he’s a playable character in the new WWE 2K22 video game.
The former ROH, Impact and NXT Champion is just one of many players released from WWE that still remain as playable characters in the WWE 2K22 game.
This list also includes Braun Strownman, The IIconics, Cesaro, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Jeff Hardy, Keith Lee, Johnny Gargano, and many others.
Samoa Joe on WWE 2K22
Samoa Joe spoke about how this process worked for him when he appeared on Kinda Funny Games Daily. He was asked about how WWE was still able to keep him in the game despite him no longer being in the company.
“Built into our contract is a licensing agreement,” he said. “I am Samoa Joe, that’s my trademark that I own. For me, it’s a little different than most guys because I have a licensing agreement and we negotiated our price based off that.
It’s essentially the same type of thing with guys who don’t have their own name. When you leave there, that character is still there for their properties.”
WWE 2K22 is now available on all platforms. Make sure to check out our WWE 2K22 Review. You can buy WWE 2K22 now from Amazon.
What’s Next For Samoa Joe?
Samoa Joe is still currently under a non-compete clause with the WWE. His 90 days will be up on April 6, 2022. Samoa Joe will be inducted into the Ring of Honor Hall of Fame as a part of the 2022 class. He will be inducted with Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, and the Briscoes.
H/T to Jeremy Lambert of Fightful for the transcription
