Samoa Joe Talks Hogan, Prichard, Jim Ross, Russo and Future

[It's Damn Real!]

This transcribed from TNAInsider:

Reveals what Bruce Prichard and Jim Ross' told Samoa Joe earlier in his career:
I remember Bruce Prichard once told me to my face, 'You aren't cut out for this business'. Jim Ross once told me 'Guys like Nathan Jones and John Heidenrich are what we are here for. You are a great worker and I'm sure you understand that. These are the guys we are here for and honestly, this business is probably not going to work out for you.'

So these guys can have their opinions about me but just know, your opinion doesn't factor into the equation.

Whether guys backstage are worried or hoping the recent TNA departures means a greater spot for them.
I think a little bit of both. I mean with guys like AJ gone, he was like the team captain. When you think of Impact Wrestling, you think of AJ Styles.

On why AJ Styles was booked the way he was even though TNA didn't have a deal locked with him.
Well, A- This was taped long before and B- Why not play the cards that were dealt. I mean, you can either sit here and play Captain Cover-Up or you can just play the cards you were dealt.

On the Infamous Kidnapping angle and Vince Russo:
You want me to break the silence on that? I don't like getting verbal spats with people who I don't think are worth my time or my effort and a dude in particular is Vince Russo. This cat, I don't have a problem with Vince Russo. When he left i just told him, It is what it is. He always had 22 million reasons for making the decisions that he made. But when Hogan and Bischoff came in they said 'Oh we have this great idea. We are going to do this thing and take you off of TV and re-brand you. Do all this other stuff. We do this kidnapping thing and you come back as a psychopath.' I was cool with it.

I sat at home for 3 months on a bitching ass vacation. I had one of the best vacations in the history of vacations. Paid vacation. Getting ready so i call them back Week after Week 'What do you guys need me to do'. They would say 'We are still coming up with something'. Vince Russo with his infinite ridiculousness just said, we are short on babyfaces and so i get a call saying 'Joe we need to bring you back to TV'.

So I asked him, So how is it that you are going to bring me back. He said, I don't know how just yet but we need to bring you in. So the dude couldn't write his way out of a kidnapping. The only reason why I bring this up is because he has the audacity to blame all of his silliness on other people. And by the way wrestlers, Pro wrestlers all over the world and people in the business. Stop ****ing yourself out to shoot interviews. This man couldn't write his way out of a kidnapping. That's how much respect he had for the product, how much respect he had for the fans and that is indicative of his style of what he did. He was the head writer at the time and this is the way he felt that was admissible. Now i know this little bitch is going to go back on a shoot and talk all of this shit.

On Joe possibly getting a push soon
I think with TNA now, especially with the inner office changes. I think hopefully I will be on top. I told them already. I said 'Look, you guys have tried to do things in different ways.' I told them at the beginning of last year. 'You guys have been using me in a utilitarian way for the past 2 or 3 years. I'm cool with it. I know this is a team effort but I'm ready to run with it and produce for you if you give me the opportunity.'

I've told John Gaburick the same thing. 'You guys have been using me in a utilitarian way for the past 2 or 3 years. I'm ready to get shit done. If you want to run with me, It's going to be this year. The ball is in their hands and we will just see what happens."

--

Joe gives a pretty candid interview, but I think what I found most interesting once the shoot "shock" wore off was the line about being ready to run with the ball again in TNA, especially with Styles out, and with a number of the previous top guys reportedly approaching contract expiration (Angle, Sting, etc).

When he first made the jump to TNA from ROH all those years back, he was all the rave, and one of the guys a lot of fans trumpeted TNA for, so considering the state the company is in, it may be in their best interest to go back to the well there, especially if some of the elder statesmen intend on not returning to the company.

I'm sure the shoot on Russo and probably some of the Hogan remarks (you can read them in the interview — I didn't post the entire thing here) will get some traction, but the topic of Joe getting a push again is one I have a lot more interest in personally. Especially since I made mention in the LD this past week about how I'm really hoping for them to kinda re-work his character a little bit and give it a little life.

Thoughts?

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

I'd love to see the return of the kickass, doesn't give a toss Joe. The one that'll kick your teeth down your throat as soon as he'd look at you - irrespective of whether you were a 'good' or a 'bad' guy.

Start him back in the X-Division; give him back the towel with his victim's blood stains and (as the old theme for WWeCW stated) let the bodies hit the floor!

 

[Lowdown]

I'm all for Joe getting a push. He's had an ok feud with Magnus in the past, but bringing back the Joe that would go through anyone to get the belt could be money. The whole anti-authority shtick has been done to death. Yet somehow given the history between Joe and Magnus, a revival with the belt in the mix sounds compelling.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I'd love to see the return of the kickass, doesn't give a toss Joe. The one that'll kick your teeth down your throat as soon as he'd look at you - irrespective of whether you were a 'good' or a 'bad' guy.

Start him back in the X-Division; give him back the towel with his victim's blood stains and (as the old theme for WWeCW stated) let the bodies hit the floor!

Honestly, I want a fusion of "Gonna Kill You" Joe and "Nation of Violence" Joe. Let him touch a bit on his Samoan roots, as he did mention something about traditional Samoan dancing in the interview (though I'm not sure, exactly, what that's about), and I'd even bring back the face paint as well.

I think it's all you really need to just give the character a bit of a facelift enough to re-sell him as "new", so the fans can buy right back into him.

Booking wise, I'd probably do just what you mentioned as well. Get him back into the X Division, and give him the ultimate goal of going after the XDC as a means of acting on Option C. Story writes itself.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Honestly, I want a fusion of "Gonna Kill You" Joe and "Nation of Violence" Joe. Let him touch a bit on his Samoan roots, as he did mention something about traditional Samoan dancing in the interview (though I'm not sure, exactly, what that's about), and I'd even bring back the face paint as well.

