Samoa Joe is 44 years outdated and has been in professional wrestling since 1999. He is held championships and principal evented playing cards nearly in all places — from Ring of Honor to TNA to WWE to Japan to now AEW.
On Dec. 30, Joe defeated MJF to win the AEW world championship, making him one of many few to carry high titles in AEW, NXT, ROH and TNA. The Orange County, California native has additionally been busy exterior wrestling. He performs Candy Tooth within the streaming collection Twisted Steel and is about to voice the character King Shark within the subsequent Suicide Squad online game.
Samoa Joe will defend the AEW title for the primary time Wednesday on AEW Dynamite towards Hook, the 24-year-old rising star and son of former ECW and WWE star (and AEW commentator) Taz. Joe opens up about successful the belt after so a few years within the business, beating MJF, the match with Hook, what occurred with CM Punk and Jack Perry at Wembley Stadium final August throughout the All In pay-per-view present and extra.
This interview has been edited for brevity and readability.
Marc Raimondi: How does it sound, Joe? AEW world champion Samoa Joe.
Samoa Joe: It sounds proper. It simply rolls off the tongue. Good. It feels pleasurable to let it go your lips.
MR: You’ve got been a champion in lots of locations. What does being the AEW world champion imply to you at this stage of your profession?
SJ: It is to be the usual bearer of one of the vital thrilling firms within the business proper now. I’ve stated this a number of instances. AEW is a touchstone for the world of wrestling. We do not restrict ourselves to a small, little nook of the wrestling universe. We are going to go on the market. We are going to battle your champions from some other promotion. And this gives a novel alternative for me to develop on that championship legacy.
MR: You have been a reasonably busy man exterior the ring. You have been lately in Twisted Steel, the video-game adaptation into the TV collection. And you may even be voicing King Shark within the Suicide Squad online game, which is fairly cool. How did you get them? What’s that like? How is it totally different from wrestling?
SJ: Twisted Steel happened from a superb good friend from manner again when: Carter Swan. He’s a producer at PlayStation Footage. They have been in pre-production for Twisted Steel. He was actively looking for [someone to play the] Candy Tooth [character]. He thought again to the times of sitting on the sofa with one other buddy of ours (Hollywood producer), Jeff Katz, watching pay-per-views. And he goes, ‘Ah, I ought to give Joe a name.’ So, he known as me sort of out of the blue. And we screen-tested — it was successful. Subsequent factor you understand, I am in an ice cream truck, donning the masks, and having a whole lot of enjoyable.
MR: You gained the championship just a few weeks in the past towards MJF. It was an attention-grabbing state of affairs that you just guys have been in as a result of it is an enormous pay-per-view principal occasion, however everybody is aware of that MJF is injured moving into, proper? The match was nice, however you might have a man who cannot do issues together with his shoulder, which is sort of vital. How do you cope with that state of affairs?
SJ: To his credit score, you go on the market, and it is ‘go’ time regardless of all of the bodily shortcomings he had going into that match. He knew he needed to go on the market and carry out, and he gave it his greatest go. You may’t suppose your manner round lots of these items at this degree. Guys should go on the market and grin and bear it, and credit score to Max. He was a type of people on that evening.
MR: You’ve got an enormous match developing on Wednesday towards Hook, and it received controversial final week with some stuff on X with [AEW owner] Tony Khan [posting about WWE’s] Jinder Mahal. What occurred there?
SJ: I do not know. That had nothing to do with me. I imply, that is simply actually a cute little debate. I am glad all people’s chimed in on it. However on paper, Hook feels like the right challenger. I imply, he is 29-1. He is received the stats, however let’s have a look at if he is received the center. And I feel that is what this match is basically about. We have set a brand new customary for who will get the championship photographs round right here. And it is gonna carry up a whole lot of dialogue and disagreements. So, I greater than welcome this opening chapter. And as for Hook, I imply, he is an amazing younger athlete. While you take a look at this man, you take a look at a man with limitless potential. He has the pedigree. We are going to take him in and discover out what he is fabricated from.
MR: Inform me about this new championship protocol, and do you might have successful checklist? Do you might have a listing of names you need to face and defend that AEW world title towards?
SJ: That is the attractive half about being the champion. They’re all coming for you. All of them present up on the doorstep and attempt to take what’s yours. And that is the setting that I am welcoming. It is one which I am propagating. Let’s simply get the pipeline of the actual challenges as much as the champ and cease all of the extraneous video games and foolish stuff. Let’s placed on some matches and see who’s one of the best on the earth.
