Samoa Joe's WWE In-Ring Return Set

Samoa Joe is set to face Karrion Kross for the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver 36 on August 22, according to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

This would be Joe's first wrestling match in over a year. His last match took place on a February 10, 2020 episode of Monday Night Raw where he teamed with Kevin Owens and The Viking Raiders in a loss to Seth Rollins, the Authors Of Pain, and Murphy.

A variety of issues have kept Joe out of a ring since then. He had actually suffered a concussion while doing a suicide dive on a January 27, 2020 episode of Raw the week prior to his most recent match. He would then return to action the following week, but would suffer another concussion while filming a commercial for Raw in early February.

Joe was then suspended in late February following his first violation of WWE's Wellness Policy. He would later return to Raw in April to join the commentary team, where he remained until his release earlier this year.

Joe stated that immediately after his initial release that he spoke with Triple H about a potential return to the company. There were also reports that employees and NXT officials all made a strong internal push to have Joe brought back into the company.

Joe would then return on a June 15 episode of NXT, where he was appointed the enforcer to the General Manager William Regal. He made his big return at the expense of Karrion Kross, who was confronting Regal about his mismanagement of the brand.

Joe has been insistent that his in-ring career was not over. He made it clear that has been in the process of returning to active competition. It appears that he has been successful and is cleared to compete.