Why WWE Fired Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe became the latest victim of WWE's NXT cuts yesterday. Here's why they let him go...
Samoa Joe joined WWE's list of released NXT and Performance Center personnel on Thursday, with news of his departure breaking around 24 hours after the revelation that William Regal, Brian 'Road Dogg' James, Timothy Thatcher, and more had been cut by the market leaders.
Per Fightful Select, Joe actually left WWE on Wednesday - the same day as Regal and co. News of this departure made it outside the organisation as Fightful were tipped-off to it by a former WWE talent.
It is believed that Joe's release was another step in WWE's attempts at dismantling Triple H's old version of NXT, which was the same reason stated for the other developmental departures this way.
Joe had relinquished the NXT Championship prior to the brand's reboot as NXT 2.0 in mid-September. According to Fightful, there hadn't been any backstage chatter about him returning to the ring since then, though there was a belief that if Regal left, Joe would likely be on the way out too.
A high-ranking WWE official stated that Joe himself has taken the situation "as professionally as possible," despite a rough couple of years in WWE. The 42-year-old was originally released by the promotion in April, then brought back in via NXT two months later, initially serving as Regal's onscreen official before returning to the ring. Prior to his first release, Joe had been unable to gain clearance to compete following a string of injuries and other issues.
Fightful's sources indicated a belief that Joe will return to the ring now that he is out of WWE. Indeed, several indie promoters have reached out to the outlet showing interest in booking him.