Samoa Joe claims you'll get an exciting and unexpected look at the journey several WWE Superstars took to make their dreams come true in his new series.
WWE Grit and Glory will debut this Wednesday on The Bump. It's a three-episode series that will feature unscripted conversations between Samoa Joe and cross-generational WWE Superstars, including Rhea Ripley, Big E, and Edge.
Speaking to SK Wrestling ahead of this week's debut episode, Samoa Joe said that what you're going to see and hear are three very different stories.
"And from three very different individuals and characters who I think run the gamut as far as coming from a variety of different places. I mean, you know Edge, from his time in Canada and trudging up to the Great Native Reservation shows in the coldest most frigid parts of the Canadian wilderness to Rhea Ripley essentially working her way across an ocean to find herself here in the United States. And Big E, I mean, just a really harrowing tale of a guy having enough confidence in being himself to become the Big E that we know today. Which, you know, is a product of the New Day. I think if those three men didn't act like themselves out there, the New Day would have never worked."
WWE Grit and Glory presented by Chevy Silverado will offer a showcase of just a few stories of the hard work and sacrifice that it takes to not only make it to WWE, but to succeed once a wrestler gets there.
It takes years of hard work just to receive a tryout with WWE, even for some of the most talented wrestlers in the world. AJ Styles and Samoa Joe are prime examples.
Both Superstars traveled the world and worked over 15 years to get to WWE. Samoa Joe says his journey is essentially why he was so drawn to this project.
"When you talk about very unusual roads to the WWE, I looked to my own career and how WWE was a place I never thought I would end up or never really had any plans of being at, but fate has a funny way of drawing forces together. And I think in sharing a lot of these superstar stories, you'll find that the perseverance and the struggles that they went through, inevitably it all paid off and it was worth it because they chose to bet on themselves."
Samoa Joe told SK Wrestling that each conversation was an absolute joy. He was blown away by Rhea Ripley's journey across the globe. Joe also called Big E's story inspiring, but his absolute favorite story came from the Rated-R Superstar.
Samoa Joe says it was a welcomed surprise looking into Edge's journey
Edge's legacy speaks for itself. He's an 11-time World champion, two-time Royal Rumble winner, King of the Ring, Mr. Money in the Bank, and WWE Hall of Famer. The list of accolades goes on and on.
Now, at 47, he has a chance to add to that list of accomplishments at WrestleMania 37 when he challenges Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship.
However, in his conversation with Samoa Joe, Edge went all the way back to his days of navigating the independent scene during the early to mid-1990s. He offered Samoa Joe a glipse of what it was like nearly a decade before he himself would lace up a pair of boots.
"It was an opportunity for Edge to really, kind of, delve into his deep, deep, dark past routes. And hearing just how different the industry as a whole was back then. There really wasn't a developmental system at the time that Edge was around. So, you know, the entry into the WWE was a very, very different road. It was a rare treat to kind of hear how the system was at one time and now to see what it's evolved to today. So, I think for me, that was the most enjoyable."
General Motors is teaming up with WWE to put on this new series. You can check out the first episode of WWE Grit and Glory presented by Chevy Silverado this Wednesday on The Bump, starting at 10am EST. You can watch live on the WWE Network as well as on WWE's YouTube channel and social media platforms.