Samoa Joe Reportedly Headed to WWE

Not long after his departure from TNA, Samoa Joe made a splash with a return to the minor circuit by signing a short-term deal with Ring of Honor. Joe was part of its “13th Anniversary Spectacular,” and will likely feud for the Ring of Honor World Championship with Jay Briscoe at some point.

According to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer, Joe will end his stint with Ring of Honor some time around April 25. After that, he’ll be likely on his way to WWE.

Meltzer appeared on “Wrestling Observer Radio” and noted the following:

“The belief is, I don’t know what the whole thing is, but there’s a WWE component to it.”

“He’s going to be doing his indies, and there’s going to be something with WWE. Whether it’s NXT, whether it’s, I’ve heard several different things talked about and I don’t know if anyone really knows, I don’t know if it’s a signed contract. The point is, he is in theory, WWE-bound in some form, or at least attempting to be WWE-bound or NXT-bound or something along those lines.”

He noted in all likelihood it will not be a New Japan involvement, as if it were, he could have done it while part of ROH.

The potential move with Joe and WWE adds meat to the rumors that circulated recently, claiming WWE was interested in bringing in Joe in some fashion. It is unknown at this time what his role would be, but at age 35, Joe would be one of the oldest veterans in NXT if he was sent there.

With the way the current developmental system works, it is unlikely any new WWE signee would go straight to the main roster unless a special exception was made. Joe spent nearly 10 years in TNA with one stint as its world champion, and multiple TNA stars were upset about his departure.

Last week, former WWE Champion CM Punk teased the world could see one more match between he and Joe, though it appears that won’t come to fruition anytime soon.

Editor’s Note

Kudos to Joe. Happy for him, and here’s hoping he doesn’t become Joe Samoa or Samoa Steve.

Follow @JonAlbaSFC