Samoa Joe Still Haunted By Career-Ending Injury Of WWE Star
Samoa Joe has opened up about the biggest regret of his career and why the Muscle Buster is no longer a regular part of his repertoire.
In June 2015, the bright wrestling career of WWE star Tyson Kidd came crashing to a premature end. Kidd wrestled Samoa Joe with Joe putting away his opponent with the Muscle Buster just as he had done hundreds of times before, but this time, things went very wrong.
Kidd was forced to undergo serious neck surgery that fused his C1 and C2 vertebrae with an injury that left him with just a 5% chance of survival. Survive he did, however, and Kidd still works as a backstage producer in WWE but will never wrestle again.
Speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Samoa Joe was asked if he ever thought he’d do the Muscle Buster again following the tragic accident:
No, and to this day that probably remains the largest regret of my career that that happened.
It was noted that there was nothing Samoa Joe could have done to avoid Kidd’s career-ending injury but Joe noted that fact didn’t change things for his opponent:
But that doesn’t change things for Tyson. Doesn’t change things for a guy who is probably one of the most passionate people in the world of professional wrestling. For a guy who has an amazing mind for it. WWE is fortunate to have him. Because even though he’s not in a physical role within the company, the finishes, his ability to put together matches and be a producer and agent are unparalleled.
Samoa Joe Sick About Tyson Kidd’s Career Ending
Samoa Joe then noted that he didn’t notice anything wrong until he saw a worrying look of concern on Kidd’s tag team partner’s face:
No, not at all. No, didn’t feel any different. It’s just when I turned around and went for the pin and got back up. The only thing that even hinted that there’s something wrong is when Cesaro looked back up at me. I know when Cesaro is concerned and then I was like, oh my God, I hope everything is okay. Then we got in the back and he went to hospital and everything got checked out.
But I mean, the whole circumstances regarding that and everything, it just makes me sick to this day that that guy is not out there being the Tyson Kidd that I know that he is. He’s an amazing human being. He has a great understanding of a greater picture and when you talk about guys who are great finish men, guys who can produce, he’s going to be heralded as one of those dudes there if he isn’t already.
Samoa Joe then noted he didn’t want to use the Muscle Buster again although he did so again in NXT. His reason for not using it on the WWE main roster was that he didn’t want Tyson Kidd to have to see the move again:
Well, I didn’t want to. It was kind of like when I got back into things in NXT. In NXT I used it. When I got to the main roster I didn’t. But it was mainly that I tried to avoid doing a bunch or making it a thing.
If he’s having a bad day, he looks over and he sees that, I didn’t want to replay the car crash in front of somebody. So I did my best to distance myself from it as much as possible. But that’s why just because this guy’s my co-worker, this guy I respect and I care about. I’m not trying to make him have a sh*tty day over it.
Tyson Kidd walked out of WWE after a ridiculous pitch from Vince McMahon for the women’s Royal Rumble and his absence at the time led to former stars turning down cameo appearances in the bout.