5 Wrestlers you didn't think WWE would release

#3. Samoa Joe - Released and re-hired by WWE in 2021

Samoa Joe has had a whirlwind of a year in 2021

Samoa Joe's WWE release was in the first set of cuts in 2021 on April 15th. His being fired by WWE came as a big shock.

By this point, it had been a long time since Joe had entered the ring in WWE. He had reportedly suffered concussion-related issues and was a part of the RAW commentary team for more than a year.

While he was preparing for his in-ring return, WWE released him. Speaking to Ryan Satin on the Out of Character podcast, Samoa Joe said:

“I got it,” Joe said. “It wasn’t unexpected [WWE releasing him], but at the same time I was relatively calm about it. I’ve kind of been in this situation before. A younger me probably would’ve been really, really freaked out, but at this point you just role pivot."

Samoa Joe explained how everything changed in a matter of hours:

“That’s really all there is to it when it comes to life in general. It’s kind of the mantra I’ve kept, so at that point I think I was kind of in the works and setting up the framework for whatever else I was gonna do. A few hours later, I get a call from Hunter [Triple H] and it pretty much all kind of changed.”

Samoa Joe returned to NXT in June 2021, first as an authority figure before transitioning back into an in-ring competitor.