R-Truth has been dealing with an arm injury since October. Despite his injury, he did compete at in the WrestleMania Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal this year. Aside from that match, however, Truth hasn’t wrestled since an October 14th, 2017 house show match against Elias.
Truth was backstage at Smackdown last night, however. He appears to be looking for a new tag-team partner as well. Despite coming to believe he is an alien, Truth first asked Tye Dillinger to be his new partner. When that didn’t work out, Truth then challenged Samoa Joe to face Dillinger in a future match.
WWE.com has released video of the interaction:
R-Truth WWE Career
46-year-old Ron Aaron Killings has been wrestling professionally for 21 years. He was first signed to WWE in 1999. His first stint with the company lasted only a few years, however. He was released by the company in 2002 and wrestled in TNA for 5 years. Killings even won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on 2 occasions while he was there.
He returned to WWE in 2008 and has been there ever since. Truth’s WWE resume includes winning the Hardcore championship twice, the US title once, and the WWE tag titles once along with Kofi Kingston. He is also a 2x Slammy Award Winner, having won awards in 2008 (best musical performance) and 2015 (LOL moment of the year).
In TNA, Truth is a 2x NWA World Heavyweight Champion, 2x NWA World Tag Team Champion (w/ 3 Live Crew), and once won the TNA Tag Team titles as well with Adam “Pacman” Jones.
WWE Superstar Samoa Joe was interviewed by Memphis NBC affiliate, WMC Action News 5, to promote tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live in Memphis. Joe first discussed how huge the culture of professional wrestling is in the Memphis area:
“I think Memphis is kind of, one of – wrestling is ingrained in the local culture here and you were just telling me here that we’re kind of sitting on hallowed ground this being the original studio where a lot of Memphis wrestling went down.
“And I think we like to come to towns like this, especially leading into bigger shows cause the crowds have a lot more energy. They’re very, very opinionated and usually makes for some wild TV.”
The Destroyer was then asked what fans can expect from tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live, the final show before Money In The Bank (MITB) this Sunday:
“I’m definitely beating somebody up tonight, so that’s probably the highlight of the evening, but aside from that, tonight, like I said, it’s going to be a night of statements. You’re going to see a lot of people making some big moves tonight and I know I definitely will, so it’ll be pretty fun.”
Joe was then asked about being a professional wrestler in the WWE, as opposed to everywhere else he has worked in his career:
“I’ve been fortunate enough to work for every major company in our industry, in the world. WWE just kind of being my latest. Obviously when you come to WWE the level of spectacle and production in what we do is far and above anywhere else I worked so it’s kind of cool to be apart of the big show now. Obviously I’ve had a fantastic career leading up to this point so I’m kind of in the bonus.”
Finally, the former NXT Champion again put over Memphis’ rich history in professional wrestling:
“I think in general when you talk about great wrestling towns in the history of the world I think Memphis kind of shoots up there into the top three if not the top two. And obviously there’s been so much that has gone on here, so many kinds of epic encounters when it comes to our industry and tonight we look to extend that tradition and keep it going.”
Joe also ended the interview by putting one of the news production team members in the Coquina Clutch. Check that out here:
WWE's @SamoaJoe stopped by the #WMC5 studio to show off his signature Coquina Clutch on our poor digital producer. Check out his full interview (including where he says his favorite Memphis BBQ spot is) here>>https://t.co/oolwzw8wjipic.twitter.com/frXBLmhUJ4
As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Raleigh, NC at the PNC Arena on the USA Network, Samoa Joe beat Daniel Bryan and Big Cass in a triple threat men’s qualifying Money in the Bank match.
As a result of this win, Joe has been added to the men’s Money in the Bank Ladder match at the upcoming MITB event. He joins Braun Strowman, Finn Balor, The Miz, Rusev, Kevin Owens, and Bobby Roode in the match.
The Money in the Bank pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Both Raw and SmackDown brands will be featured. Here is the updated card:
– Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Braun Strowman vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Rusev vs. Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Roode vs. Samoa Joe
– Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Ember Moon vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Lana vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks
Former WWE Superstar Reacts To Bobby Lashley’s “Sister” Segment On RAW
This past Monday’s segment on RAW featuring Bobby Lashley, his three “sisters,” and Sami Zayn was very poorly received by fans. Many in the crowd were booing during the segment, and a lot of people disliked it because they interpreted it as Lashley attacking transgenders.
