Samoa Joe Approves Of NXT’s New Direction: ‘Just Another Era’

Before he vacated the NXT Championship over the weekend, Samoa Joe spoke to Sportsnet, the home of NXT in Canada. Joe was asked about the new direction for NXT and said that the brand has always been a place of change, NXT 2.0 is just the latest continuation of that.

“It’ll just be a continuation of what NXT has always been,” said Joe. “It’s always been a place of change, it’s always been a place of flux. I’m a little shocked that everybody is as surprised about the change because it’s never been the same from one year to the next.”

The 3-time NXT Champion says NXT has a history of defined eras. NXT 2.0 will just be yet another era for the developmental brand.

“With change always comes a little bit of uncertainty, but I’m looking forward to it.”

When Joe vacated the NXT title over the weekend he did not mention what his specific injury was or how long he will be out.

He spoke with Sportsnet about getting back in the ring after dealing with concussion injuries, however. According to Joe, he was not going to resume his in-ring career if there were lingering issues doctors felt were serious.

“If there were some lingering issues that I felt were serious (and) the doctors felt were serious … then I wasn’t going to get back in the ring,” Joe said.

“I was going to take the time, all the time that I needed, and I was going to come back feeling stronger, and 100-percent. I wasn’t really concerning myself with career moves (like), ‘oh is it over, is it this or is it that?’”

Joe returned to NXT shortly after being released from WWE this spring. At first, he was not in a wrestling role but was positioned as William Regal’s enforcer. This led to a feud with Karrion Kross and him winning the NXT title for a third time.

Joe is the only wrestler to have won the title on 3 occasions. He’s held the title for a combined 156 days, good for 8th all-time.