WWE releases Samoa Joe for second time in nine months
WWE has released Samoa Joe for the second time in a nine-month period.
Joe, 42, has been let go from his contract, news that has been confirmed by our Bryan Alvarez, as well as WWE.
Joe, real name Nuufolau Joel Seanoa, rejoined WWE in 2021 after being released on April 15 of the same year. Although the timeline surrounding his April 2021 release remains murky, Joe was back with the company in short order.
After he spent the final year of his first WWE run as an announcer on the Raw brand, he made a return to NXT television in June 2021 as an enforcer for on-screen GM William Regal.
Joe would return to the ring in NXT, going on to defeat Karrion Kross to win the NXT Championship for a record third time at TakeOver 36 in August 2022. That match would turn out to be Joe’s last with the company, and the only match of his second WWE run.
Joe tweeted:
Extremely fortunate and grateful to all the young & amazing talent I had the pleasure of working with in the past months. Only saddened at the loss of an “excuse” to see their continued growth & achievement . I am very excited for there future,….. and mine 🙃
— Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe) January 7, 2022
It was announced in September 2021 that Joe had sustained an injury and was being stripped of the NXT title.
In addition to his on-screen role, Joe had also been working as a talent scout for WWE.
Word of his release comes a day after WWE cut Performance Center staff members William Regal, Road Dogg, Timothy Thatcher, Danny Burch, Hideki Suzuki, Allison Danger, Dave Kapoor, Scott Armstrong, George Carroll, and Ryan Katz.