Bryan Danielson On His AEW Authority Role

Bryan Danielson has been tasked with ensuring rules are followed within AEW, but this new responsibility doesn’t come with a bigger paycheck. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Danielson addressed her new role.

“It’s not something I get paid for. I’m just like the other wrestlers in the sense of I don’t have a contract outside of being a wrestler contract. But I was honored to take on more when they asked me to take on more roles backstage.”

Latest on Rebel’s status in AEW

The last time Rebel competed for AEW was in August of last year, and after Britt Baker turned face earlier this year, fans have seen nothing from the Dentist’s former ally. Fightful Select reports that Rebel remains under contract, and there has been talks of her being brought back to TV. With that said, there aren’t any working plans for her to wrestle. 

Kyle O’Reilly Gives An Update

It’s been over a year since Kyle O’Reilly last competed for AEW as he continues to recover from neck fusion surgery. After previously losing all feeling in his arm, O’Reilly took to social media this week to share his progress. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/reel:C0sXoJYs66y

Samoa Joe Returns as Sweet Tooth

Samoa Joe will return as franchise mascot Sweet Tooth in the second season of Peacock’s Heavy Metal series. The show is based on the hit vehicular combat series. In a trailer announcing the second season, Joe was featured and the AEW star reacted to the news with a single emoji. 

? https://t.co/5bk3ftVLuS

— Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe) December 8, 2023

AEW TNT Champion/Ring of Honor World Television Champion Samoa Joe is a force to be reckoned with, both in and out of the ring.

Joe arrived in AEW/ROH last year, months after being cut (for the second time in under a year) by WWE in January 2022.

In April 2022, Joe captured the ROH World TV title, and regained the AEW TNT Championship (which he had previously won at Full Gear 2022) last month.

Suicide Squad

Away from the ring, Samoa Joe has recently tried his hand at voice acting, and will be playing King Shark in the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League game.

The game will see the titular squad take on the Justice League’s band of heroes, all of whom have been mind-controlled by the villainous super-intellect Brainiac.

Speaking about the game to WrestleZone, Joe promised that news and information will be coming soon.

“There will be probably more stuff coming out very, very much sooner than later, and some pretty cool [stuff] man. There’s a lot I can tell you that I can’t say anything about. There’ll be some pretty cool announcements.”

Samoa Joe.

Joe also praised the devlopers Rocksteady as the team behind the critically acclaimed Batman ‘Arkham’ series, and said that they “haven’t let up for this game”

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League will be released on May 26, 2023 on PlayStation 5, XBox X/S and PC.

Twisted Metal

In addition to King Shark, Joe will be Sweet Tooth in the upcoming Twisted Metal series on Peacock, with the series recently wrapping production.

In the interview, the Samoan Submission Machine also teased that this highly-anticipated series is closer than you’d think.

“I would imagine it’s closer than a lot of people would expect. [Twisted Metal is] another project I’m really excited to see the light of day and I think a lot of fans will enjoy it. I wouldn’t be too impatient.”

Samoa Joe.

The series, based on the hit vehicular mayhem collection of video games, is due to release at an unspecified date in 2023.

Samoa Joe returned to TV via video package last week and told Allin he was coming for his TNT Championship. He kept his promise in the main event of AEW Dynamite.

The reigning champion came to the ring wearing a hoodie covered in thumbtacks. The two battled into the crowd, including Joe throwing Allin down on the steps.

Samoa Joe Two Belts

There was also a Coffin Drop in the thumbtack hoodie, chairs and tables in a wild main event. Allin cut the ropes holding the mat in place to expose the ring. This would backfire as the ROH Television Champion would do a Muscle Buster from the second rope onto the exposed ring.

While Samoa Joe Two Belts celebrated, a familiar sound blasted through the speakers. Wardlow has returned and came straight for his enemy. He attempted to put Joe in the Powerbomb Symphony, but the champ rolled out of the ring just in time. An incensed “Mr. Mayhem” attacked several security guards. He yeeted one poor soul into a group of security he had just attacked and Joe and his belts watched safely from the ramp.

• Jade Cargill Earns 50th Consecutive Win

Samoa Joe has opened up on having been fired by WWE twice.

