10 Things You Didn't Know About Samoa Joe

9. He Wrestled For WWE Before His 2015 Signing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG5ONc6aWac On March 3rd, 2001, Essa Rios, a high-flying lower mid-carder, wrestled a young Samoa Joe on an episode of WWF Jakked in what would be Joe€™s only match in Vince€™s company until his 2015 'return'. At the time, Joe was much smaller and less experienced, as shown by his lack of ring psychology and limited wrestling maneuvers. So it shouldn€™t be a surprise that he was working as a jobber to put over Essa Rios, even though Rios would leave WWF shortly after this match took place. This was a golden opportunity for WWF/E to try something different and make a star out of someone who didn€™t fit the mold of a prototypical WWF Superstar. Alas, they stuck with what they thought would work and sent Joe back to the minor leagues of pro-wrestling. You would think that WWE would€™ve learned their lesson after Mick Foley€™s title ascent became one of the best moments in WWE history, but you€™d be wrong. Maybe, just maybe, Samoa Joe€™s recent signing with WWE might be an indication that Vince€™s old mentality might actually be finally fading away.