Former WWE Superstar Ken Shamrock recently took to Twitter to offer his thoughts on the segment. Here’s what he had to say:
When it's good, #RAW is great entertainment and unparalleled athleticism. When it's not, it can feel awkward to watch. The overall reaction to the Lashley bit makes me wonder, they had something more controversial written and the sister skit won out?
Renee Young recently interviewed Daniel Bryan after picking up a win over Jeff Hardy on SmackDown Live. As a result of his win, he’ll challenge Samoa Joe in a Money In The Bank (MITB) qualifying match next week.
Joe recently said in an interview with Young that he’d put Bryan to sleep. The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion said that Joe only says that to people who are afraid of being put to sleep – and he’s not. He then threatened to put Joe out-of-action for 6-9 months by tearing his ACL with the same heel hook he took Big Cass out with:
An interesting stat about Daniel Bryan and Samoa Joe has surfaced online.
The sports entertainment company has officially announced that the former WWE Champion would take on the former NXT Champion in Raleigh, NC at the PNC Arena on SmackDown Live next Tuesday night in a Money in the Bank qualifying match.
The winner of this match will go on to compete in the men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view event.
The interesting stat that was first brought to light by slotrod on Reddit is the fact that the last time that Joe and Bryan wrestled each other was back on December 8, 2006 for the Ring of Honor World Title in a Steel Cage Match.
From the time of that match to the upcoming bout is 4,191 days since they last worked a match against each other.
Who do you think will win this match? Sound off in the comment section below.
A big match is officially set for next week’s episode of SmackDown Live.
For those who may have missed this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Worcester, MA at the DCU Center on the USA Network, Daniel Bryan defeated Jeff Hardy in a singles match.
Now, Bryan will face Samoa Joe next week in Raleigh, NC at the PNC Arena on SmackDown Live in a Money in the Bank qualifying match.
Also, The Miz and The Bar will take on The New Day in a six-man tag team match has been set for next week. As of this writing, no other matches for SmackDown has been announced.
What are your thoughts on these upcoming matches? Sound off in the comment section below.
Former NXT Champion Samoa Joe recently did an interview with Sky Sports to promote the WWE’s European tour. During the interview, Joe was asked about some of the feuds he has been a part of before he joined WWE.
This was in reference to the work that Joe has done with other promotions such as IMPACT Wrestling and Ring Of Honor (ROH). The interviewer joked that they couldn’t mention the names of the other companies.
Joe revealed that he is allowed to name other companies while with WWE, but he chooses not to in order to anger some wrestling fans:
“Yeah, I worked with him at a bunch of other companies other than here. No, we can, we can totally say the name, I chose not to. Everybody says ‘Oh, you can’t say the name’ no, I don’t because I know at home you’re going to get on your message board and you’re gonna be like, ‘He didn’t say it! He didn’t say it!
“Just say it for me!’ I’m not saying it because you’re reacting that way and you’re a grown human being, it’s ridiculous. … You know! You already have the information, you just want me to say it again? It’s just so redundant.”
You can read Joe’s full interview with Sky Sports by clicking this link here.
– As for Shane McMahon’s WWE return, it was noted that after a successful hernia surgery Shane McMahon will be back in shape to wrestle around WWE Summerslam.
– The match between Samoa Joe and Big Cass this week on SmackDown Live is speculated to be a short one to sell Cass’ work leg injury.
On the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that Joe will emerge the winner with the match being very short in length. The reason given was that Cass has been selling his injury given by Daniel Bryan even in house shows this week, meaning that it is very likely that he would continue to appear limping on SmackDown.
WWE continues to swoop up the best talent in the world and bring them to their Performance Center in Orlando before grooming them on NXT. Some fans have said that WWE is killing independent wrestling by signing some of the best talent on the indies and locking them up.
