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Samoa Joe had recently been working on RAW as a commentator, due to suffering concussion-related injuries. This is why WWE opted to keep him in a non-wrestling role. However, reports have stated Joe was eager to get back in the ring, but was ultimately denied by WWE.
Last year, WWE released multiple superstars and employees owing to budget cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has done the same this year, despite reports showing high profit margins for WWE. One of the biggest names to be released by WWE was Samoa Joe.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter has revealed that Joe's age and history with injuries could have been the reason for Vince McMahon and WWE not being interested in keeping him employed. Much like with Christian, they did not feel the need to 'compete' for him.
"It becomes an interesting strategy because Joe, in particular, if he is in good shape, because he’s a star to the AEW fan base and can talk, could be a valuable acquisition. But perhaps WWE believes with his age and injuries, he wouldn’t be, similar to not competing to keep Jay Reso (Christian Cage)."
Will Samoa Joe join AEW?
However, while the report states Samoa Joe would be very popular with the AEW fanbase, budget issues of their own may get in the way of Tony Khan hiring the Samoan Submission Machine.
"In addition, the question is how many people can AEW hire within its own budget?"
Dave Meltzer also pointed out that WWE no longer fears AEW and is not interested in hoarding talent, which is why many of these superstars were let go.
"The company’s profit margin is its highest in history, but the goal is to improve profit margin. As noted in other moves of late, WWE no longer fears, or whatever the term would be, that AEW will be able to do numbers equivalent to Raw or SmackDown and instead of hoarding talent they wouldn’t be using, they are letting them go."
Multiple superstars like Miro, Jon Moxley and Shawn Spears were signed by AEW after their WWE release. However, with the AEW roster being as stacked as it is, the company may have to question whether adding Samoa Joe would truly benefit their roster.
