Samoa Joe Reportedly Added To WWE Raw Taping For Apr. 16

Due to a foot injury, Samoa Joe has been out of action for the last couple of months, but it appears he’s ready to make his return to WWE Raw this month.

Easily one of the most eloquent and menacing members of the WWE roster, Samoa Joe has shined at every single promotion he’s worked for. Joe made his main roster debut last year as Triple H’s henchman, but he didn’t truly make a splash until he began a program with Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.

The Beast Incarnate’s first feud after winning the belt from Goldberg at WrestleMania 33, Samoa Joe impressed fans with his intensity and ability to expand our vocabularies with his promos. And how can anyone forget when he put Paul Heyman in the Coquina Clutch, calmly stating, “Something very bad is about to happen to you,” before choking the life out of The Advocate.

Unfortunately, Joe suffered a foot injury on Jan. 8 during a match against Rhyno, and this kept him out of the Royal Rumble. He’s been out since, but there have been signs that Joe is ready to return. PW Insider reported that he was backstage at Raw earlier this month, which indicates that a return from injury isn’t far away.

Now, Wrestling Inc. reports that Joe has been added to the Apr. 16 taping of Monday Night Raw, which will take place in Hartford, CT. This is the episode of Raw one week after the Raw after WrestleMania, and it will be interesting to see if Joe returns at that time OR if he returns earlier to surprise the crowd.

Potential feuds for Joe include a program with Roman Reigns, John Cena, the Intercontinental Champion, or even Bobby Lashley, who is rumored to have signed a deal.

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I can’t wait to see Joe back in the ring, and it’s terrible that he suffered an injury at this point in the calendar year. Since being called up to the Raw roster after one of the greatest NXT careers in the brand’s history, Joe has been dealt an unlucky hand when it comes to injuries. Hopefully he can avoid the injury bug once he returns, because there are so many potential “dream feuds” for the Samoan Submission machine.