In a recent interview with Pop Culture, SmackDown Live Superstar Samoa Joe addressed this notion. Joe had a rather interesting take on the issue. Here’s what he had to say:
“Hey, you know whose fault it is, that your favorite wrestler got bought out? The company he was working for, cause they were too cheap to pay him what he was worth. So he should get paid what he’s worth, and if WWE comes and pays him what he’s worth, that’s on your sorry ass. Get the money right. And start paying these dudes.
“There are too many crazy talented dudes out there that aren’t getting paid, and if you have a problem with WWE making those dudes rich, you can kiss my ass, cause those dudes deserve to be rich, cause they’re talented as hell. It’s funny because people are like, ‘oh, well that’s kind of messed up,’ No. No. That’s how you win.
“That’s why they’re the number one company in the world. You go out there and you get the best dudes. You don’t get mad at a tiger for being a tiger.”
You can read Joe’s full interview with Pop Culture by clicking this link here.
Despite his recent losses, Roman Reigns came out on top in his last match.
Reigns defeated Samoa Joe in the main event of Sunday’s (May 6, 2018) WWE Backlash pay-per-view event in Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center on the WWE Network.
It was originally reported that AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Title would serve as the headliner of this show.
However, plans changed, and they put “The Big Dog” in the main event after he lost to Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title at both WrestleMania 34 and the Greatest Royal Rumble event last month.
WWE has posted this interview of Cathy Kelley talking to Reigns after the event. He noted that this win was all about pride and that it proved that if someone is doubting you, then you can do anything in regards to Joe talking trash to build this match.
Reigns added that he would conquer every single day and that’s why this is his yard. You can watch it here:
What are your thoughts on Reigns’ statement? Sound off in the comment section below.
Since returning to the scene in WWE, Samoa Joe has picked up right where he left off. Having just recently returned, Joe is already setting his sights at the very top — the WWE Champion AJ Styles.
During a recent sit-down interview with ESPN, Joe spoke about his longstanding rivalry with Styles, which spans over two decades. According to Joe, a showdown with Styles in WWE is inevitable.
“I think at this point it’s beyond potential, and it’s something that’s gonna happen,” Joe told ESPN this past Tuesday morning, just hours before confronting ‘The Phenomenal One’ on SmackDown Live.
“People talk about the Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn relationship and how they’ll be fighting forever, but in reality when it comes to me and AJ Styles, I defy anybody to find two guys who have been battling against each other longer than us,” said Joe.
Samoa Joe Talks AJ Styles Rivalry
Joe, a former two-time NXT World Champion himself, went on to praise Styles and put over the fact that he is among the best the business has ever seen. At the same time, he made sure to prepare the WWE Universe for the fact that a Joe-Styles clash is something like they’ve never seen.
“AJ, his moniker speaks for itself,” said Joe. “He’s a phenomenal athlete, he’s been a fantastic champion and a superstar for WWE. A lot of the wider WWE universe hasn’t been able to experience what Samoa Joe-AJ Styles is, and if there’s one thing that we’ve always known about each other it’s that whenever we get in the ring, things get a little bit more intense. There’s just a little bit extra ‘oomph’ with everything that happens. That rivalry was started over a decade ago, and rest assured it will continue in WWE.”
Check out the complete Samoa Joe interview at ESPN.com.
What do you think about an AJ Styles-Samoa Joe rivalry in WWE? Sound off in the Comments section below.
Samoa Joe was probably the biggest acquisition of SmackDown Live during Superstar Shakeup, though it appears that the former NXT Champion himself was not aware of this change up until last minute.
Joe recently appeared on From The Top Rope podcast where he talked about NXT being a proving period for him, looking forward to working with Daniel Bryan and more.
When asked about the time he found out that he was being moved to SmackDown Live, the former TNA Star said that he got to know about it on the day of Superstar Shakeup:
“I found out when they told when I got to the Superstar Shakeup. They gave us no head’s up. It’s chaotic that week; it’s weird because you’re like ‘What?’–you sit there and I thought about the matchups now that I’m over on Smackdown, and I was like ‘ehh… I can deal with this.’ After much reflection, I’m looking forward to it.”
Samoa Joe was one of the biggest stars to switch brands during superstar shakeup along with the likes of the Miz, Jinder Mahal, Jeff Hardy and more.
If some recent reports are to be believed then Joe might be taking a big role in SmackDown Live in upcoming times and he may be in line for a big Championship feud.