The All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star recently joined Renee Paquette on her podcast, The Sessions, to talk about a variety of topics. During the show, Joe talked about his two experiences being let go from WWE, and the opportunities that followed.

“Initially, as I understand it, unconfirmed, there were issues between the two upper echelons of management and they were playing out their war with the careers and contracts of the people underneath them.

“After the initial one, I didn’t have much of a chance to breathe because, essentially, I was hired back within hours. The second time, I just kind of chuckled as I realize it was very much the same situation. At the same time, I wasn’t bitter or mad. The truth of it is, and this is to give WWE some credence, is that I was expensive.

“I was expensive to keep around. If cutting my contract, if they say that saved the company money, trust me, I believe it did. I wasn’t hot about that. It was just more the silliness of the situation, what they were doing, and the reasoning why they were doing it, which I can never officially confirm, but I’ve heard from enough people that I have a pretty good idea…including many of the people involved.

“After that, I think I spent a day pissed. More of the situation than the actual firing. Then, all these super awesome opportunities literally materialized.” 

After making a name for himself on the independent circuit and with promotions such as IMPACT Wrestling, Joe finally debuted for WWE in 2015 by joining NXT. After becoming a multi-time NXT Champion, Joe eventually got called up to the main roster in 2017.

Joe was just as impactful on the main roster, challenging the likes of Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title and becoming a two-time United States Champion. Unfortunately, Joe’s run inside the ring would be hindered by injuries.

He’d get stints on the RAW commentary desk for some time but was first released in April of 2021. Joe was signed back to WWE as part of NXT yet again later that year but was again released shortly after in the beginning of 2022.

Quotes via NoDQ.com

Former TNT Champion Wardlow has not been seen on TV since his loss to Samoa Joe on Dynamite last month.

The big man was taken out in brutal fashion by ‘The King of Television’. Along with getting the win, Samoa Joe also assaulted him before and after the match. After choking the former champ out, ‘The Samoan Submission Machine’ clobbered Wardlow with a belt shot before cutting off his top knot. Since then, Joe has dropped the TNT belt to Darby Allin. Wardlow, meanwhile, has remained curiously absent.

2022 proved to be a breakout year for ‘Mr Mayhem’. Starting the year as MJF’s trusty henchman, the powerbomb symphony maestro connected with audiences during a slow burn babyface turn on ‘The Salt of the Earth’.

After squashing the Long Island loudmouth at Double or Nothing, Wardlow was moved into the TNT Title picture. His title reign and booking was met with a polarized reception. Regardless, he remains one of AEW’s more over homegrown babyface acts.

Wardlow Reportedly Out With An Injury

According to famed wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the angle with Samoa Joe was booked to write Wardlow off TV. ‘Mr Mayhem’ has been dealing with an injury of late. He will remain out of the picture while he heals up. Within the story of the match, his knee was injured due to a pre-bout attack courtesy of ‘The King of Television’.

While the injury is severe enough to warrant giving the former TNT Champion some time off, he reportedly won’t be out for long.

Upon returning, it’s highly likely the Samoa Joe feud will resume, presumably with the babyface getting his revenge. The decision to move the title from Joe to Darby Allin so suddenly becomes even more eyebrow-raising with this in mind.

Will you be excited to see Wardlow return?

Darby Allin has regained the AEW TNT Championship, and the face-painted wrestler didn’t wait long before offering a title match to one of the company’s youngest prospects.

During this week’s Dynamite, Allin dethroned Samoa Joe to win the gold, ending the Samoan Submission Machine’s reign at 46 days.

The closing sequence saw Allin throw Joe into an exposed turnbuckle and hit a Code Red and multiple Coffin Drops to get the win.

This win marks Allin’s second AEW TNT title reign, as he held the title for 186 days (a record-long reign) after winning the gold at Full Gear 2020.

Allin’s Title Defense

AEW Dynamite went off the air with Allin celebrating his newly-won championship with Sting, who hoisted the young wrestler in the air to close out the show.

After Dynamite finished taping, Allin brought Nick Wayne into the ring and promised him a shot at the TNT Championship once he finishes high school.

