165 Facts About Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe is signed to All Elite Wrestling, where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW World Trios Champions.

Samoa Joe was released from his contract in April 2021, but was rehired that June, winning the NXT Championship a third time before being released in January 2022.

Samoa Joe then defeated MJF for the AEW World Championship in December 2023, making him the only wrestler to have held the AEW, ROH, and TNA World Championships.

Samoa Joe became a California State Junior Judo Champion and was an all league football player while attending Ocean View High School.

Samoa Joe debuted in December 1999 in a match against "Uncle" Jess Hansen three months after beginning his training, adopting the ring name "Samoa Joe".

In 2000, Samoa Joe began appearing with the California-based Ultimate Pro Wrestling promotion, then a developmental affiliate of the World Wrestling Federation, after being scouted by Brett Wagner.

Samoa Joe was named Southern California's Rookie of the Year for 2000.

In March 2001, Samoa Joe defeated Christopher Daniels to win the UPW Heavyweight Championship; he held the title for a record 258 days before losing to Mikey Henderson in November 2001.

In October 2001, Samoa Joe competed in All Pro Wrestling's "King of Indies" tournament that was won by American Dragon.

Samoa Joe went on to take part in the 2001 Fire Festival, finishing second in his block with four points after defeating George Takano and Masato Tanaka but losing to Kohei Sato.

Samoa Joe returned to Pro Wrestling Zero-One in January 2002, where Masato Tanaka and Shinjiro Otani defeated him and Tom Howard to win the vacant Intercontinental Tag Team Championship.

Samoa Joe continued to work for the promotion throughout 2002, participating in a number of its biggest shows and tournaments as "Samoa Joe" and later "King Joe".

Samoa Joe tagged with several other American wrestlers, including Samoan Savage.

Samoa Joe took part in the 2002 Fire Festival, finishing last in his block with two points after defeating Kintaro Kanemura but losing to TAKA Michinoku, Masato Tanaka, and eventual overall winner Shinjiro Otani.

Samoa Joe made his final appearances with Pro Wrestling Zero-One in August 2003 as part of its "Summer Festival 2003" tour.

Samoa Joe wrestled for many independent promotions from 2001 to 2015, including IWA Mid-South, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, the United Wrestling Federation, Full Impact Pro, and Major League Wrestling.

In 2004, Samoa Joe won IWA Mid-South's Revolution Strong Style Tournament.

In 2006, Samoa Joe won the Twin Wrestling Entertainment Championship and the Ballpark Brawl Natural Heavyweight Championship.

In 2002, Samoa Joe joined the ranks of the nascent Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based promotion Ring of Honor, which had been impressed by his work in Japan and on the United States independent circuit.

Samoa Joe debuted in October 2002 at "Glory By Honor" as Christopher Daniels's "hired assassin", brought in to defeat Daniels's chief enemy, Low Ki.

Originally booked for a single match against Low Ki, Samoa Joe impressed fans with his extremely stiff and hard-hitting style that resembled a mixed martial arts fighter more than a wrestler, resulting in ROH booking him full-time.

Samoa Joe quickly rose through the ranks and became ROH Champion by defeating Xavier at Night of Champions in March 2003.

Samoa Joe held the title for a record 645 days, defending the title 29 times in the United States and in Europe.

In June 2004, Samoa Joe successfully defended the ROH World Championship against Shinya Makabe in a bout promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling at the Inoki Dojo in Santa Monica, California.

Samoa Joe lost the title to Nigel McGuinness at "Dragon Gate Invasion" in August 2005.

In 2006, Samoa Joe was one of the principal wrestlers representing Ring of Honor during an interpromotional feud with the Philadelphia promotion Combat Zone Wrestling.

At the September 16,2006 ROH show, Samoa Joe got into an argument and pull-apart brawl with Pro Wrestling Noah star Takeshi Morishima.

Samoa Joe later teamed with Homicide to fight against the Briscoes, and, like Homicide, found himself back in the ROH World Championship hunt.

Samoa Joe came up short against champion Bryan Danielson in several matches, including a match that ended in a time limit drawn after 60 minutes and a cage match in December 2006.

Samoa Joe ceased to be a full-time performer in ROH on March 4,2007.

Samoa Joe's appearances leading up to that date were billed as the "Samoa Joe Farewell Tour".

On November 22,2008, Samoa Joe made a one night return to ROH at Rising Above, defeating Tyler Black in a dark match.

In 2004, Samoa Joe appeared with Inoki Dojo, an American offshoot of New Japan Pro-Wrestling based in Santa Monica, California.

