Samoa Joe reacts to WWE legend using his move at Crown Jewel 2025

A WWE legend paid tribute to Samoa Joe at Crown Jewel 2025. The AEW star has now reacted to it.

AJ Styles faced off against John Cena one final time this past weekend at Crown Jewel: Perth. The match turned out to be a beautiful ode to wrestling, where both participants paid tribute to their greatest rivals. During the match, Styles locked in the Coquina Clutch on Cena, which was a tribute to Samoa Joe, who was one of his greatest in-ring rivals.

Speaking to Forbes, Joe said he felt flattered that AJ Styles paid tribute to him, but it pales in comparison to the phone calls they have had with each other over the years. He also said he has tremendous respect for Styles and John Cena.

"I mean, it’s cool. It’s really, really cool. Obviously, I’m super flattered, but I think my friendship with AJ over the years has always been super duper strong. So, I mean, any tribute always pales in comparison to the phone calls and trash talk that usually happen anytime we get together. So, yeah, I’m obviously more than honored and flattered. It’s good to know that your peers appreciate that sense, especially when it talks about the breadth of their career and what it means to them. I’m beyond honored—it's an awesome thing to see. I have unyielding amounts of respect for both men involved in that match, and I'm so happy that [Styles and John Cena] are getting their flowers." [H/T: Forbes]

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Samoa Joe commented on him still main eventing PPVs

Samoa Joe is back in the main event scene in AEW. He will be headlining the upcoming WrestleDream 2025 PPV along with Hangman Page, where the two of them will battle over the AEW World Title.

During the same interview with Forbes, Samoa Joe stated that he's not surprised he's main eventing shows at this level since he always expected it.

"It feels right. I mean, it’s no surprise to me. I’ve been maligned throughout my career by various people saying I’d never make it this far or be a centerpiece at this level of competition for the majority of my career. So, yeah, it’s to be expected. Nothing’s changed, nothing will, and this is par for the course." [H/T: Forbes]

It will be interesting to see if the Samoan Submission Machine will be able to regain the World Title at WrestleDream 2025.

About the author

Sunil is a pro wrestling journalist, covering AEW and WWE news stories at Sportskeeda. He holds an MBA degree in Marketing, and has nearly 7 years of experience. A wrestling aficionado since childhood, Sunil used to imitate his favorite wrestlers as a young kid, and started writing professionally about the sport via Sportskeeda’s revenue-sharing opportunity.

Sunil admires former world champions AJ Styles, Will Ospreay, and Kenny Omega for their ability to consistently deliver great matches as well as entertain crowds with their mic skills.

If ever given a chance to change a storyline, Sunil would have booked Roman Reigns to end The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak instead of Brock Lesnar. According to him, The Tribal Chief needed the victory more than Brock Lesnar, as the latter was already an established performer when he defeated ‘Taker. He would’ve also made that as Taker’s final match.

Always focused on making his work accurate and reliable, Sunil thoroughly checks his facts before writing his articles. When not writing for pro wrestling, he spends his time watching cricket.

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Edited by Sunil Joseph