MR: You’ve got been on the high of each promotion that you have been in, Ring of Honor or TNA, principal occasions in WWE, Japan. There was a interval the place I feel critics — possibly folks in sure promotions — stated, ‘Joe is possibly just a little bit older, possibly he is sort of previous it, we’ll carry him in as a coach. Possibly he will not make the primary roster.’ To be right here in 2024 as a world champion of a significant promotion, what does that imply to you?
SJ: It proves to me that there is all the time been two units of views. There’s been the world’s perspective, and there is been mine. And mine has been proper each time. I feel many individuals simply do not have the arrogance and wherewithal to guess on themselves, to grasp the lot that you have been dealt and perceive it is not adequate, and that you just’re gonna make your individual. And it has been legitimately the hallmark of my profession. No person ever wished me till I confirmed up on their doorstep. It is no totally different right here, and it will be no totally different sooner or later, and I am very comfy with that. Being at this level the place I am at proper now in my profession and being a world champion, to me, it was anticipated. And so, at any time when I hear folks say that they are shocked or, ‘You have shut up the naysayers,’ why have been you listening to them within the first place?
MR: What I discover odd about professional wrestling proper now could be when AEW began, there was a honeymoon interval the place it is like, ‘Sure, there’s a quantity two promotion in america once more, that’s gonna be nice for the athletes.’ As a result of there are extra choices, which suggests extra money for everybody. The merchandise all the time get higher. If historical past is any indication, it is going to be higher for the followers if there’s competitors. And it has been higher for the followers. But there simply appears to be a whole lot of negativity.
SJ: As a result of on-line fandom is not about sharing an expertise with any person. It is about being proper. It is about having a standpoint after which discovering each tidbit or morsel to help that standpoint and hammering away towards the opposite individuals who might have an opposing standpoint. It is a totally different kind of fandom that I feel folks do not acknowledge, and it is probably not concerning the product, the fighters, or folks generally. It is nearly beating this different particular person on the different finish of the Twitter deal with, or no matter it could be. That is actually what it boils right down to. I greatest sum it up this fashion. I’ve by no means heard any person say, ‘Man, I actually modified lots of people’s minds with that tweet.’
MR: You go manner again with MMA. Please share your greatest Tito Ortiz story from coaching with Crew Punishment again in Huntington Seashore, California.
SJ: I want I may. Numerous that stuff should not be talked about. Principally simply pranks and stuff. You want a whole lot of backstory to grasp why it was a prank. However all the time humorous instances, having cops getting known as within the locker room. Possibly a coach or two getting arrested, however probably not. Stuff like that. ‘Hey, final evening, we received this report, heard you probably did one thing bizarre.’ And, in fact, police will are available in, possibly seize stated coach, stroll him exterior, and at last, he’ll get it, ‘Oh, you guys are messing with me.’
MR: Greatest John Cena story from the UPW unbiased wrestling days in Southern California.
SJ: Folks suppose that the freestyling began in WWE, however all that began again within the day, on highway journeys as much as Northern California and John happening freestyle raps for hours at a time. I imply, simply going off. We would have no matter night combine, the drive time combine that may be on, and we would be driving as much as San Francisco, and John would simply be killing it. The brother can rap.
MR: You bought a shout-out lately by DJ Whoo Child. He was backstage at Wembley Stadium and noticed the incident earlier than your match towards CM Punk (which led to his firing from AEW) at All In. What occurred with CM Punk and Jack Perry?
SJ: There was just a little little bit of an incident. We received it damaged up. We went on the market and wrestled, man. That is the gist of it. Everyone desires it to be much more than what it’s, however that is what it was. And to talk any extra on it might be pointless until you are attempting to get a scorecard and stuff — however belief me, it wasn’t that kind of a battle.
MR: It wasn’t an enormous deal?
SJ: To not me. I’ve seen fights escape. Stuff occurs. However once more, that is me. I have been in these conditions, I’ve seen that. I am going to discover it humorous when persons are like, ‘Oh, Joe’s cool with it.’ I imply, nah man, it was a high-stress state of affairs. Positive. However I imply, it is one I’ve seen occur many instances. We get it squashed out. We had a present to do. We had [81,035] followers ready on the market. And that was my focus, as a result of that is what it was about at that second. We’re about to exit and have one of the best evening of our lives.
MR: Many individuals have been saying you have been the voice of purpose.
SJ: Hey, hear, all of us understood that there was one thing to be performed. There was a mission forward of us and all people simply received targeted. And hey, if I used to be part of that, cool. However my intention was to get on the market and get this present on the highway.