Samoa Joe was trending on Twitter this week after he announced on his account that he opted not to renew his deal with TNA and an executive for the company would later confirm that Joe had officially parted ways with the promotion.
Samoa Joe initially garnered notoriety wrestling for UPW and later traveled to Japan to wrestle for Zero-1 in 2001. Still learning his craft, Joe generated a lot of buzz in the United States when he debuted for Ring Of Honor and had a brutal match with Low Ki in 2002. ROH was and still is a breeding ground for young talent to be discovered, which gave Joe a platform to elevate his status on the independent scene. He was a very unique athlete and extremely agile for his size, which allowed him to work well with a variety of opponents. Joe also brought a sense of realism to his matches and his stiff in ring style enhanced it, which made his character believable. Eventually, Joe won the ROH World title and held the belt for nearly two years. It was the title run and his consistently solid matches that brought him offers from both WWE and TNA.
There were rumors that the WWE approached Joe with the Umaga gimmick that he given to Jamal from 3 Minute Warning, who portrayed the character during a run in the WWE. Obviously, Joe declined the stereotypical character and signed with TNA, which at the time was securing a time slot on Spike TV. After Joe signed in 2005, he went on a year and a half undefeated streak, while still wrestling a full schedule for ROH. Joe was built up as a monster and he seemed to be the future of TNA. Kurt Angle was released from the WWE and after a controversial departure, he signed a TNA deal in 2006. Almost immediately, the Angle/Joe dream match was booked and there actually wasn't a major push for the match, but it was a major booking fumble from TNA. Angle defeated Joe and ended the undefeated streak, which I still say made Joe look secondary to a WWE star.
Over the next several years, Joe had a few title runs, but TNA never fully let him run with it and ridiculous booking would minimize his character many times during his TNA career. The "Nation of Violence" character, where Joe occasionally had a machete, random tag teams, and being kidnapped after an attack from unidentified ninjas were some of the TNA booking for him. Yes, Russo booked the ninjas and Joe returned to TV a few weeks later with no explanation for the storyline. In some respects, it might have been better for Joe's career if he left TNA sooner because after 10 years, he spent much of the prime of his career floundering there. Ultimately, TNA missed the boat on Joe and he could have helped built a brand for the company, which is something they are still trying to do on Destination America.
So where does Joe go from here? After the announcement on Twitter, there was already speculation that Joe might sign to NXT, but I don't know if it will happen. At 35, Joe has wrestled a very physical style during his career and it has probably taken a toll on it so he might not be on the WWE's radar. Don't get me wrong, I think it would be great to see Joe in the WWE and despite his age, he could probably have a good there, but realistically, he's not going to be the same performer he was ten years ago. The other option for Joe could be New Japan and considering that more foreign talent is being booked, Joe could have a major run there. Regardless, Samoa Joe is a great competitor and he always has solid matches so the exit from TNA could somewhat rejuvenate his career.
Until next week
That’s My Story and I’m Sticking To It
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