H Jenkins on October 19, 2023
Samoa Joe has gone through a lot during his time in the pro wrestling business. He carried many prestigious titles as well, but he never picked up the top championship in WWE.
During a recent episode of ‘Oh, You Didn’t Know,’ Road Dogg spoke about why Vince McMahon never put the WWE Title on Samoa Joe. He explained that Vince McMahon was a “babyface champion guy.” Samoa Joe simply didn’t work into that plan, but Triple H wanted to use him.
“Vince is a babyface champion guy, and I get that from a promotional standpoint, you’re not going to promote JBL, you’re going to promote Cena. I don’t know, I just feel like maybe that had something to do with it.”
“I think Hunter realized that when he brought him back down to NXT, even if you can’t do nothing, just come and talk for us because you’re so good at it, and you have such great facials when you cut a promo.”
Road Dogg emphasized that Samoa Joe had widespread support within the company, evidenced by his involvement in significant storylines. His journey included feuds with Brock Lesnar and holding both the NXT and United States Championships, even if he didn’t secure WWE’s highest accolade.
Road Dogg, who is also the current Senior Vice President of Live Events, went on to say that, “I know Vince was high on him and I know Hunter was high on him, it just makes me think there was something medical that wasn’t out there or something that was a reason he went away and came back, I don’t know the answer to that. He went pretty high, he just didn’t win the title, you know what I mean?”
Ringside News reached out to confirm this story with a tenured member of creative who was around when Samoa Joe was going through this period of his career. We were told that Samoa Joe, “was respected.” The reason that Samoa Joe never held the title was not a medical issue, either.
It was explained to us that Samoa Joe, “just wasn’t in line above others for the title. Nothing wrong with his run here. Just wasn’t slated to be ‘the very top guy’ over other people considered for the spot.“
Samoa Joe got another chance to have an in-ring run when Tony Khan inked him to a deal. He is now appearing on AEW and ROH, as he carries the ROH Television Title at the same time. Only time will tell what is next for Samoa Joe at this point, but his days as a WWE Superstar are in the rearview mirror at this point.
What’s your take on Samoa Joe’s booking in WWE? Did Vince McMahon drop the ball with him? Let us know what you think about things in the comments section!
October 19, 2023 8:28 am
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