Nick Wayne

At 17-years-old, Wayne is the second-youngest name signed to an All Elite Wrestling contract, only being bested by ‘Negative One’ Brodie Lee Jr.

Wayne is yet to compete for AEW due to his age, but has big plans for his future in the ring.

Speaking to Andrew Thompson last April, Wayne said he’s ready to wrestle for AEW the moment he turns 18 and in some impressive foreshadowing, spoke about a match with Allin.

“I hope it happens one day. Me and Darby have so much backstory behind us. You know, I was there for Darby’s first day of training. Yeah, he was trained by my father. I saw him about 4-5 times a week training. We have a really big story together.”

Nick Wayne.

Outside of AEW, Wayne has competed for GCW, DEFY, and PROGRESS among other promotions.

h/t – Wrestling Inc

All Elite Wrestling is kicking off the new era of AEW Dynamite in a big way. On Thursday, Tony Khan announced a championship main event for next week’s broadcast: Darby Allin will challenge Samoa Joe for the AEW TNT Championship.

Allin is the longest-reigning TNT Champion in history. He defeated Cody Rhodes to win the title (AEW Dynamite, 7/11/20). He was champion for 186 days and had eight successful defenses before dropping the title to Miro (AEW Dynamite, 12/5/21).

Joe has been TNT Champion since Full Gear, when he won a 3-way match that involved Powerhouse Hobbs and former champion, Wardlow.

Allin and Joe wrestled earlier this month on Dynamite (December 7), with Joe putting Allin’s championship dreams to sleep via submission.

Wardlow got his rematch against Joe this past week on Dynamite, but came up short. After the match, Joe was confronted by Allin, setting up next week’ clash.

Allin and Sting will address the upcoming match against Joe on Friday’s edition of Rampage.

AEW Dynamite Preview (January 4, 2023)

Here’s the updated card for next week’s AEW Dynamite from Seattle, WA:

• Darby Allin challenges Samoa Joe for the TNT Championship
• Chris Jericho vs. Ricky Starks
• Bryan Danielson vs. Tony Nese

In addition to these matches, Dynamite will feature an all-new look, including a new set, graphics, music and lighting.

Samoa Joe has dethroned Wardlow as the AEW TNT Champion as he won the title at the Full Gear pay-per-view event in a triple threat match that also featured Powerhouse Will Hobbs. 

They all started brawling to start off the bout. There was some impressive athleticism shown by Wardlow, who hit a wild dive to take them both out then a front senton off the top rope to Hobbs The finish saw Hobbs get powerbombed three times, Joe cracked Wardlow with the belt and slapped the clutch on an already out Hobbs. 

On the July 6 episode of Dynamite, Wardlow defeatedScorpio Sky in a street fight match to win the TNT Championship. Wardlow’s first defense of the TNT Championship was against Orange Cassidy. He held the title for 137 days, which was the fifth longest reign in the history of the title that was introduced in 2020 and won by the inaugural champion Cody Rhodes. 

Wardlow’s reign is now behind Sammy Guevara with 138 days, Miro with 140 days, Cody Rhodes at 148 days, and Darby Allin at 186 combined days. Joe is the 13th different AEW TNT Champion. 

What are your thoughts on Samoa Joe winning the AEW TNT Title? Was this the right call by AEW officials? Sound off in the comment section.

The action didn’t end when this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite went off the air.

Last night’s episode aired from the Chesapeake Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, and saw Tony Khan’s promotion continue on the road to Full Gear.

The show is most notable for the debut of WWE Hall of Famer ‘Double J’ Jeff Jarrett, who has signed as the promotion’s Director of Business Development.

Joe and Wardlow

In the main event of the show, ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe put his title on the line against Brian Cage.

In an unsurprisingly physical match, Joe got the win via submission, but he was attacked by the Gates of Agony and other members of The Embassy.

The show ended with TNT Champion Wardlow running the group off, before being attacked by Powerhouse Hobbs, who ended AEW Dynamite by raising the title in the air.

According to several fan reports, Powerhouse Hobbs went backstage while the referee checked on Wardlow after the show.

Samoa Joe got back into the ring and shook hands with Wardlow, and the two champions raised hands before leaving.

