Welcome Back Joe!

[EStreet]

Thank you TNA for finally bringing back the Samoa Joe we all love and missed. The way he hit the ring and took it to Flair and AJ and then cut that promo was absolutely great. Its been a long time since I've seen such a passionate promo..he called AJ a scumbag and took it to Naitch...

AJ - Joe for the title is going to be great because it highlights the two TNA originals...as much as I was bummed Joe had been reduced to nothing (I don't read spoilers) I am THRILLED he is back and with this fire.

 

[JackBurton]

I would agree with you - although I will say that the character had became stale, as have a lot of the guys not being used at the moment, so it was probably a good thing to take him off TV for the last 4 weeks. Breathed some new life into Joes persona - at least for the time being

 

[TellMeWhy]

I'm happy about this as well. I remember last year, people criticized Joe so much for the Nation of Violence thing but people don't realize that the Nation Of Violence development phase has helped bring him back to the point that he's currently in, which is being a monster and being over with the fans.

I'm so hyped to order Against All Odds. TNA is already hyping up his match with AJ big time.

Take a look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7Jv7dgcr4c

 

[JJYanks121]

I wouldn't get too excited. Given it's a briefcase cash in, the match was done at this PPV because the tournament will decide the contender for NEXT PPV. I would think the fact that Joe wasn't on TV for a few weeks before that promo and challenge should tell you enough of what is thought of Joe in the new regime. Truth be told, I'm not big on Joe either and it doesn't bother me that this will be his only title shot and then they'll have "nothing for him", but for old school TNA marks, I just warn you not to get your hopes up. In the long run, I don't forsee Joe as a main eventer. He's not the type of guy Hogoff will go for.

 

[travoltage]

I have to say that I am excited by what I saw in Samoa Joe last night...he was on fire, and he seemed so real ranting at AJ and Flair...he shouldnt talk much, but when he does, it should be pissed off and shouting like last night! He didn't miss a beat...I don't expect him to win the title at Against All Odds, but I see him getting screwed and hopefully leading in to a huge feud...Joe is a killer and was portrayed perfectly last night.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Joe's niche is performing brilliantly in the match at pay-per-views that won't be remembered for years to come. I still remember his match with Christian Cage all those years ago. It was terrific but I can't for the life of me remember when the fuck it was. Point proven, methinks.

I've generally been a Joe supporter, though I haven't been shy of criticising him either. His promo on iMPACT! was pretty great; it made me think of AJ and Joe's history together. If badass Joe is back for one month only, I'm OK with that. It's best for him that way. He'll have an awesome match with AJ and there'll be a few moments there when you're on the edge of the seat because you think he just might do it, then he'll sink back into the supporting cast, waiting for the day when he'll be called upon once again.

 

[Schizophrenic]

Hopefully this will end up being the beggining for a push for Joe again. People were so into him but they didn't pull the trigger on him winning the title soon enough and when he did, it's almost as people expected it so much that it wasn't news. Similar Nigel & ROH. I know some are already poo pooing on this set up but people need to realize that in past interviews Hogan and Eric have had good things to say about Joe. Perhpas they will try to have him hit the gym but looking at him he looks to be in the same if not very similar condition that he was when he first debuted in TNA and was dominating ROH.

 

[GenMe]

The joe that was yesterday on TNA is the joe i like his promos are epic,i really wana see this joe very often.Sadly thing is that he will maybe lose the match and maybe he will need to wait until the PPV after lockdown to get another push or get a title shot

 

[Super Crazy]

It's good to see this side of Joe again. I gladly welcome it back, when he ran down to the ring and helped out the Pope, that was great. His promo was solid also, I love how he called AJ out for becoming a coward, this one promo has done a great thing and set up an awesome main event for Against All Odds. Hopefully this side of Joe is here to stay for at least a few months, and maybe we'll get lucky and see him get a run with the belt even though this is supposedly " Aj's time ".

 

[Greenlight13]

The Joe we loved was the d*ck who used to just hurt people in the ring and would do anything to get a three-count, tap-out, or even a ref stoppage. Until he wrestles a match I'm not getting my hopes up... even if I did love the intensity.

On a side-note I'd love to see Flair trying to follow through on the "do you wanna die tonight?" threat on Joe.... it's wrong to want to see the greatest wrestler of all time get murdered by a large Samoan man isn't it?

 

[capoxstatus]

Man i agree with a lot of you it was great to see the old joe back. No weird penis shaped face paint, just pure anger and power coming at you. It was great to see joe just go with that no nonsense attitude and just destroy that jobber. It was interesting to see joe run in and get in aj's and ric's face, but like others see we gotta wait and see where they go, but either way nice restart for joe.

 

[Kanye South]

Welcome back indeed, Samoa Joe. I thought he had talked shit about Haiti and gotten lost in the jelly lard rolls of Awesome Kong.

