Major Update Regarding Samoa Joe’s Injury Heading Into ‘Royal Rumble’
Recently, it was reported that John Cena would be working with Samoa Joe on Raw and in WWE house shows after the WWE Royal Rumble. The WWE Universe has been waiting a long time to see Cena vs. Joe inside the squared circle, but those plans may have gone out the window after Joe went down with a foot injury. It has been confirmed that he’ll be missing the Mixed Match Challenge and most likely the Royal Rumble match.
It’s now being reported that “The Samoan Submission Machine” could miss two weeks or two months after injuring his foot. As of this writing, the timetable for his return has not been confirmed, but WWE officials are preparing for the worst-case scenario. The Miz will be replacing Joe on WWE live events and it’s likely that Miz will also win the Intercontinental Championship from Roman Reigns over the next couple of weeks.
On paper, it’s almost a lock that he will be missing the Royal Rumble match, but the biggest problem may be Joe’s status for WrestleMania. If Joe is stuck on the shelf for two months, it’s possible he may not have enough time to build a feud and could be a healthy scratch on the WrestleMania 34 card. It’s not confirmed, but WWE officials kept him and others off the card last year due to a lack of creative plans.
Despite all his success over the last year, Samoa Joe has been derailed more than once by injuries. After the WWE Summerslam event, he suffered a knee injury that kept him out of the ring for months. Now, another injury isn’t going to help him with WWE officials. He hasn’t been branded as “injury prone” yet, but several other WWE Superstars have been in the past, and Samoa Joe could be next if he can’t stay healthy.
For the time being, the WWE Universe has to wait and see how Samoa Joe’s recovery goes over the coming weeks. On paper, his injury may not be that bad as it seems and he will be able to enter the Royal Rumble match as planned. If Joe misses significant time, it’s going to become increasingly difficult for him to have a meaningful match at WrestleMania 34. For now, the only thing to do is wait for the next major update.