Matt Hardy

After Wardlow and Joe left, Tony Khan came out and introduced Matt Hardy, but the pair were interrupted by Stokely Hathaway and The Firm.

Hathaway told Khan to go to the bank because he owns the contracts for Private Party and Matt, who he called “Matthew Hardy.”

Ethan Page told Hardy that he isn’t going to help him, and touted himself as a future AEW World Champion.

 While Page and W. Morrisey’s backs were turned, Hardy hit Hathaway with a Twist Of Fate to send the crowd home happy.

AEW Dynamite was live from Philadelphia, but was impacted by Hurricane Ian in Florida, as several wrestlers didn’t make it to the show.

According to Fightful Select, Swerve Strickland was scheduled to appear. This is why Keith Lee was by himself in a backstage segment with AEW Tag Team Champions, The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn. Lee said that his partner wasn’t there because he was “exceptionally disgruntled”, particularly with Gunn cheating to help The Acclaimed win.

ROH Television champion, Samoa Joe, was also scheduled to be on Dynamite. With the show being in Philadelphia and having a focus on Ring of Honor, they had plans for him.

Tony Khan advises AEW talent to stay home due to hurricane

On Monday, Tony Khan sent out both an e-mail and a tweet stating that talent and staff could voluntarily stay home from TV if they were “worried about Hurricane Ian affecting your travel or home or your family life.”

Although his name wasn’t mentioned in the Select report, Jake Hager was absent from the Jericho Appreciation Society’s celebration of Chris Jericho’s “The Ocho” title win.

Rampage was filmed after Dynamite, so it’s possible that it was also affected by wrestlers who didn’t travel to Philadelphia.

• Watch: MJF Sings To The Philadelphia Crowd Before AEW Dynamite

The report did say there will be more to come on who else didn’t travel and how it effected the show.

Samoa Joe is back on AEW programming. 

FTR & Wardlow defeated Jay Lethal & Motor City Machine Guns at Sunday’s AEW All Out pay-per-view event in Chicago, Illinois at the Now Arena. Post-match, Joe made his return to make the save for FTR and Wardlow from the heels. 

Where Has Joe Been?

The ROH TV Champion has been off filming the Peacock series, “Twisted Metal,” based on the video game. Showrunner Michael Jonathan Smith noted last week on Twitter that the season had officially wrapped filming. Mike Mitchell, Tahj Vaughans, and Lou Beatty Jr will also star in the series.

Joe will play the dual role of Sweet Tooth, voiced by Will Arnett. The project has been described as a “high-octane action comedy” series and will include characters based on some of the different unique drivers from the games.

Joe last wrestled at the ROH Death Before Dishonor PPV by defeating Lethal earlier this summer. Based on this angle at All Out, it appears this feud will be continuing.

At Ring of Honor’s Supercard of Honor XV event this past April, Samoa Joe made his return to the promotion.

Joe had been released from WWE in January, as part of several cuts to the team running WWE NXT, all of which had either been signed by or worked closely with Triple H.

His January release marked his second time being cut by WWE, after being released in April 2021.

Where has he been?

In addition to his work in ROH, where he is the reigning World Television Champion, Joe also makes appearances for Tony Khan’s other promotion, AEW.

Over the past month, Joe has been away filming for the character of ‘Sweet Tooth,’ for the Peacock live-action adaptation of the popular video game Twisted Metal.

Fans may not be waiting much longer to see Samoa Joe back in the ring, as the show’s first series has wrapped shooting.

On Twitter, showrunner Michael Johnathan confirmed that the show has wrapped.

Joe is providing the physical performance for his character, while Will Arnett (The Lego Batman Movie, Arrested Development, Bojack Horseman) will be providing the voice.

His absence from programming has been explained as him recovering from an injury after being attacked by Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt.

Joe Outside of the Ring

The character of Sweet Tooth will be a huge role for Samoa Joe, but that’s not the only role for him.

Joe has also provided voice-over work for the character of King Shark, as part of the upcoming game ‘Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.’

The game, which will include fellow squad members Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and fan-favorite Harley Quinn, is scheduled for a 2023 release.

