WWE News: Samoa Joe To WWE? Triple H Comments
There have been rumors circulating the internet for weeks now concerning former TNA and ROH champion Samoa Joe signing with WWE and reporting to NXT. However, no official announcement has been made by either side.
Today, WWE held a media conference call to discuss Wednesday night’s NXT Takeover: Unstoppable show. WWE’s Triple H (Paul Levesque) answered questions from the press, and one question he received concerned the possibility of Samoa Joe signing with WWE. Triple H’s comments were interesting, to say the least.
Triple H put over Samoa Joe as a “phenomenal talent” and acknowledged that the two sides have recently had conversations. Hunter noted that Joe recently visited the WWE Performance Center, but he also downplayed this news by saying that Joe is just one of many guys who have visited the WWE Performance Center.
Triple H went on to note that Joe was impressed with the facility, but he also said that most people who visit the WWE complex in Orlando come away impressed. Triple H said he doesn’t yet know whether Samoa Joe and WWE will do business together or not.
A Reddit user claimed recently that Samoa Joe has already signed a WWE deal, reporting the contract is for two years. The same user reported that Joe is slated to make his debut by appearing at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable Wednesday evening, though that is merely speculation at this point. None of the major, plugged-in wrestling insiders have confirmed a contract has been signed between Joe and WWE.
Despite the WWE rumors, Samoa Joe continues to take bookings for independent wrestling companies across the country. Northeast Wrestling (NEW) even recently announced that they have Joe booked for two dates in August. If Joe has already signed, or is about to sign, with WWE, why would he be taking independent bookings that are three months away? Well, there is precedent for talent under contract to WWE appearing at independent shows. In fact, it is quite common. WWE doesn’t typically allow their talent to wrestle at these shows, but they often have permitted them to do autograph signings at shows such as these.
If Joe has indeed signed a deal with WWE, the company has done a remarkable job at keeping it a secret, as has Samoa Joe. Joe recently appeared on Jim Ross’ podcast and talked about the prospect of signing with the company. The interview was conducted several weeks ago, and Ross also said recently on his podcast that he would be shocked if Joe wasn’t signed to WWE by the time the podcast aired. Ross specifically said a deal between Joe and WWE “makes too much sense.”
Indeed, it does, and we’ll all be watching NXT Takeover Wednesday night with anticipation to see if the NXT faithful at Full Sail University end up breaking out in a “Joe’s gonna kill you” chant before the night is over.
[Image via WrestlingNews.co]
