Samoa Joe has no time for selfishness in wrestling.
Earlier this week, Darby Allin told The Ariel Helwani Show that ‘egotistical wrestlers’ were a cancer that had been cut out of AEW, stressing the importance of talent working together to create the best product for fans. Now, while not talking specifically about one company in particular, it appears as if industry veteran Samoa Joe shares the view that egos have no place in the locker room.
Speaking with Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports, Samoa Joe discussed how selfishness in wrestling can be destructive.
“I always laugh when I hear, ‘You can make money or you can make friends, but you can’t do both in wrestling.’ That is an asinine statement. I’ve made tons of friends and I’ve made tons of money. More often than not, a lot of that selfishness may make you money, but generally, it leads to a lot of destruction and strife throughout the company. It can hurt a lot of things. It can close companies down. Let’s talk about the other side effects of this behavior. I’m more conscious because I came from a world where the industry was completely destroyed, and there wasn’t an opportunity for a man like me to make any money. I had to collaborate with others to create systems and viability to make money in the industry and create new companies. Those new companies weren’t created in this backstabbing, everyone-for-themselves environment. They were created by a sum of great people, much like AJ Styles and me, coming together to create something better for the fans. This theory is based on what I’ve had to do my entire life and career… I’m going to continue with that despite what the drama merchants may want.”
-Samoa Joe
Joe has a wealth of experience across the professional wrestling landscape, having had memorable stints with ROH, TNA, and WWE before landing in AEW in 2022. Up next, the 46-year-old aims to capture another top title as he faces Hangman Page for the AEW World Championship at tonight’s WrestleDream pay-per-view.
However, despite his upcoming title match, Joe recently revealed that the end of his career may come sooner than some might think. You can read more about that here.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Samoa Joe as soon as we hear more.