MJF wasn’t the only one who didn’t attend the AEW Double or Nothing Fan Fest.

Fans grew concerned upon the news that MJF and Samoa Joe weren’t in attendance for the pre-PPV festivities. In MJF’s case, he no-showed seemingly due to some lingering issues with AEW.

In fact, Fightful reports that MJF has a flight booked out of Las Vegas before the PPV event. He has a big match scheduled with Wardlow that may not even happen. At this time, it’s unknown whether or not he’ll actually get on the plane.

As for Joe, things are a bit different.

Bryan Alvarez of F4W has reported that the reason Samoa Joe didn’t attend his planned meet and greet was due to a communication issue.

Sean Ross Sapp followed up Bryan’s report, saying sources indicated to him that Joe may have been accidentally double-booked.

Joe is scheduled to meet Adam Cole in the finals of the Men’s Owen Hart Cup at the Double or Nothing PPV tomorrow night (May 29).

Win or lose at DoN, Joe figures to be a major player in Tony Khan’s vision for Ring of Honor. Samoa Joe is the current ROH World Television Champion and he’s involved in a feud with Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh.

The quarterfinals of the Owen Hart Cup kicked off AEW Dynamite on May 18 and the “Joker” entrant was Johnny Elite.

Yes, the former John Morrison has made his way to AEW. He shared the ring with ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe.

Johnny Elite ended up losing the match via pinfall. After the match, Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh attacked both men. Members of CHAOS ran out to make the save.

Check out his promotional debut:

Johnny was released from WWE back in Nov. 2021. The promotion used budget cuts as the reason for giving him his walking papers.

He made his return to AAA as Johnny Superstar. He quickly underwent another name change, referring to himself as “Johnny Caballero.”

Johnny also dabbled into the indies again, making appearances for GCW.

Samoa Joe made a surprise appearance to close the ROH Supercard of Honor show but it almost didn’t happen.

On April 1, ROH held its first show under a new regime. Supercard of Honor took place inside the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. In the main event, Jonathan Gresham became the undisputed ROH World Champion, defeating Bandido.

After the match, Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt attacked Gresham. Lee Moriarty attempted to make the save but the numbers game was too much.

Luckily for them, Samoa Joe made his surprise return. He sent Lethal cowering out of the ring and choked Dutt.

Samoa Joe Barely Made It

During an appearance on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Joe recalled nearly being unable to make it to Supercard of Honor (h/t Wrestling Inc).

“Oh, absolutely, I know there was weather permitting jets to get to Tampa on time. And a lot of mechanical issues on flights that went out.

“So, I had to end up driving to Cross City, Florida, a small little rural town in the middle of Florida to catch a private jet to get up to the show.

“The best part was, as I arrived to the airport and I walked into this little office, this little man sitting behind the counter looked at me.

“I said, ‘hey man, I am here, I’ve got a jet coming in to pick me up,’ he said, ‘what time?’ I said, ‘I think seven o’clock,’ he said, ‘well, we close a six, man, I’ll see what I can do.’”

Joe has already made waves under Tony Khan’s ROH. He captured the ROH World Television Championship from Minoru Suzuki on the April 13 episode of AEW Dynamite.

He is currently involved in a feud with Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, and their new muscle Satnam Singh.

Samoa Joe is All Elite. But just earlier this year he was still signed to WWE before being released from his contract.

Joe signed with WWE back in 2015, quickly becoming one of the biggest stars on the NXT brand. After two runs as NXT Champion, Joe was called up to the main roster where he would feud with the likes of Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, AJ Styles, and more. His run on the main roster resulted in three reigns as the United States Champion.

Injuries plagued Joe’s run on the main roster, however, and he was briefly released in April of 2021, but was quickly resigned two months later after it was reported that Triple H was unhappy with his release. He eventually returned to NXT to win the brand’s World Title for the third time, before being forced to relinquish the title after contracting COVID-19. Upon his return, Joe was assigned to NXT as a trainer before being released earlier this year in January.

Samoa Joe on Leaving WWE

Speaking to the New York Post, Joe discussed his WWE release, stating that he doesn’t dwell on it, and is more so focused on what’s ahead of him with AEW.

