Samoa Joe Talks Having Some Influence With Shinsuke Nakamura's WWE Signing, NXT, More
On episode 78 of Sam Roberts' Wrestling Podcast the new NXT Champion, Samoa Joe discussed about a number of topics including how he knew moving to NXT was the right decision for him, how he knew he would get an opportunity to shine in WWE, and having input as to talent signings. The interview was conducted before Samoa Joe defeated Finn Balor for the NXT Championship earlier this week.
With respect to knowing NXT was where he wanted to be, Samoa Joe said that having been with other professional wrestling promotions before exploding, he knew NXT was on the verge of big things when he visited Orlando, Florida to meet with WWE officials prior to his signing.
"I've been fortunate enough that I'm kind of on the cusp of companies coming, getting worldwide acclaim, and kind of exploding. And this is kind of like my third time and it's awesome, so I recognize all the hallmarks, all the signs, I've seen before, kind of like Ring Of Honor and it's like, when I saw that and I saw the energy and the vibe when I went to the [NXT] shows and kind of met with some of the guys and saw how they felt about things, I was like,'yeah, I'm totally cool with it – this is where I want to be'."
Joe admitted that he would have been more hesitant to sign with WWE had the likes of CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and Seth Rollins not been so hugely successful with the company.
"It's crazy because it was never a timetable issue for me. First of all, all those guys are really good friends of mine, so it was like, I was beyond stoked for them. I was like, 'man, that's awesome, man!' because I understood the concept of the character, I understood what they brought to the table, and I'd been in the ring with them, traveled the roads with them, so I knew what they were capable of and I knew their ability level. And to see them be WWE Champion just reinforced what I had already believed about them." Joe continued, "when the opportunity presented itself here, I felt more confident because of the inroads they had made, if anything. Like, if that hadn't happened before I came here, I'd probably be more apprehensive about coming to WWE because it's like the place to be, but at the same time, it's like, 'am I really going to get the fair shake that I hoped I would?' And seeing what they had done here, I more than realized, 'yeah, I would'."
When asked whether he would try to get his friends MVP, Homicide, and Low-Ki jobs with WWE, Joe said that it would be great, but he does not know whether those performers are interested in working for WWE at this point in their lives. Joe went on to say that he has had some input getting other friends jobs with the company.
"I've been able to, I hope, have some influence on some of my friends being here, AJ [Styles], [Shinsuke] Nakamura, who I remember when he first started in the L.A. dojo with me and in the Inoki Dojo in Santa Monica [California] and to see him debuting here [at NXT TakeOver: Dallas] is crazy."
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Source: Sam Roberts? Wrestling Podcast