He is currently scheduled to face Roman Reigns in a one on one match at the Backlash PPV this Sunday.
A new report has shed some light on what the WWE has planned for Samoa Joe on SmackDown Live.
Although the sports entertainment company has moved him from their flagship show, Monday Night RAW, to SmackDown Live, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is still going forward with plans in place.
Those plans call for Joe to face Roman Reigns in a singles match at the upcoming Backlash pay-per-view event that takes place on May 6, 2018, in Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center.
Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated is reporting that although the chances of Joe losing to Reigns at Backlash are pretty good, that doesn’t mean that the WWE doesn’t have big plans for the “Samoan Submission Machine.” It was noted that WWE is planning for Joe to feud with Styles for the WWE Title on SmackDown Live in the near future.
Thus, it will be interesting to see what direction the company goes in for the WWE Title Match between Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura at Backlash.
Keep in mind that plans change all the time in the WWE and this doesn’t rule out Nakamura winning the title at Backlash.
What are your thoughts on Joe feuding with Styles going forward? Sound off in the comment section below.
Samoa Joe’s replacement for a top match at an upcoming WWE live event has been revealed.
Originally, Joe vs. Roman Reigns in a singles match was promoted for the upcoming live event at Madison Square Garden in New York City on July 7th.
However, earlier this week, the sports entertainment company pulled the SmackDown star from advertisements for the show.
The reason for this is due to the event being a RAW branded show, and they need a RAW star to take on Reigns.
Mike Johnson reported on a recent installment of PWInsider Elite Audio that the star would replace Joe at this event to face Reigns is former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, who is also slated to wrestle Reigns at other live events.
Here is what the longtime pro wrestling journalist had to say (transcript courtesy of RingsideNews): “He’s being pulled off a lot of those house shows. They’re going to be doing, including at Madison Square Garden I was told, Roman vs. Jinder.”
Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, Elias, Matt Hardy, and Bray Wyatt are also being advertised for this live event.
What are your thoughts on Mahal replacing Joe? Sound off in the comment section below.
– WWE is scheduled to hold a live event at Madison Square Garden in New York City on July 7th. The promotion recently updated the advertisement for the show.
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe in a singles match is being promoted as the main event. Keep in mind that this is a match that is also being advertised for several other events this summer.
It should be noted that although the arena is advertising this match, WWE.com is no longer advertising Joe for the upcoming show. This may have been done due to Joe being moved from RAW to SmackDown Live as part of the Superstar Shake-Up. It’s possible that MSG updates the lineup in the coming days.
Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, Elias, Matt Hardy, and Bray Wyatt are also being advertised for this live event. – WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry discussed WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins’ latest work in WWE on the latest episode of Busted Open Radio. The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion gave high praise to Rollins and said he’s becoming an all-time great. “Seth Rollins is, right now, for your money, he’s one of the most exciting guys wrestling,” Henry said. “He’s getting into that ‘great’ stratusphere, like beyond elite. He’s becoming—dare I say—Hall Of Fame caliber. He’s going to be one of the best before it’s all said and done with.”
Former NXT Champion and current SmackDown Live star Samoa Joe recently did an interview with The National to promote tomorrow’s WWE Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia. The Destroyer first opened up about competing in Saudi Arabia for the first time in his career:
“It is going to my first time in Saudi Arabia and I am over the moon and excited about it. To have the chance to experience a new place and a new culture first hand is always a great opportunity.”
He also discussed his heated feud with Brock Lesnar last year and why he doesn’t fear the former UFC heavyweight champion:
“I watched grown men tap dance around Brock Lesnar because they are scared of him. There is an edict in the company that Brock Lesnar is a thing to be feared at all times and all this. I fear no man. I don’t believe in and respect anyone who fears other men. You know, Brock Lesnar is like everybody else in the world.
“You go out, you smash him in the face, get in the grill. You have to get up close and personal with Brock Lesnar. If you are going up against a monster you better be a monster yourself. You have to have a monstrous fury in your heart because that is what it is going to take to beat that guy. I am not done with Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar knows that. He knows I am not scared of him.”
You can ready Joe’s full interview with The National by clicking this link here.