“I wasn’t overly frustrated with everything. I mean, things like that happen. It worked out at times and sometimes it didn’t and that’s how it goes. I don’t really sit here and dwell on things and punish myself over things that I cannot change or never will be changed. I’m squarely focused on what’s ahead of me and not behind.”

Samoa Joe eventually signed with AEW earlier this month; joining an already stacked roster that includes the likes of Kenny Omega, CM Punk, Adam Cole, The Hardy Boyz, and so many more.

Minoru Suzuki plans to inflict a great deal of pain on Samoa Joe when they meet in the ring this Wednesday at AEW Dynamite.

All Elite Wrestling surprised wrestling fans last week by announcing Suzuki will defend the Ring of Honor Television Championship against the Samoan Submission Machine. This will be Suzuki’s first title defense he captured the gold from Rhett Titus at ROH’s Supercard of Honor back on Apr. 1.

While fans are excited about the title bout, but the New Japan Pro Wrestling veteran isn’t letting the hype distract him. In an interview with Sports Illustrated the champion shared his thoughts on his upcoming title defense against Joe.

“Many fans think this matchup is very special, but for me, I have to stay true to myself,” Suzuki told Justin Barrasso. “…I am here to hurt people. The opponent truly does not matter. This week, I will make Samoa Joe suffer.”

More on Minoru Suzuki’s Thoughts on Samoa Joe

Wrestling fans are expecting Suzuki vs. Joe to be a very physical match. Both competitors have a very aggressive and hard-hitting style in the ring, making for a fascinating title match. The man who is (lovingly) known as Murder Grandpa is ready for the title defense. However, he questions if Joe is prepared for what he plans to do.

“People are brave until they step into the ring with me, said Suzuki (h/t Barrasso). He explained, “Hopefully, Samoa Joe is not scared. I don’t know him well, but he will know me by the time we are done.”

Suzuki concluded by saying, “…I hurt people, that is what I do. Samoa Joe is going to feel a lot of pain.”

The Apr. 13 episode of AEW Dynamite could be an exciting show based on the matches announced. The episode also has the AEW Tag Team Champions Jurassic Express defending their titles against reDRagon. It’s unclear which title match will be the main event of this week’s AEW Dynamite.

Jay Lethal also teased a present for Joe on this week’s episode. Lethal could have some interference in the title bout, which may upset fans. Although, it may lead to a feud between Lethal and Joe, who have a history from their time in Impact Wrestling. Regardless, the matchups of Suzuki vs. Joe and Jurassic Express vs. reDRagon could result in good TV rating numbers for AEW.

AEW President Tony Khan says that the process of signing Samoa Joe wasn’t a difficult one.

Joe made a surprise appearance to close out the ROH Supercard of Honor PPV. He choked Sonjay Dutt, who had just aligned himself with Jay Lethal to form a new heel duo. He then stared down Lethal, who was on the outside of the ring.

Samoa Joe To AEW: A No-Brainer For Tony Khan

Samoa Joe is officially a member of the AEW roster. Appearing on Barstool Sports’ Rasslin’ podcast, Tony Khan said that signing Samoa Joe was smooth sailing.

“It was good. He’s a great person, he’s very reasonable and he wanted to come and I wanted him to come. So, in that sense it was pretty easy. We got everything figured out and I was really excited to bring Samoa Joe both to Ring of Honor and AEW.

“I felt like that Ring of Honor pay-per-view as a transition from an era of 20 great years of Ring of Honor, different ownerships, different bookers, different entities but frankly, one thing that was consistent was 20 years of great professional wrestling and great professional wrestlers at Ring of Honor that kept the company strong.”

Joe made his AEW debut on the April 6 episode of Dynamite. He pinned Max Caster to earn his spot in the Owen Hart Cup.

Please H/T SEScoops if you use any quotes from this article.

It didn’t take Samoa Joe long to find his way into a tournament qualifier in AEW.

Of course, this isn’t your average tourney. This is the Owen Hart Cup. Joe will be in a qualifier match against Max Caster on the April 6 episode of Dynamite.

