Samoa Joe says end of his in-ring career is ‘probably coming sooner than later’
It doesn’t sound like Samoa Joe has much time left as an in-ring competitor.
Though he doesn’t like using the word retirement because pro wrestling retirements never stick, Joe believes that the end of his in-ring career is “probably coming sooner than later.” He told Chris Van Vliet on a new episode of Insight that he does not want to overstay his welcome and hang on too long.
“Yeah, I do. A lot,” Joe responded when asked if he thinks about how much longer he’ll wrestle. “It’s probably coming sooner than later, which is fine. I think a lot of people from my generation, from what I’ve seen, if they have the ability, we’ve done our best to kind of save up and we definitely don’t want to outstay our welcome, because we may have been privy to a few people who may have done that in their careers. So I definitely don’t want to be that guy.”
The 46-year-old Joe said he does not have an age in mind for when he wants to step away, but his current AEW deal might be his last wrestling contract.
“I think it’s just really based on when my contract runs out [laughs]. I think exploring those options [re-signing] as they go. I hate just saying retirement, because how many pro wrestling retirements never stick? All of them,” he said. “So, yeah, I mean — I will do this for a little longer and then, yeah, I think the end is probably sooner than any new deal being signed.”
Joe has been a star for AEW, WWE, TNA, and ROH during his 25 years in the business. He told Van Vliet that — in 2022 after his second release from WWE — there was some interest in bringing him back to the company, but joining AEW was a “really nice fit.”
“I think the biggest thing was — at first when I left WWE, I just signed my deal with ‘Twisted Metal.’ And there was initially a little bit of interest again from WWE and maybe redoing it, but at that point, I had started talking with AEW,” Joe said. “And, you know, speaking with Tony [Khan] and understanding kind of what he was looking to do at the time, and really being able to work out with my filming schedule, it just was a really nice fit.”
Joe is a member of The Opps in AEW, a faction that also includes Katsuyori Shibata and Hook. His AEW run has included one reign as World Champion, lasting from December 2023 to April 2024.
Van Vliet asked Joe how much becoming AEW World Champion meant to him at this stage of his career
“It was fantastic, man,” Joe said. “I think being able to help kind of AEW along, especially at the time period, and be a champion for them and leading into Swerve’s championship. It was kind of a key time, I think, in the company’s short history. And I think — it meant a lot. It meant a lot to be able to go out there and represent the brand as World Champion.”
Outside of the ring, Joe stars as Sweet Tooth in Peacock’s “Twisted Metal” series. Season two of the show will premiere this summer.
A promo aired on Dynamite last night with Joe saying The Opps will be at AEW’s Dynasty pay-per-view this Sunday. Joe said he, Shibata, and Hook are looking to expand their influence in AEW.