Reason For Samoa Joe's Absence From IMPACT Slammiversary 2022
The Samoan Submission Machine was notable by his absence at last night's PPV.
While plentiful faces from the past of TNA/IMPACT Wrestling made appearances at last night's Slammiversary PPV, one person notable by their absence was Samoa Joe.
Taking place 20 years to the day since the first ever NWA-TNA show, Slammiversary featured several segments and moments that were celebrations of the company's past. AJ Styles, Sting and Kurt Angle were amongst those to appear via video, whilst Dixie Carter, Frankie Kazarian, Traci Brooks, Nick Aldis, Davey Richards, Goldylocks and America's Most Wanted were some of the IMPACT alums who made in-person appearances - with Kazarian, Aldis and Richards competing in the Team Originals vs. Honor No More five-on-five match.
Viewed as one of most important stars in the history of the promotion, Samoa Joe's spent ten years in TNA from 2005 to 2015, winning the company's World Championship, TV Championship, X Division Championship and Tag Team Championships - becoming only the third Grand Slam Champion in the organisation's history.
So, when Slammiversary started to show videos from some of the biggest names in TNA/IMPACT's past, many were hoping that the Samoan Submission Machine would make an appearance.
In terms of why Joe was absent from Slammiversary, the current Ring of Honor TV Champion took to Twitter to explain that he was not asked and that he also was not available - but wished the promotion a happy anniversary.
Dearest cackling hens. I wasn’t asked, or available, and it should not mar a great milestone set by Impact. Happy Anniversary, and my best going forward to all involved .
— Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe) June 20, 2022