Tony Khan revealed the match on social media:

“Arriving last week at ROH Supercard Of Honor, Samoa Joe is signed with AEW & has said that he plans to dominate! Samoa Joe debuts in AEW vs. Max Caster in an Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament Qualifier Bout on AEW Dynamite LIVE @ 8pm ET/7pm CT on TBS Network TOMORROW night!”

As Khan mentioned, Joe made a surprise appearance to close out Supercard of Honor on April 1. The AEW boss later confirmed that Joe is All Elite.

Joe made his intentions clear to media members. He hopes to hold both the AEW World Heavyweight Championship and the ROH World Championship.

Samoa Joe believes that WWE has shifted its focus from signing indie talents to athletes from other sports because of the rise of AEW.

The Samoan Submission Machine made his surprise ROH return during the Supercard Of Honor event. He then took part in the post-show media scrum.

During the talk, Joe who was working as a talent scout among other things during his second run with WWE, claimed that the company changed their policy because many better indie wrestlers are now working for AEW:

“You also have to understand the major shift was mainly because many of the better independent wrestlers are working for AEW,

So I mean, let’s just be honest here, when we were tapping into a market and looking for new athletes when I was with WWE at the time, when the markets tapped, you try to find a new market.”

Over the last few months, WWE has revamped NXT from having an indie wrestling feel to the production values and set designs more akin to the main roster.

They have also shifted their focus from hiring more independent wrestling veterans to younger talents from other sports such as Gable Steveson.

• Samoa Joe Is All Elite, Will Be at Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite

What do you think about Samoa Joe’s thoughts on WWE’s new hiring policy? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Samoa Joe’s last year in WWE was very bizarre. He first got released from his main roster contract in April 2021. Though Triple H, who was unhappy with this decision ended up bringing Joe back even before he could hit the free market at the end of his non-compete clause.

Unfortunately for the former NXT champion, his second run with the company was even shorter than his first. Triple H stepped away from his duties due to some major heart issues. Not too long after that, the officials decided to dismantle the team he had built and revamp the show he had worked hard to put on the map.

Samoa Joe opened up about this turn of events during the post Supercard of Honor media scrum. He explained that he decided to re-sign with the promotion because of William Regal and Triple H:

“My going back to WWE was majorly because of the people I worked with and relationships I built in the company, mainly two people in Triple H and William Regal,”

• Watch: Samoa Joe Makes Surprise Appearance At Supercard Of Honor

The Writing On The Wall

With Triple H stepping away and Regal being released from his contract too, Samoa Joe knew the writing was on the wall for his departure as well:

“As Triple H, dealing with his situation which I obviously knew about and was way more concerned about than my employment, Regal and his departure, I knew the writing was on the wall for me. Which is fine, we were a big collective team and a big collective think tank within the company and we went a different way.”

Things seem to have ended up working out perfectly for Samoa Joe despite all this. He made his triumphant return to ROH last night. The Samoan Submission Machine is now all set to make his Dynamite debut this Wednesday.

Samoa Joe is All Elite!

Tony Khan had promised a big show-closing surprise to the fans attending the Supercard Of Honor event and he delivered with the Samoan Submission Machine.

The main event of the first ROH PPV under the new owner saw Jonathan Gresham defeating Bandido to become the Undisputed ROH champion.

Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt however, hindered his championship celebration. They attacked the champion and Lethal stood tall with the belt.

Samoa Joe then made a surprise appearance. Lethal escaped the former NXT star but Joe choked out Dutt to end the show.

Tony Khan took on his Twitter to announce that the wrestling veteran has signed with All Elite Wrestling. He also revealed that the former world champion will be making an appearance on Dynamite this coming Wednesday:

Samoa Joe is the longest-reigning world champion in the history of ROH. He was the third world champion of the promotion and he held the title for a record 645 days.

The heavyweight star had been a part of the WWE roster since 2015. He won the NXT title three times during his tenure. Joe was released from his contract in January earlier this year.

• Ring Of Honor Supercard Of Honor XV Results (4/1): New Tag Team, Pure, And TV Champion & Samoa Joe Debuts

Samoa Joe is back in ROH.

AEW President and the new owner of Ring Of Honor Tony Khan had been teasing something big for the Supercard Of Honor event this Friday night.