Samoa Joe made his first appearance in April 2004, teaming with Bobby Quance in a loss to Aaron Aguilera and American Dragon, then later that month wrestled Aguilera to a time limit draw.

Samoa Joe made a handful of appearances with Inoki Dojo in June and July 2004, including successfully defending the ROH World Championship against Shinya Makabe.

Samoa Joe made his final appearance with Inoki Dojo in December 2004, teaming with Chad Malenko in a loss to Katsushi Takemura and Osamu Nishimura.

Samoa Joe debuted later that month at Slammiversary, defeating Sonjay Dutt.

Samoa Joe subsequently entered the 2005 TNA Super X Cup Tournament, defeating Sonjay Dutt and Alex Shelley before defeating AJ Styles in the tournament finals at Sacrifice in August 2005 following interference from Christopher Daniels.

At Bound for Glory in October 2005, Samoa Joe defeated New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Jushin Liger.

Samoa Joe defeated Styles to win the X Division Championship at Turning Point in December 2005.

At Final Resolution in January 2006, Samoa Joe defended the championship against Daniels, winning by technical knockout.

At Against All Odds in February 2006, Samoa Joe defeated Daniels and Styles in a rematch from Unbreakable to retain the title.

At Destination X in March 2006, Samoa Joe lost the title to Daniels in an Ultimate X match.

In late-May 2006, Samoa Joe was absent for two weeks while rehabilitating a major tear to his posterior cruciate ligament.

At Victory Road in July 2006, Samoa Joe, Steiner, Sting, and Christian Cage took part in a four-way match to determine the number one contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship; the match ended when Sting pinned Steiner.

At No Surrender in September 2006, Samoa Joe defeated Jeff Jarrett in a non-title "fan's revenge lumberjack match".

At Bound for Glory later that month, Samoa Joe defeated Abyss, Brother Runt, and Raven in a Monster's Ball match after guest referee Jake Roberts performed a DDT on Raven, allowing Samoa Joe to defeat Raven.

Later that night, Samoa Joe was involved in a pull-apart brawl with Angle after Cornette announced that he would be fired if he interfered in the match between Jarrett and Sting that involved Angle as special enforcer.

At Genesis in November 2006, Samoa Joe lost to Angle after submitting to Angle's ankle lock.

At Turning Point in December 2006, Samoa Joe defeated Kurt Angle by submission.

At Final Resolution in January 2007, Samoa Joe lost to Angle in a 30-minute Iron Man match.

In February 2007, Samoa Joe won a Gauntlet for the Gold match to become the number one contender for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship; the following month at Destination X he unsuccessfully challenged champion Christian Cage.

Samoa Joe's victory entitled him to take part in the "Match of Champions" at Victory Road later that month; during the Match of Champions, Joe pinned Brother Ray to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship, making him the first wrestler in TNA to simultaneously hold multiple TNA championships.

Samoa Joe opted to hold the Championship by himself rather than choosing a tag team partner.

At Hard Justice in August 2007, Samoa Joe put up the X Division Championship the TNA World Tag Team Championship against Kurt Angle's TNA World Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Heavyweight Championship, losing the match thanks to interference by Karen Angle.

At No Surrender in September 2007, Samoa Joe lost to Christian Cage.

That same month, Samoa Joe won the inaugural TNA Turkey Bowl.

At Turning Point in December 2007, Samoa Joe was scheduled to team with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to face the Angle Alliance.

The incident was parlayed into a storyline where Samoa Joe directed his frustrations towards TNA management, After complaining to TNA Management Director Jim Cornette that he did not have a match at Final Resolution in January 2008, Cornette scheduled a match pitting Samoa Joe and Nash against TNA World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Tomko.

At Against All Odds in February 2008, Samoa Joe served as the special enforcer for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship match between champion Kurt Angle and challenger Christian Cage.

At Lockdown in April 2008, Samoa Joe defeated Angle in a title versus career match to win his first and only TNA World Championship.

At Sacrifice in May 2008, Samoa Joe successfully defended the TNA World Championship against Kaz and Scott Steiner in a three way match.

At Slammiversary the following month, Samoa Joe successfully defended the title against Booker T, Christian Cage, Rhino, and Robert Roode in a King of the Mountain match.

At Victory Road in July 2008, Samoa Joe defended his title against Booker T in a singles match, with the match ending in a no contest after Sting hit Samoa Joe with a baseball bat and Booker T pinned him while Booker T's valet Sharmell made the three count.

At Hard Justice in August 2008, Samoa Joe defeated Booker T in a steel cage weapons match to retain his title.

At No Surrender in September 2008, Samoa Joe defeated Christian Cage and Kurt Angle in a three way match to retain his title.

At Bound for Glory IV in October 2008, Samoa Joe lost to Sting, ending his reign as TNA World Heavyweight Champion at 182 days.

Samoa Joe subsequently began feuding with Main Event Mafia member Scott Steiner, including a controversial angle where he menaced Steiner with a large knife.

At Destination X in March 2009, Samoa Joe quickly lost to Steiner by disqualification after throwing the referee out of the ring.

At Lockdown in April 2009, Samoa Joe teamed with Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Jeff Jarrett to defeat the Main Event Mafia in a Lethal Lockdown match.

Samoa Joe went to feud with Main Event Mafia member Kevin Nash, defeating him at Sacrifice in May 2009.

At Slammiversary Seven in June 2009, Samoa Joe competed in a King of the Mountain match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship; at the climax of the match, instead of winning himself, Samoa Joe handed the title belt to Kurt Angle, enabling him to win.

At Victory Road in July 2009, Samoa Joe defeated Sting by submission in a grudge match with the assistance of the debuting Taz, who was announced as Samoa Joe's new adviser.

At Hard Justice in August 2009, Samoa Joe defeated Homicide to win the X Division Championship for the fourth time.

At No Surrender the following month, Samoa Joe successfully defended the X Division Championship against Christopher Daniels.

In November 2009 at Turning Point, Samoa Joe unsuccessfully challenged TNA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles in a three-way match that involved Christopher Daniels.

At Final Resolution in December 2009, Samoa Joe took part in the "Feast or Fired" match, winning the briefcase containing a title shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

In January 2010, Samoa Joe took part in TNA's "Maximum Impact" tour of the UK.

At Against All Odds later that month, Samoa Joe unsuccessfully challenged Styles in a no disqualification match refereed by Eric Bischoff.

Samoa Joe returned on the April 19,2020 episode of Impact as the surprise partner of "Team Hogan" in an eight-man tag team match against "Team Flair" ; his abduction never was explained.

In May 2010, Samoa Joe was ranked number 10 in the inaugural TNA Championship Committee rankings to determine the number one contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

Samoa Joe returned from his suspension in August 2010, aligning himself with Hulk Hogan and Jeff Jarrett in their feud with Kevin Nash and Sting.

Samoa Joe lost the match after being abandoned by Jarrett; subsequently, it was revealed that Hogan's injury had been a ruse as he helped Jeff Hardy win the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship and formed a new villainous stable, Immortal.

At Turning Point in November 2010, Jarrett defeated Samoa Joe after choking him out with a baton following interference from Immortal.

However, later that month TNA president Dixie Carter announced that Samoa Joe had signed a new contract.

Samoa Joe returned on the January 6,2011 episode of Impact, confronting D'Angelo Dinero in a storyline where Okato was hired by Samoa Joe to follow Dinero and film his activities in an attempt to prove he was a "scumbag".

At Against All Odds in February 2011, Samoa Joe defeated Dinero with the help of Okato.

At Lockdown in March 2011, Samoa Joe defeated Dinero by submission in a steel cage match.

In June 2011 at Slammiversary IX, Samoa Joe lost to Crimson, and afterwards shook Crimson's hand.

Subsequently, Samoa Joe went on a losing streak with losses to Rob Van Dam, Devon, Kazarian and Bobby Roode.

Samoa Joe then gave a promo in which he accused TNA management of being against him and stated "the blood would be on [their] hands".

Samoa Joe went on to attempt to disrupt the Bound for Glory Series by attacking various participants, including Crimson, who was forced to withdraw from the Series after suffering a storyline ankle injury at the hands of Samoa Joe.

In November 2011, Samoa Joe won the Maximum Impact Tournament; he subsequently received a title shot against TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode in the MEN Arena in Manchester, England, but was unsuccessful.

In December 2011, Samoa Joe began teaming with Magnus, with Magnus stating in 2013 that booker Vince Russo put them together because "we were both always pissed off, so we could be pissed off together".

Samoa Joe subsequently entered the 2012 Bound for Glory Series, ultimately being eliminated after losing to Jeff Hardy at No Surrender in September 2012.

At Bound for Glory the following month, Samoa Joe successfully defended the title against Magnus.

Later that month, Samoa Joe was announced as a member of the reformed Main Event Mafia alongside Sting and Kurt Angle.

In October 2013 at Bound For Glory, Samoa Joe competed in an Ultimate X match that was won by Chris Sabin.

In November 2013, Samoa Joe was announced as an entrant in an eight-man tournament for the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship by TNA president Dixie Carter, who had stripped AJ Styles of the title.

Samoa Joe subsequently angered Carter by announcing that, if he won the tournament, he would defend the title it against Styles, "whether it's here or anywhere else in the world".

At Genesis in January 2014, Samoa Joe defeated Rockstar Spud by submission, then unsuccessfully attempted to help Sting defeat Magnus for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

At Lockdown in March 2014, Samoa Joe unsuccessfully challenged Magnus in a cage match following interference from Abyss.

In June 2014, Samoa Joe defeated Low Ki and Sanada in the finals of a tournament to win the TNA X Division Championship for a fifth and final time.

At Hardcore Justice in August 2014, Samoa Joe successfully defended the X Division Championship against Low Ki.

At Bound for Glory in the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan in October 2014, Samoa Joe defended the title against Kaz Hayashi and Low Ki by in a three way dance despite not being the champion at the time, as the angle in which he vacated the title did not air until November 2014 due to a broadcast delay.

Samoa Joe wrestled his final match for TNA on January 31,2015, losing to Austin Aries in Wembley Arena in London, England.

In February 2015, Samoa Joe announced his departure from TNA, ending his run of nearly a decade with the company.

Samoa Joe returned to the promotion in September 2006 at Verano de Escandalo in Naucalpan, where he teamed with AJ Styles, Homicide, and Low Ki to defeat Abismo Negro, Charly Manson, Electroshock, and Histeria in an eight-man tag team match, then teamed with Styles and Low Ki to defeat the Mexican Powers in a six-man tag team match.

On October 25,2007, Samoa Joe made his debut for the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah as part of its "Autumn Navigation" tour.

Two days later, Samoa Joe challenged Misawa for the GHC Heavyweight Championship in a one-on-one match at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, losing by pinfall after Misawa struck the back of Samoa Joe's head with his elbow.

On July 22,2012, Samoa Joe returned to Pro Wrestling Noah as part of its "Great Voyage" tour.

In 2015, Samoa Joe was signed to a non-exclusive developmental contract by WWE.

Samoa Joe won the inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament with NXT Champion Finn Balor as his partner, defeating Baron Corbin and Rhyno in the finals at NXT TakeOver: Respect in October 2015.

In December 2015 at NXT TakeOver: London, Samoa Joe unsuccessfully challenged Balor for the NXT Championship.

Later that month at a NXT live event in Lowell, Massachusetts, Samoa Joe finally defeated Balor to win the NXT Championship.

Joe debuted on WWE's main roster on the January 30,2017 episode of Raw, attacking Seth Rollins and aligning himself with Triple H Joe participated in the following PPVs Fastlane, and Payback.

Samoa Joe returned from injury on the October 30,2017 episode of Raw.

At Survivor Series in November 2017, Samoa Joe teamed with Finn Balor, Braun Strowman, Triple H and Kurt Angle to defeat Bobby Roode, John Cena, Randy Orton, Shane McMahon, and Shinsuke Nakamura in a Survivor Series match.

Samoa Joe went on to feud with The Shield, costing Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins a Raw Tag Team Championship match against Cesaro and Sheamus and unsuccessfully challenging Roman Reigns for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

In January 2018, Samoa Joe suffered a tear to the plantar fascia in his right foot during a match with Titus O'Neil.

Samoa Joe returned from injury in April 2018 following WrestleMania 34.

At Money in the Bank in June 2018, Samoa Joe competed in the titular Money in the Bank ladder match, which was won by Braun Strowman.

Samoa Joe unsuccessfully challenged WWE Champion AJ Styles at SummerSlam in August 2018, at Hell in a Cell in September 2018, a third time at Super Show-Down in October 2018, and a fourth time at Crown Jewel in November 2018.

At Survivor Series later that month, Samoa Joe teamed with Jeff Hardy, The Miz, Rey Mysterio, and Shane McMahon in a loss to Bobby Lashley, Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, and Finn Balor.

In January 2019, Samoa Joe competed in the Royal Rumble but was eliminated by Mustafa Ali.

At Elimination Chamber in February 2019, Samoa Joe unsuccessfully challenged Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber match that included AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Kofi Kingston, and Randy Orton.

At Fastlane later that month, Samoa Joe successfully defended the title in a rematch.

At WrestleMania 35 in April 2019, Samoa Joe successfully defended the title against Mysterio in a singles match lasting under one minute.

At Money in the Bank in May 2019, Samoa Joe lost the title to Mysterio.

At Stomping Grounds later that month, Samoa Joe lost the WWE United States Championship to Ricochet.

The night after losing the United States Championship, Samoa Joe attacked WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, leading to a title match at Extreme Rules in July 2019 that was won by Kingston.

At the Smackville event later that month, Samoa Joe unsuccessfully challenged Kingston for the title in a triple threat match involving Dolph Ziggler.

Later that month, it was reported that Samoa Joe had injured his head during a commercial shoot and was not medically cleared to compete.

Four days later, Samoa Joe was suspended for 30 days for violating the WWE wellness policy.

Samoa Joe returned to television on the April 27,2020 episode of Raw, replacing Jerry Lawler as the Raw color commentator.

Samoa Joe was named "Commentator of the Year" for 2020 by CBS Sports.

Samoa Joe remained on the Raw commentary team until April 12,2021, when he was replaced by Corey Graves.

In June 2021, Joe was rehired by WWE, reportedly at the behest of NXT's head producer Triple H Joe made his return on the June 15 episode of NXT, being presented as the "enforcer" of NXT's general manager William Regal.

On September 12,2021, Samoa Joe relinquished the NXT Championship before making any title defenses; he stated in 2022 that he vacated the title due to a combination of him testing positive for COVID-19 and WWE chairman Vince McMahon wanting to change the overall creative direction of NXT.

Samoa Joe was released by WWE on January 6,2022, having not reappeared on television since his third reign as NXT Champion.

Samoa Joe returned to Ring of Honor, now owned by All Elite Wrestling co-founder and president Tony Khan, on April 1,2022, at Supercard of Honor XV, coming to the aid of Jonathan Gresham and Lee Moriarty after they were attacked by Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt.

Samoa Joe defeated Johnny Elite in the quarter-finals and Kyle O'Reilly in the semi-finals of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament before losing to Adam Cole in the final at Double or Nothing due to interference by Bobby Fish.

At Death Before Dishonor in July 2022, Samoa Joe successfully defended the ROH World Television Championship against Jay Lethal.

At the ROH pay-per-view Final Battle in December 2022, Samoa Joe successfully defended the ROH World Television Championship against Juice Robinson.

Later that month at Dynamite: New Year's Smash, Samoa Joe successfully defended the TNT Championship against Wardlow, then cut off a portion of Wardlow's hair after the match.

At All In in August 2023, Samoa Joe unsuccessfully challenged CM Punk for the "Real World Championship".

On November 10,2023, Samoa Joe vacated the ROH World Television Championship in order to focus on challenging for the AEW World Championship.

At Full Gear later that month, Samoa Joe teamed with MJF to successfully defend the ROH World Tag Team Championship against the Gunns.

In return for teaming with MJF, Samoa Joe was granted a second shot at the AEW World Championship at Worlds End in the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York in December 2023.

Samoa Joe defeated Hook in his first title defense in January 2024.

At Revolution in March 2024, Samoa Joe successfully defended his title against "Hangman" Adam Page and Swerve Strickland in a three-way match, submitting Page using the Coquina Clutch.

Samoa Joe went on to successfully defend his title against Wardlow at AEW Big Business.

At AEW Dynasty in April 2024, Samoa Joe lost the title to Strickland, ending his reign at 113 days.

In July 2024, Samoa Joe was removed from the Scotiabank Saddledome in an ambulance after losing a "Stampede Street Fight" to Jericho when Jericho drove him through a wall using a forklift; the angle was used to explain Samoa Joe going on hiatus to film season two of Twisted Metal.

Samoa Joe returned in January 2025 at AEW Maximum Carnage, saving Hook from an attack by The Patriarchy.

The next night at Collision: Spring BreakThru, Samoa Joe inducted Hobbs as a member of The Opps.

Samoa Joe is known for a maneuver colloquially dubbed the "nope spot", which sees him casually walk out of the way of an opponent executing an aerial maneuver.

In 2022, after winning the AEW TNT Championship and ROH World Television Championship, Samoa Joe began referring to himself as the "King of Television".

In 2006, Samoa Joe made brief appearances on the American version of the television show Distraction, participating in a round where wrestlers performed moves on contestants while they answered questions.

In June 2022, Samoa Joe was announced as doing the physical performance of the character Sweet Tooth for Peacock's adaptation of Twisted Metal.

Samoa Joe has voiced characters in the animated web series Transformers: Power of the Primes and video games including Dota 2, Dota Underlords, Game of Thrones, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.

Samoa Joe has appeared on Rob Van Dam's web-based reality show RVD TV numerous times.

In 2023, Samoa Joe appeared on the Doughboys podcast, reviewing Taco Bell.

Samoa Joe is close friends with fellow wrestlers CM Punk, Homicide, Christopher Daniels, AJ Styles, and Rob Van Dam.

Samoa Joe was often noted as a sparring partner for Team Punishment member Justin McCully, and was often in attendance in the locker room for Team Punishment fighters such as Tito Ortiz and Kendall Grove.