AEW teased Samoa Joe’s return on Wednesday’s Dynamite in Norfolk, Virginia, with Jack Perry calling out the former AEW World Champion in a promo that aired during the show.
Perry said he has been seeking out matches against former world champions as part of his path to the AEW World Championship and told Joe he has been gone for too long. He closed by telling Joe to “Come back and make my day,” after which the camera panned to reveal “JOE IS GONNA KILL YOU” painted on the wall behind him.
Joe hasn’t wrestled since Double or Nothing on May 24, where he lost to Will Ospreay in the men’s Owen Hart Cup quarterfinals. Three days later on Dynamite, he announced he would be stepping away for a few months, saying “Hollywood is ringing.” He has been off AEW television since, filming the third season of Twisted Metal.
In this year’s Owen Hart Cup, Joe and Perry were on the same side of the bracket and would have met in the semifinals if both won their quarterfinal matches. Ospreay eliminated Joe, while Mark Davis beat Perry on the following week’s Dynamite.
Perry re-signed with AEW in July. In the weeks that followed, he lost to both Jon Moxley and Swerve Strickland as part of his ongoing quest to face former world champions.
Despite All Out being just over a week away, Perry didn’t mention the pay-per-view in his challenge, and AEW has yet to announce Joe for the card. All Out is set for September 26 at the NOW Arena in Chicago.