Why Samoa Joe Is Hopeful About The Future Of Wrestling

Samoa Joe is still going strong after more than two decades as a main event pro wrestler.

At AEW WrestleDream on October 18th, former AEW World Champion Samoa Joe will challenge “Hangman” Adam Page for the AEW World Title.

During his illustrious career as a pro wrestler, Joe was a World Champion in ROH, TNA, and previously in AEW as well. While Joe never held a WWE World Championship during his run there, he did win other titles throughout his run, including the US Title and NXT Title.

As somebody who has been competing at a high level for over 25 years, Samoa Joe knows what it takes to be a great pro wrestler.

While speaking with Forbes, Samoa Joe expressed optimism about the future of pro wrestling.

I’m absolutely hopeful. I think wrestling has never been stronger than it is right now. It’s legitimately never been bigger. Seeing where the industry is today, I hope it continues to grow and expand. The young athletes coming up now are making better life decisions overall, and as a result, they’re becoming better athletes.

I look forward to what the future holds, and I hope it brings even greater things than the past. Achieving that kind of progress is how we ensure the survival of this industry, and that’s something I want.

When Joe was asked for examples of great younger talent, he cited some AEW names naturally.

I think several in AEW. When you’re talking about truly young talents and people coming up, I think Kyle Fletcher really springs to the front of my mind as somebody who has limitless potential. As far as guys with me on The Opps, Powerhouse Hobbs is another gentleman. And if you go up and down the AEW roster, you’ll see a lot of new talent, and as they begin to be showcased, I think they will also suss out tremendous talent for the future.

AJ Styles Paid Tribute To Samoa Joe During Final Match With John Cena

The final match between John Cena and AJ Styles was a wrestling classic at WWE Crown Jewel, with Cena picking up the win with an Attitude Adjustment. Samoa Joe has a long history with both men, as he trained with Cena at UPW over 25 years ago and wrestled Styles numerous times in TNA and WWE.

During the match, Cena and Styles paid tribute to some of their most famous on-screen rivals. That included Styles doing the Coquina Clutch submission that Joe uses. Joe commented on it while praising Cena and Styles.

“I mean, it’s cool. It’s really, really cool. Obviously, I’m super flattered, but I think my friendship with AJ over the years has always been super duper strong. So, I mean, any tribute always pales in comparison to the phone calls and trash talk that usually happen anytime we get together. So, yeah, I’m obviously more than honored and flattered.

It’s good to know that your peers appreciate that sense, especially when it talks about the breadth of their career and what it means to them. I’m beyond honored—it’s an awesome thing to see. I have unyielding amounts of respect for both men involved in that match, and I’m so happy that [Styles and John Cena] are getting their flowers.”

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