One of the toughest stretches of Samoa Joe’s WWE career came in 2020, when he suffered two concussions within a few weeks. The second came during a commercial shoot, after he hit his head on a table.
During a recent appearance at Grace Family Church, Joe, who now wrestles for AEW, said he believed at the time that his in-ring career was over.
“Several times, actually, within the span of two months,” Joe said. “You know, I had received a concussion. My career was essentially over, and I was sent to the commentary desk, which was awesome. Good time.”
Joe stayed on as a Raw commentator until April 2021, when WWE released him. He was back in NXT two months later and eventually returned to the ring, beating Karrion Kross to win the NXT Championship for the third time in his career.
After relinquishing the title, Joe moved into a backstage role, but WWE released him again on January 6, 2022.
“I was hired back, miraculously, thankfully, and I moved into a more corporate position,” Joe recalled. “But then the corporate structure changed, and two months later I found myself fired again. It was a rough morning, obviously.”
The second release opened the door to new opportunities. Just four hours later, Joe got the call that led to his role as Sweet Tooth on the TV series Twisted Metal.
In April of that year, Joe also signed with AEW.