As a wrestler, Samoa Joe is used to performing in front of a camera and an audience that judges his every move. However, his wrestling debut in 1999 was not his first time in front of a camera. In fact, he was in front of a much larger audience when he was only five years old. During his early years, Joes family opened a Polynesian dance troupe called Tiare Productions. This troupe, which included Joe himself, performed at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games that were held in Los Angeles. His family was one of many cultural groups that got the opportunity to perform in front of an international audience. Thats an extremely rare opportunity, and a memory that would last a lifetime. While this has nothing to do with wrestling, it might explain why Joe looks so comfortable in front of a camera. Many rookie wrestlers have trouble adapting to a camera when they first begin, or they get nervous in front of a large crowd. But Joe had performance in his blood, and was on stage from an early age, which made him a natural performer. Maybe, once his wrestling career winds down, he might find himself in front of an Olympic crowd again. After all, he has already been there once.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