In all seriousness, the Samoa Joe we had last night was awesome. TNA is doing a good job of building up its faces. We have Kurt Angle the legend, Samoa Joe the fat dominating guy, and D'Angelo Dinero the young promising rookie. Plus Sting is still lying around in the rafters, in all of his babyface glory. Knowing TNA, this Joe will have a couple of matches with Styles and then go back to making me question whether or not he just got Bobby Lashley'd by Bischoff. But for the short time we have Awesome Joe, maybe we can savor it, and maybe, just maybe, TNA will keep a top face and not have them change like red dots in a 13-year old girl's drawers.

 

[Prolific]

To be honest with you, I think Joe should carry TNA more than AJ. He has more charisma, and more personality. AJ is amazing in the ring, but that has been something that he has lacked throughout his career (hence the pairing with Flair, which still isn't working that well). I still think that his career wouldn't be as stagnant if he didn't join to MEM.

Saying all that to say, with the prominent figures in TNA right now (Hogan/Bischoff), I am about 99.6% sure that he WILL NOT win the title in the near future. It seems like we have bookers that don't admit to make mistakes, so you can count on this Flair/Styles alliance lasting for a while, and unfortunately Samoa Joe being another casualty.

 

[proofinlife]

To be honest with you, I think Joe should carry TNA more than AJ. He has more charisma, and more personality. AJ is amazing in the ring, but that has been something that he has lacked throughout his career (hence the pairing with Flair, which still isn't working that well). I still think that his career wouldn't be as stagnant if he didn't join to MEM.

Saying all that to say, with the prominent figures in TNA right now (Hogan/Bischoff), I am about 99.6% sure that he WILL NOT win the title in the near future. It seems like we have bookers that don't admit to make mistakes, so you can count on this Flair/Styles alliance lasting for a while, and unfortunately Samoa Joe being another casualty.

Joe first became a casualty of the MEM storyline before joining their ranks. When they put that group together, a lot of storylines and thriving characters got pushed down in order to drive more storylines and get the group over, and in the long run, it hurt a lot of the characters like Joe who were getting their head above water and getting noticed.

Now, Joe is not a casualty of the MEM, and being on the heels of MEM breaking up (it's only been a couple months and they still remind us of it); now with the huge Hulk Vs. TNA angle, again, the guys who were getting over are now pushed down, effectively cut from their lifeline which was their competitiveness.

I'd also personally like to throw the idea out there that possibly the new regime change doesn't see Joe as a marketable name. Hulk is just like Vince in that he's only going to put people over that HE sees potential in, and Hulk has never seen potential in anybody that doesn't have potential to be a bigger than life character. This can be a possibility, but there is nothing backing this up so it is only a guess on my part.

 

[y2empleh]

I actually was NOT impressed with Joe's "return" as you are calling it. Granted he's never been known for having a Scott Steiner physique but he looked off physically. I'm not sure if he's gained some weight recently or that he dropped the whole "bad ass" concept to talk more on the Mic (which I wasn't impressed with either. I'm sorry but in my opinion Joe/Styles/Daniels are horrible... and I mean HORRIBLE on the Mic) but I wasn't buying him as a serious threat to AJs title. He needs to go back to that "chris benoit-eque" ability of not saying much, letting his actions do his talking, and the fans be his voice. You watch his early stuff, he doesn't say much but obliterates his opponents while the fans chant "Joe's gonna kill you". Now THAT Joe I would believe as a threat to the title. The way they've been kinda destroying Joe as of late I feel like the 8 stud tournament would have been a great way of getting him a title shot yet coming across as a serious threat. He destroys opponents with ease.

 

[Alex]

Joe's promo was good and that's promising, however he looks overweight, he has a noticeable gut, I know he was never ripped but before he looked good for a guy of his size, now he just looks fat. Providing he can still perform to the standard that we expect of Samoa Joe, i'll look past the weight issue however

 

[ncwriter2908]

i have never been a big Joe fan. The guy now looks in worse shape than ever its no wonder he hasnt been on tv lately, his body looks about as good as Flairs..lol To me he has always been boring on the mic. I was excited when he first came and had the undefeated streak going but just like Goldberg after he lost he got uninteresting. However I am willing to give Joe another chance with this new Hogan/Bishoff reign lets see what he can do

 

[Prolific]

Joe first became a casualty of the MEM storyline before joining their ranks. When they put that group together, a lot of storylines and thriving characters got pushed down in order to drive more storylines and get the group over, and in the long run, it hurt a lot of the characters like Joe who were getting their head above water and getting noticed.

Now, Joe is not a casualty of the MEM, and being on the heels of MEM breaking up (it's only been a couple months and they still remind us of it); now with the huge Hulk Vs. TNA angle, again, the guys who were getting over are now pushed down, effectively cut from their lifeline which was their competitiveness.

