Samoa Joe has speaks about his WWE releases.
In 2021, WWE released Samoa Joe and then brought him back. Samoa Joe was one of many performers who left the organisation after WrestleMania 37 when WWE made changes to their talent roster. Then, after two months, he was brought back.
Samoa Joe mentioned his initial firing from WWE while appearing as a guest on Renée Paquette’s podcast The Sessions. He also claimed that he was hired back ‘hours’ later.
Being released from WWE the first time… I deign to say that initially, as I understand it, unconfirmed, there is issues between the two upper echelons in management and they were planning out their war with the careers and contracts of the people underneath them. So, after the initial one, I didn’t have much of a chance to grieve because essentially, I was hired back within hours. The second time, I just kind of chuckled as I realize it was very much the same situation. At the same time, I wasn’t bitter or mad. The truth of it is, and this is to give WWE some credence, is that I was expensive. I was expensive to keep around. If cutting my contract, if they say that saved the company money, trust me, I believe it did. I wasn’t hot about that. It was just more the silliness of the situation, what they were doing, and the reasoning why they were doing it, which I can never officially confirm, but I’ve heard from enough people that I have a pretty good idea…including many of the people involved. After that, I think I spent a day pissed. More of the situation than the actual firing. Then, all these super awesome opportunities literally materialized,”
– Samoa Joe
In April 2022, at the “Supercard of Honor,” Joe made his debut for All Elite Wrestling/Ring of Honor. He admitted that he was thinking about retiring before he joined the business. He jokingly said that the sum of money AEW offered him was what led him to abandon all of his morals.
Oh, all the money they threw at me (Joe joked about why he was attracted to AEW). I mean, immediately threw all my morals away and — no.
I was legitimately thinking about hanging it up, for health reasons. You know, obviously still coming off the concussion and still dealing with the very hidden effects of that and getting back in the ring healthy and transitioning back to a physical state where it’s like, I could do something for a good period of time and not wanna pass out.
– Samoa Joe
H/T Fightful & POST Wrestling for the transcriptions