He had told the audience in attendance to not leave before the show was over and asked everyone to keep watching till the end.

The big surprise Khan had promised turned out to be none other than the Samoan Submission Machine and one of ROH originals, Samoa Joe.

The main event of the show saw Jonathan Gresham defeating Bandido to become the Undisputed ROH World Heavyweight champion.

Another ROH veteran Jay Lethal then made an appearance on the show. He challenged Gresham. Lethal and Sonjay Dutt proceeded to attack the world champion. Lee Moriarty tried to make the save but he got laid out by the pair.

Lethal held both the world title belts high and it looked as if that will be the end of the event. This is when Samoa Joe made his return to the promotion. He got into Lethal’s face and Joe choked out Sonjay Dutt to end the ppv.

Tony Khan later took on his Twitter to officially announce the former NXT champion’s signing. He teased Joe’s appearance for next week’s episode of Dynamite:

• Ring Of Honor Supercard Of Honor XV Results (4/1): New Tag Team, Pure, And TV Champion & Samoa Joe Debuts

Samoa Joe enjoys his options as he remains a free agent.

“The Samoan Submission Machine” wants to return to professional wrestling after WWE released him on Jan. 6. During his last tenure with the company, Joe competed in NXT before rebranding into NXT 2.0. He relinquished the NXT Championship, after testing positive for Covid-19.

Since Joe couldn’t compete and was taken off NXT TV, he worked as a trainer at the Performance Center. It’s unclear why the WWE released Joe, but he shared that he was grateful for his time with the company.

Wrestling fans wonder which promotion will be lucky enough to add Samoa Joe to its roster. In an interview with Busted Open on Sirus XM, Samoa Joe commented on the potential of signing with All Elite Wrestling or returning to WWE.

“…I’m open to whatever opportunity. Obviously, at this point, I’m blessed enough that I get to make decisions, and I get to work on some things outside of wrestling. Which is a rarity when you are this far in and committed to the business, said Joe.

He continued, “…I got my team working on stuff, and when they eventually connect, we’ll see if something works out.”

What’s Next for Samoa Joe?

Joe will be under the WWE 90 non-compete clause until Apr. 6. However, he keeps himself busy with projects outside of wrestling and being with his family.

“We’re training. We’re ready. Honestly, I’m not on paper with anybody anywhere. We haven’t signed anything. We’re just kind of exploring our options, and I’m taking little time personally just to be with the family and shore up some things home side, and we’ll see what the coming months hold,” said Joe.

He did share during the interview that he’d like to wrestle against Powerhouse Hobbs and Jon Moxley if Joe were to sign with AEW.

Samoa Joe is also working as a voice actor for the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League video game. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was scheduled to be released this year, but the developers have pushed it back to next year. It’s unclear if he has to do additional voice acting for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

AEW or WWE hasn’t publically expressed interest in signing the free agent. Although it doesn’t seem like Joe is rushing to sign with anyone.

Samoa Joe was released from the WWE/NXT for the second time in a year in January. Triple H brought him back to the Black & Gold Brand after being released from the WWE Raw Announce Team shortly have standing through the rain at Wrestlemania.

Samoa Joe joined Busted Open Radio with Tommy Dreamer and Davie LaGreca this morning to guest host during the final hour of the show. Joe informed the Busted Open Nation exactly why he had to relinquish the NXT title after wining it from Karrion Kross.

Samoa Joe on Relinquishing NXT Title “Due To Certain Injuries”

“I popped for COVID,” said Joe. “You know, at the time, it was over the weekend. My wife was making stew and I couldn’t smell it. She said, ‘Wow, doesn’t that smell great?’ I went, ‘No’ and then I tested positive I think on Saturday and by then, Vince had really wanted to go in a different direction with NXT and he really wanted to have the new opening of NXT 2.0 kind of be with a bang and I agreed with him.

I said, ‘Listen, if that’s the case, then you know, this is probably what’s best for what your vision is for what you want for this product.”

Listen to Samoa Joe break down why he had to relinquish the NXT title weeks after winning “due to certain injuries”, courtesy of our friends at the Putting You Over podcast: