5-time WWE champion opens up about his AEW future ahead of WrestleDream: "You never want to overstay your welcome"

A former WWE champion is set to compete at AEW WrestleDream. He has opened up about his wrestling future.

Samoa Joe has been in the wrestling business for over 25 years now. He has competed for some of the biggest promotions around the world and has won titles everywhere he has gone. Now, he is in the tail end of his career, but still manages to find himself in the main event. He will compete against Hangman Page for the AEW World Title at WrestleDream 2025.

During a recent interview with SHAK Wrestling, Samoa Joe was asked if his current run with AEW is his last. The former World Champion replied that it is most likely his last since he doesn't want to overstay his welcome.

“I’d say most likely. And honestly, I think it’s for a lot of reasons, and I think most of them are responsible. You never want to overstay your welcome in this industry. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been able to be involved with it for over 25 years now. And the other thing too is, I think many of us want to preserve what we can of our health for our latter years. So, it is something that is probably the most likely scenario. But hey, it is an unusual world, and unusual opportunities come up, so we’ll see.” [H/T Ringside News]

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AEW star Samoa Joe plans to retire quietly

It has become the norm for wrestling veterans to receive a massive farewell when they retire. Sting and John Cena announced a farewell tour when it came time to hang up their boots. Hence, fans were expecting the same from Samoa Joe.

During the same interview, the AEW star stated that he plans to retire quietly without a big farewell tour since he doesn't want to hold up the young industry.

“It’s in a lot of ways… I feel it’s important maybe to me more than anybody else. I wouldn’t want to hold up a young, burgeoning industry on behalf of myself. Not that anybody else isn’t deserving of that honor—I’m not saying that. But what I am saying is, I’ve always been somebody that’s been firmly planted with my head toward the future and never tried to dwell too much in the past. And it’s kind of been my theory with the industry too. I would hope we always look towards the future and not, obviously, appreciate the past, but not miss it too much.” [H/T Ringside News]

It will be interesting to see when Samoa Joe will decide to step away from the ring.