As WWE NXT shifts its focus from older and more experienced stars to younger and taller talent, many questions have arisen as to where Samoa Joe fits into the new structure of things. Fans will remember that Joe was released earlier this year as part of the massive wave of ‘budget cuts’ that took the company by storm. Triple H was instrumental in rehiring Joe as he was said to be unhappy with his firing. However, not long after, he was resigned to the black and yellow show where he briefly acted as an enforcer for William Regal.
He would not hold the position for long, as he would eventually return to a performer role to face then NXT Champion Karrion Kross for the title at TakeOver 36, where he would win. Unfortunately, Joe would be forced to relinquish the gold before getting a chance to defend it in September due to an undisclosed injury. He has yet to make an appearance since then.
Bryan Alverez had reported the injury to be a work as part of a storyline, as believed by others within the company. Dave Meltzer would then add that Joe had been hired mainly in a non-wrestling role, perhaps given the string of injuries that had previously kept him sidelined for over a year.
Joe can be seen in the photo below at recent NXT tryouts at the Performance Center. For the time being, it would seem that he is working alongside other trainers as they search for newer and younger stars to build from the ground up. However, Joe never announced his retirement or talked of such a thing, expressing an interest in wrestling again when he is healed. At the moment, the door remains open for him to return to the ring once his injury is fully healed.
Samoa Joe at the recent WWE tryouts pic.twitter.com/rHblyMIrFr
— Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) December 24, 2021
