Marc Raimondi, ESPN Workforce Scribbler
Samoa Joe is 44 years ancient and has been in professional wrestling since 1999. He’s held championships and major evented playing cards as regards to far and wide — from Ring of Honor to TNA to WWE to Japan to now AEW.
On Dec. 30, Joe defeated MJF to win the AEW global championship, making him one of the most few to book lead titles in AEW, NXT, ROH and TNA. The Orange County, California, local has additionally been busy out of doors wrestling. He performs Candy Enamel within the streaming form “Twisted Metal” and is about to tone the nature King Shark within the later Suicide Squad online game.
Samoa Joe will barricade the AEW name for the primary life Wednesday on AEW Dynamite in opposition to Hook, the 24-year-old emerging big name and son of former ECW and WWE big name (and AEW commentator) Taz. Joe opens up about profitable the belt next such a lot of years within the business, beating MJF, the fit with Hook, what came about with CM Punk and Jack Perry at Wembley Stadium endmost August all over the All In pay-per-view display and extra.
This interview has been edited for brevity and readability.
Marc Raimondi: How does it tone, Joe? AEW global champion Samoa Joe.
Samoa Joe: It sounds proper. It simply rolls off the tongue. Excellent. It feels pleasant to let it go your lips.
MR: You could have been a champion in lots of parks. What does being the AEW global champion heartless to you at this level of your occupation?
SJ: It’s to be the usual bearer of probably the most thrilling corporations within the business at the moment. I’ve mentioned this a number of occasions. AEW is a touchstone for the sector of wrestling. We don’t restrict ourselves to a tiny, slight nook of the wrestling universe. We can move available in the market. We can combat your champions from any alternative promotion. And this gives a novel alternative for me to increase on that championship legacy.
MR: You’ve been a good-looking busy man out of doors the hoop. You had been not too long ago in Bent Steel, the video-game adaptation into the TV form. And also you’ll even be voicing King Shark within the Suicide Squad online game, which is good-looking cool. How did you get them? What’s that like? How is it other from wrestling?
SJ: Bent Steel happened from a just right good friend from long ago when: Carter Swan. He’s a manufacturer at PlayStation Footage. They had been in pre-production for Bent Steel. He used to be actively in search of [someone to play the] Candy Enamel [character]. He concept again to the times of sitting at the sofa with every other pal of ours (Hollywood manufacturer), Jeff Katz, gazing pay-per-views. And he is going, ‘Ah, I must give Joe a choice.’ So, he known as me roughly suddenly. And we screen-tested — it used to be a accident. Nearest factor you recognize, I’m in an ice cream truck, donning the masks, and having a batch of amusing.
MR: You gained the championship a couple of weeks in the past in opposition to MJF. It used to be an enchanting condition that you just guys had been in as it’s a plenty pay-per-view major match, however we all know that MJF is injured moving into, proper? The fit used to be stunning, however you will have a man who can’t do issues along with his shoulder, which is more or less remarkable. How do you offer with that condition?
SJ: To his credit score, you move available in the market, and it’s ‘move’ life regardless of the entire bodily shortcomings he had going into that fit. He knew he needed to move available in the market and carry out, and he gave it his absolute best move. You’ll’t suppose your approach round many of this stuff at this stage. Guys must move available in the market and grin and endure it, and credit score to Max. He used to be a type of folks on that night time.
MR: You could have a weighty fit bobbing up on Wednesday in opposition to Hook, and it were given arguable endmost date with some stuff on X with [AEW owner] Tony Khan [posting about WWE’s] Jinder Mahal. What came about there?
SJ: I don’t know. That had not anything to do with me. I heartless, that’s simply in point of fact a adorable slight debate. I’m happy everyone’s chimed in on it. However on paper, Hook appears like the very best challenger. I heartless, he’s 29-1. He’s were given the stats, however let’s see if he’s were given the center. And I feel that’s what this fit is in point of fact about. We’ve all set a pristine usual for who gets the championship pictures round right here. And it’s gonna convey up a batch of dialogue and disagreements. So, I greater than welcome this opening bankruptcy. And as for Hook, I heartless, he’s an incredible younger athlete. While you take a look at this man, you take a look at a man with endless doable. He has the pedigree. We can remove him in and in finding out what he’s manufactured from.
MR: Inform me about this pristine championship protocol, and do you will have a accident checklist? Do you will have an inventory of names you wish to have to stand and barricade that AEW global name in opposition to?
SJ: That’s the gorgeous phase about being the champion. They’re all coming for you. All of them display up on the doorstep and aim to remove what’s yours. And that’s the circumstance that I’m welcoming. It’s person who I’m propagating. Let’s simply get the pipeline of the actual demanding situations as much as the champ and block the entire extraneous video games and foolish stuff. Let’s placed on some suits and spot who’s the most productive on the planet.