WWE Superstar Samoa Joe, who recently moved from Monday Night RAW to SmackDown Live by way of the Superstar Shake-Up, took to Twitter to note the amount of negativity he always see on social media.
Joe noted that he doesn’t really care too much for the comments, but stated one day the people leaving those comments will have to explain them to people in their lives who actually care:
Every morning I wake up with my social media rife with hate, racism, etc. I can only shake my head when I realize at some point your going to have to explain those statements to people in your life that actually care.
I think some of y’all think the last statement was to express “frustration” from me, it’s quite the opposite . Im good, I’m just amazed at how many of you self sabotage on social media. If anything it makes for great entertainment in ignorance
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Batista is set to appear on Jimmy Kimmel tomorrow night (Tues. April 24, 2018); alongside Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johannson, Danai Gurira and Tom Hiddleston, to promote the release of their new film Avengers: Infinity War.
Joe connected with a series of knees, but Sin Cara battled back with a springboard elbow to the face. Samoa Joe got right back up and hit a couple of jabs to Sin Cara’s face. Joe then decked Sin Cara with a chop to the chest.
Sin Cara targetted Joe’s knee with a couple of kicks. Joe shrugged them off and unloaded some massive punches to Sin Cara. Joe then locked in the Coquina Clutch for the easy submission victory.
After the match, Samoa Joe grabbed the microphone and said that the SmackDown roster has had things easy because he hasn’t been on the roster. Joe added that he is here now and that he will get all the oppurtinities. Joe vowed to put Daniel Bryan to sleep, take down Randy Orton and emasculate AJ Styles. Joe promised to destroy whatever is left of Roman Reigns at Backlash. Joe added that if Reigns somehow wins the Universal Championship at WWE Greatest Royal Rumble, he will will tear it from his waist at Backlash.
Samoa Joe will be competing for the Intercontinental Championship at WWE Greatest Royal Rumble. Joe was on RAW last night and cut a promo on Roman Reigns for the second week in a row. Joe will face Roman Reigns at WWE Backlash and has mocked Reigns for his failures against Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar will defend his Universal Championship against Roman Reigns in a Steel Cage Match at WWE Greatest Royal Rumble on April 27th.
Samoa Joe was unfortunate enough to miss WrestleMania last year and his bad luck forced the former TNA World Champion to miss the Show of Shows this year again.
During a recent interview with Busted Open Radio before WrestleMania 34, Joe talked about not being able to attend the PPV second year in a row among other things.
He said that anybody would be upset at this proposition because Mania is like the Super Bowl of Wrestling Industry so sitting on the bench is a tough go:
“I think anybody is always upset at that proposition. WrestleMania was a big day for us, and for our industry, and anytime the Super Bowl is on you want to be playing, so sitting on the bench, especially when you are ready to run, it is a tough go, but you deal with it the best way that I can.”
For those who don’t know, Samoa Joe made his main roster debut back in January 2017 and while his arrival was impressive he wasn’t booked for the card of WrestleMania 33.
He spent the next year building his name on the main roster while going against opponents like Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns but a foot injury suffered in January this year forced him to miss the Show of Shows again.
Quotes via WrestlingInc. You can watch his full interview below:
Back in January former WWE NXT Champion Samoa Joe suffered an injury to his foot during a match with Rhyno on RAW.
The injury kept him out-of-action for several months before The Destroyer was able to make his return to WWE TV tonight (Mon. April 9, 2018) on the RAW after WrestleMania 34. Joe confronted Roman Reigns, who was in the middle of a promo in which he discussed his loss to Universal Champion Brock Lesnar last night.
Joe said that Reigns is a failure and he’ll be waiting for The Big Dog at Backlash following Reigns’ rematch with Lesnar at The Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia:
For many years, wrestling fans wanted to see Samoa Joe sign with WWE following his success in Impact Wrestling and Ring of Honor. Finally, he signed with the company in 2015. However, instead of being placed on the main roster right away like many fans thought would happen, WWE decided to place him in NXT. He was in NXT for nearly two years. He was later called up to the main roster. On the January 30, 2017, episode of Raw, Joe made his official main roster debut by attacking Seth Rollins from behind and aligning himself with Triple H.
