10 Things We Learned From Samoa Joe On Talk Is Jericho

2. TNA'S Break & Reaction To His Departure

During the break between the move from Spike to Destination America Joe says that the company had three months of down time, and during that span he was basically just relaxing at home. The exclusivity restrictions of most of the talent were removed so that they could earn money during the layoff, but his contract was for guaranteed money so he could afford to sit out. He says he was apprehensive about the change because Spike is a big network with great penetration and a good media family behind them in Viacom, and admits that this was one of the initial signals that his time with the promotion was nearing its end. "You can only hear so many rah-rah speeches, and I'd done nine years of that." Upon hearing that he'd finally left TNA, AJ immediately reached out to him and told him he'd be fine, and they share they same booking agent so he wasn't worried about finding work. Jericho asks what Dixie's reaction was and Joe replies that she was shocked and disappointed. He calls her an emotional being who cares for her talent and he had a stellar relationship with her business-wise, and she was saddened that he wasn't going to be around, but that things since then have been amicable.