Samoa Joe reflects on his transition from WWE to All Elite Wrestling, and he says his run with the latter is just getting started.
Before signing with AEW in April, Samoa Joe experienced a roller coaster of a couple years in WWE. After suffering an injury during a commercial shoot, Joe became a commentator for Monday Night Raw. After doing that for one year, WWE released Joe during a wave of mass cuts in April 2021. Triple H brought him back two months later to NXT, where he won the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver 36. However his reign was cut short after a month due to an injury. Joe then transitioned into a behind-the-scenes role until he was released again in January.
The veteran went on to sign with Ring of Honor and AEW, and he debuted at ROH Supercard of Honor in April. He subsequently won the ROH World Television Championship by defeating Minoru Suzuki on the April 13 episode of AEW Dynamite.
Joe reflected on his journey up to this point during a recent interview with DAZN Wrestling. Rather than labeling the experience a “wild ride” or “unexpected,” Joe stated that he’s the most calm he has felt in the midst of the storm, considering where he’s been and what he’s experienced throughout his career. As his first calendar year in AEW comes to an end, Joe feels like he’s just now settling in because he had been working on several projects during the beginning of his run with the company.
“Mainly just because of a bunch of new and crazy challenges,” Joe said. “I was doing new stuff from commentary to working with young athletes and recruiting people, to stunt work and acting. I mean, basically, it’s like a major career switch every four or five months for me.
“So going through that, you’re never sitting back and thinking about the process and thinking about what you’re going through. It really took me until up until a couple weeks ago when I did my last couple media junkets, and I kinda sat down and was like, ‘Damn, it’s been a pretty crazy ride for these past two years,’ and really no signs of slowing up.”
When asked to describe his AEW run so far, Joe emphasized that it’s just getting started, and he’s looking forward to the future.
“Just getting started. I mean really, I came in initially. I was off for three months filming, and now I’m back. We’re just getting started,” Joe said. “When you think about my run and how long I’ve actually been in AEW as far as days in the job, we’re still very much in the beginning of this. So I’m excited to see where it goes.”
Joe continues to gain momentum, as he won the TNT Championship by beating Powerhouse Hobbs and Wardlow at AEW Full Gear. He will defend the ROH World Television Championship against Juice Robinson at ROH Final Battle on December 10.
RELATED: Samoa Joe: I Appreciate Championships, But My Goal Is To Entertain The Fans