The former NXT Champion recently did an interview with alarabiya.net to talk about various topics. During the interview, he opened up on his relationship with Vince McMahon.
“I’m terrible at small talk, so me and Vince’s relationship is? don’t want to say dispassionate, but when we have talks, they’re very brief, short, we lay out a few things, and I go from there. It’s not a lot of, ‘hey how are you doin’, how’s this, how’s that’. It’s calling the play, what do we need to get done, and I go out and get it done.”
Strowman is slated to challenge Cesaro and Sheamus for the RAW Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 34. WWE has made it known that he will need a tag team partner in order to challenge for the straps. However, he has yet to say who he has chosen. Joe has been someone rumored to be his partner.
“Braun out here talking about how he doesn’t get along well with other people, but I’m terrible at it. That sounds like something that’s very enticing to the fans, but I’m sure two minutes in I’d be punching him in the head.”
– WWE is advertising Samoa Joe for the April 16th edition of Monday Night RAW at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.
The former NXT Champion has been out of action since suffering an injury back in January. It’s believed that Joe has been medically cleared to return, but WWE will wait until the RAW after WrestleMania for his television return.
He has been backstage at RAW for the past two weeks and is advertised for upcoming live events where he is slated to wrestle Roman Reigns.
– Stephanie McMahon is slated to team with Triple H to face Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle in a Mixed Tag Team Match at WrestleMania 34. WWE’s YouTube channel has released this video of McMahon training for her in-ring return, which you can see here:
WWE is scheduled to hold a live event at Madison Square Garden in New York City on July 7th. The promotion recently updated the card for the show.
The sports entertainment company has officially announced the first match for this upcoming show, which will serve as the main event.
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe in a singles match is being promoted. Keep in mind that this is a match that is also being advertised for several other events this summer.
Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, The Miz, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Sasha Banks, Elias, The Bar, Matt Hardy, and Bray Wyatt are also being advertised for this live event.
The WWE will be announcing more matches for this live event in the coming weeks.
WWE officials are already planning on who will be Roman Reigns’ opponent this summer.
Reigns is slated to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title at WrestleMania 34. The sports entertainment company has planned this match for over a year now. The idea of Reigns winning at the biggest event of the year for the WWE is to get him over as a top babyface, which is something they have been trying to do for years now.
The current plan is Reigns to work a program with Samoa Joe after WrestleMania, according to Dave Meltzer. Joe has been out of action since suffering a knee injury back in January. It’s believed that Joe has been medically cleared to return and he was actually backstage at Monday’s RAW, but WWE will most likely wait until the RAW after WrestleMania for his television return.
Samoa Joe is scheduled to work with Roman Reigns in the main event of WWE live shows over the next few months, including the 5/7 Raw-brand show at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, NY.
What do you think about Roman Reigns feuding with Samoa Joe after WrestleMania?
Former NXT Champion Samoa Joe has addressed his most recent injury as well as talked about some other topics during a recent interview on Booker T’s Heated Conversations podcast.
As a result of his injury, WWE has had to make some changes to their plans. It’s been reported that Joe’s return has been pushed back after he suffered a plantar fascia rupture. The original timeline for his return was early March. Instead of returning in early March, he is now slated to return to mid/late March instead. The injury was more severe than originally expected.
“As of right now it’s kind of a week to week thing. With these injuries sometimes these things can heal earlier and sometimes later. They are going to do a little bit of an ultrasound every week. They’re going to be giving me treatments. It’s not something that requires surgery. It’s basically a lot of time, rest, elevation and letting it heal. It just depends how quickly it’s going to heal. Hopefully it will be sooner than later. Obviously we’re going to be past the Rumble but I don’t know how much further past that.”
With Joe dealing with his injury, he will, unfortunately, miss out on competing at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event, which takes place on Sunday, January 28, 2018, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Wells Fargo Center and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets.
“Anytime you miss one of the “Big 4” shows or, really, just shows in general it’s always sad to say. A younger version of me would definitely be stressing out and probably making this situation a lot worse. For me right now, I know what I need to do to get back and be healthy. I understand the time table and what I need to do to exceed that time table. I am more accepting of the process because I realize it’s unavoidable. Now it’s just about concentrating just getting back and being healthy.”