Retirement is a popular term in professional wrestling these days. Icons like Sting, Meiko Satomura, and Bill Goldberg have left their boots in the ring. John Cena is a few weeks away from joining them, while Hiroshi Tanahashi and AJ Styles are next up after him. They won’t be the only ones, as Samoa Joe has offered a look into his potential retirement timeline, and it is seemingly closer than many would hope.
Samoa Joe is one of the greatest gifts of professional wrestling. He’s a performer who makes this business look and feel believable. Whether it's cutting a promo or looking like a viable threat to any opponent on a moment’s notice, Samoa Joe knows how to get the job done. Fans should appreciate his gifts before they are gone.
“I’d say most likely,” Samo Joe said to Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports when asked if he’ll retire when his current AEW contract ends. “You never want to outstay your welcome in this industry. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been involved for 25 years now. The other thing, too is, I think many of us want to preserve what we can of our health. It is something that is probably the most likely scenario, but it is an unusual work and unusual opportunities come up, so we’ll see.”
When asked if he had a specific date in mind, Joe was as coy as ever.
“No, not at all. It might be a surprise,” Joe said. “It might just be one day I’m gone and we’ll leave it at that. I’m not as ceremonial as everybody else.”
Whenever Samoa Joe decides to hang it up, it’s important to recognize that he’s one of the best of his generation. His involvement in the business helped establish names like AJ Styles decades ago, and his legacy allowed him to become a formative piece to All Elite Wrestling. Fans may malign his run in WWE, but that falls on the shoulders of the promotion and not Joe.
Samoa Joe has held championships in nearly every important promotion in this generation of wrestling. That includes titles in WWE, TNA Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and All Elite Wrestling. Along the way, he’s put on classics against performers like CM Punk, Kenta Kobashi, Bryan Danielson, and everyone remembers the triple threat match from TNA Unbreakable 2005 against Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles. Samoa Joe has a stacked catalog of matches that make him a performer worth studying for anyone looking to break into the business.
Samoa Joe is the latest name to talk about retirement and give fans a glimpse into when he’s preparing to call it done. Everyone should listen closely to what he’s saying and take him at his word. Enjoy all that Samoa Joe does and has achieved in the ring while he’s still performing to appreciate.