MR: You could have been on the lead of each and every promotion that you just’ve been in, Ring of Honor or TNA, major occasions in WWE, Japan. There used to be a length the place I feel critics — perhaps nation in positive promotions — mentioned, ‘Joe is perhaps a slight bit used, perhaps he’s roughly era it, we’ll convey him in as a professor. Perhaps he gained’t put together the principle roster.’ To be right here in 2024 as a global champion of a big promotion, what does that heartless to you?
SJ: It proves to me that there’s all the time been two units of views. There’s been the sector’s standpoint, and there’s been mine. And mine has been proper each and every life. I feel many nation simply don’t have the boldness and wherewithal to wager on themselves, to grasp the batch that you just’ve been dealt and are aware of it’s no longer just right plethora, and that you just’re gonna put together your personal. And it’s been legitimately the hallmark of my occupation. No person ever sought after me till I confirmed up on their doorstep. It’s deny other right here, and it’ll be deny other going forward, and I’m very happy with that. Being at this level the place I’m at at the moment in my occupation and being a global champion, to me, it used to be anticipated. And so, on every occasion I listen nation say that they’re stunned or, ‘You’ve close up the naysayers,’ why had been you taking note of them within the first park?
MR: What I in finding ordinary about professional wrestling at the moment is when AEW began, there used to be a honeymoon length the place it’s like, ‘Sure, there’s a quantity two promotion in america once more, this is gonna be stunning for the athletes.’ As a result of there are extra choices, because of this extra money for everybody. The goods all the time get well. If historical past is any indication, it’s going to be higher for the lovers if there’s pageant. And it has been higher for the lovers. But there simply appears to be a batch of negativity.
SJ: As a result of on-line fandom isn’t about sharing an revel in with any person. It’s about being proper. It’s about having a perspective and nearest discovering each and every tidbit or morsel to help that perspective and hammering away in opposition to the alternative nation who will have an opposing perspective. It’s a unique form of fandom that I feel nation don’t acknowledge, and it’s no longer in point of fact concerning the product, the warring parties, or nation on the whole. It’s as regards to beating this alternative particular person on the alternative finish of the Twitter care for, or no matter it can be. That’s in point of fact what it boils right down to. I absolute best sum it up this fashion. I’ve by no means heard any person say, ‘Guy, I in point of fact modified a batch of nation’s minds with that tweet.’
MR: You move long ago with MMA. Please proportion your absolute best Tito Ortiz tale from coaching with Crew Punishment again in Huntington Seashore, California.
SJ: I want I may just. A batch of that stuff shouldn’t be mentioned. Most commonly simply pranks and stuff. You want a batch of backstory to grasp why it used to be a prank. However all the time humorous occasions, having law enforcement officials getting known as within the storage room. Perhaps a professor or two getting arrested, however no longer in point of fact. Stuff like that. ‘Howdy, endmost night time, we were given this file, heard you probably did one thing bizarre.’ And, after all, police will are available, perhaps take hold of mentioned professor, progress him out of doors, and in spite of everything, he’ll get it, ‘Oh, you guys are messing with me.’
MR: Highest John Cena tale from the UPW detached wrestling days in Southern California.
SJ: Community suppose that the freestyling began in WWE, however all that began again within the date, on highway journeys as much as Northern California and John occurring freestyle raps for hours at a life. I heartless, simply going off. We’d have no matter night time combine, the power life combine that will be on, and we’d be using as much as San Francisco, and John would simply be killing it. The brother can rap.
MR: You were given a shout-out not too long ago via DJ Whoo Child. He used to be behind the curtain at Wembley Stadium and noticed the incident earlier than your fit in opposition to CM Punk (which ended in his firing from AEW) at All In. What came about with CM Punk and Jack Perry?
SJ: There used to be a slight little bit of an incident. We were given it damaged up. We went available in the market and wrestled, guy. That’s the gist of it. Everyone needs it to be a batch greater than what it’s, however that’s what it used to be. And to talk any longer on it might be needless except you’re looking to get a scorecard and stuff — however accept as true with me, it wasn’t that form of a combat.
MR: It wasn’t a weighty offer?
SJ: To not me. I’ve open fights crack out. Stuff occurs. However once more, that’s me. I’ve been in those conditions, I’ve open that. I’ll in finding it humorous when nation are like, ‘Oh, Joe’s cool with it.’ I heartless, nah guy, it used to be a high-stress condition. Certain. However I heartless, it’s one I’ve open occur again and again. We get it squashed out. We had a display to do. We had [81,035] lovers ready available in the market. And that used to be my center of attention, as a result of that’s what it used to be about at that month. We’re about to move out and feature the most productive night time of our lives.
MR: Many nation had been announcing you had been the tone of explanation why.
SJ: Howdy, concentrate, all of us understood that there used to be one thing to be performed. There used to be a challenge forward people and everyone simply were given centered. And good day, if I used to be part of that, cool. However my purpose used to be to get available in the market and get this display at the highway.