I'd also personally like to throw the idea out there that possibly the new regime change doesn't see Joe as a marketable name. Hulk is just like Vince in that he's only going to put people over that HE sees potential in, and Hulk has never seen potential in anybody that doesn't have potential to be a bigger than life character. This can be a possibility, but there is nothing backing this up so it is only a guess on my part.

For the most part, I think you understood what I was saying by your response. I was stressing that he was a casuality of the Hogan/Bischoff chain of command, and I don't think that he fits the mold of a credible TNA World Champ (which I UTTERLY disagree with).

He has been over since he got there. They IMMENSELY pushed him in the beginning of his TNA tenure (being undefeated for 18 months), and his ROH background was known throughout the TNA culture.

Its unfortunate (presumptively) that he probably will be stagnant for a while like he has been for the past few months (being thrown to Lashley and Wolfe, and not even appearing on TV consistently). This "push" seemingly is just continue to feed AJ worthy contenders (along with Angle and Daniels), and further build this Flair/AJ alliance.

 

[farlance]

Maybe its his haircut, cause bald, and out of shape doesn't go together very well. I, like some of you, liked that Joe that had the longer hair and sideburns and had the white towel around his neck. Right around when he was disrespecting x-division guys and Kurt Angle's debut with the company. I like the Joe that is a bully and only out for himself, not this guy who comes to the ring to make saves.

Im ok with him coming out and destroying lower mid card guys for no reason on Impact and then wrestling upper card guys at PPV that try to butt their nose in his business and put on great matches.

 

[Poɘt]

I thought he came off really cool on Impact. Him going Sting on Flair's chop was gif worthy. I'm not really worried about his future because Joe has a history of being a hard worker, and I think TNA will reward the hard workers that get over, and Joe doesn't know the meaning of not being over, so he should be fine.

It would be interesting to see him bulk up a little. But I'm fine with his look. I was a fan of Dusty Rhodes' look back in the NWA and I think wrestling could use someone like that. 6' with a six pack and crew cut has been beaten to death in wrestling, so I'm ready for the alternatives.

 

[Warrior]

I fell like we are coming out of the nation of violence era and going back to the Samoan submission machine.Joe verbally murder Ric and Aj on the mic with his best promo in months.The post match brawl was even at a higher standard than most.the strange part is that am afraid AJ will be the reason their title match wont be amazing.Regardless its good to have Joe back.

 

[Tastycles]

Joe has been shit for a long time, and a lot of that has been to do with the fact that he isn't top man material. His heel turn was diabolical and he just looked shit as the MEM faded away. Now he's got a chance to go back to basics and back how he used to be. Joe can put on some great matches, but I just don't think that he's ever going to be credible as a company carrying man. The odd title shot here and there is all that he should be given, because I think that is all he has shown that he is capable of doing, to be honest with you.

 

[NSL]

I'm glad to see Joe back to his "Joe's gonna kill you" days, and not the "Joe's gonna eat you" time. His promos are far better when he's pissed off and looking for blood, and he wrestles a lot better when he can go off intensity and adrenaline, instead of "thinking" too much, which as odd as it sounds, is true.

AJ and Joe cannot have a bad match, so I'm looking forward to the main event, and hoping that it keeps moving forward, with Joe getting fully into kill-mode.

 

[ImpactPlayer27]

Let's face it, Joe has seemed.....Tame since his first loss to Kurt Angle and even when he finally won the belt. But I agree, that segment with Joe vs AJ and Flair, now THAT is the Samoa Joe I remember. That's what he's been lacking. He's been missing that viciousness, that power, that all out brutality that led to people chanting "Joe's Gonna Kill You." All of those which made him the seemingly unstoppable force that dominated the X-Division, that for a long while the 3 cornerstones of the X-Division were Joe, Styles and Daniels. That's the Samoa Joe that TNA needed to bring back. The same Samoan Submission Machine that was undefeated for nearly 2 years in TNA, that held the ROH world title for nearly 2 years, that had a 5 star match with CM Punk in ROH, that is what Joe needs to be and a lot of guys in TNA need to do it, is go back to their roots. Guys like Joe, and Daniels and a lot of the guys in the X-Division, period. And keep this in mind too, Joe has not been pinned by AJ yet in TNA. Last I checked in one on one matches, AJ is 0-3 in TNA against Joe.

 

[klunderbunker]

I like the idea of Joe being such a monster anymore, but it's going to be all for naught if they keep turning him. I know that I got bored with him when he kept going from face to heel at the drop of a hat. Eventually the people just stop caring like I did. In order to make him look like a strong challenger, you have to make him into a strong character and that simply wasn't going to happen given how much they keep changing his character. In short, this will work for awhile but given how TNA has been working, this isn't going to last.