It's a traditional Polynesian war dance called a 'Haka' most often seen in rugby union build ups these days - Joe's used it a couple times in TNA and the Uso's use it on occasion in the WWe.

[YOUTUBE]idCAtVDRuLw[/YOUTUBE]​

I think it's all you really need to just give the character a bit of a facelift enough to re-sell him as "new", so the fans can buy right back into him.

Booking wise, I'd probably do just what you mentioned as well. Get him back into the X Division, and give him the ultimate goal of going after the XDC as a means of acting on Option C. Story writes itself.

As long as they don't give him that stupid machete again, I'll be happy to see the ruthless Joe back. The Haka could actually work to his favor if he did it right in his opponents face rather than on the ramp as it is meant to be pure intimidation.

[YOUTUBE]-fg4FyhZ-Kg[/YOUTUBE]​

 

[It's Damn Real!]

It's a traditional Polynesian war dance called a 'Haka' most often seen in rugby union build ups these days - Joe's used it a couple times in TNA and the Uso's use it on occasion in the WWe.

[YOUTUBE]idCAtVDRuLw[/YOUTUBE]​

Gotcha. Haven't seen the latter, but I just did a little Google search, and yeah, that's basically what I think you can tap into.

As long as they don't give him that stupid machete again, I'll be happy to see the ruthless Joe back. The Haka could actually work to his favor if he did it right in his opponents face rather than on the ramp as it is meant to be pure intimidation.

[YOUTUBE]-fg4FyhZ-Kg[/YOUTUBE]​

I was one of the only ones who liked the machete, apparently, but the knife can stay home. It's not needed unless he's going psychopathic heel. I think the middle ground is easy. Old school, gonna kill you Joe + small face lift upgrade on Samoan visuals.

 

[TNA cross the line]

I'm more of a lurker than a poster on here but I felt I had to respond on this one and reading Joe's comments gave me a bit of a revelation. I was rather disappointed when AJ and TNA could not come to an agreement and parted ways and I was in complete denial making myself believe it was a work, I was really looking forward to see how the story would play out had AJ signed on but it seems like the ship has sailed on that note. After reading Joe's interview I started thinking about the time period when I started watching TNA on a weekly basis and enjoying it thoroughly more than WWE back in the spring of 2006. There were 3 stars that pulled me into the product at the time they were Christian Cage, Sting, and Samoa Joe. Iv always been a big fan of Joe but the way he was booked during the Hogan-Bischoff era was really bad and it kinda soured me on him a bit but it was nothing to do with Joe it was just the shitty booking. My favorite year watching TNA was 2008 for obvious reasons but I thought Joe's title run that year was one of if not the most entertaining times in TNA history. If Samoa Joe is put in the main event to take the place left empty by AJ Styles then I say by all mean let Magnus vs Samoa Joe for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship happen at Lockdown and AJ can go have fun in the minor leagues of ROH.

 

[Slash-LN]

Joe of few words just smashing through people is okay with me.
It's an instance where I wouldn't care if he was booked as a tweener.
Let him go out and put on good matches. That's what he's good for.

If they want to keep him face they can still keep him fairly quiet but also let it be known he's a man of the people. He doesn't have to be cheesy about it and talk about it every week.

Even the idea of him going to the X division and working his way back to the top that FitFinlay4Life mentioned would be okay with me.

Make him a fixture again.

 

[mooseman]

Let Tazz have a stable. Let him go on a tirade about the bull **** in the industry and he wants to bring wrestling back to badasses and wrestling. Bring Joe out and use this to introduce Richards and Edwards

 

[lil steroid meat]

Get him a manager who can talk.

I personally reccomend Brian Jossie/Formerly Abraham Washington from WWE. Or MVP (he's kind of old now so IDK if he can still wrestle, but he definitely would be money in a sports agent type manager gimmick).

Turn him into an unbeatable beast with a manager. Don't make it too Brock-like though. The manager should be more cocky, flashy sports agent-esque than Heyman-esque.

 

[Dirk]

Come on, Joe, you have to understand that being chubby is not a guaranteed asset in the wrestling business. One's physique isn't make-or-break, but be reasonable. If that alone can get Dave Batista a serious push in the biggest wrestling business, it's not that hard to comprehend your bookers' viewpoint?

If Joe gets a push, more power to him. He has a lot of history with Magnus and a feud between them will produce interesting matches.

Let Tazz have a stable. Let him go on a tirade about the bull **** in the industry and he wants to bring wrestling back to badasses and wrestling. Bring Joe out and use this to introduce Richards and Edwards

If there's another takeover stable in the next three months (especially after A&8's), I'm never ever watching TNA again.

It's a traditional Polynesian war dance called a 'Haka' most often seen in rugby union build ups these days - Joe's used it a couple times in TNA and the Uso's use it on occasion in the WWe.

"Haka" is not all-embracing term for Polynesian war dances, it's only a "Haka" if New Zealanders (or more specifically, the Maori) do it. Samoa's war dance is called a "Siva Tau", which is where the Uso's dance is derived from.

 

[akathelaw]

Joe sounds happy about how his career has turned out despite what naysayers thought of him, and that's pretty cool. When you think back to Joe's infamous TNA shoot promo from 2007, it seemed like he was potentially going to become a huge star in wrestling. He got to TNA's main event but it didn't do a damn thing for him, there are WWE midcarders who are held in higher regard than Joe is thanks to unfocused booking.

Samoa Joe's probably never going to go to WWE, so TNA is going to have to be where he makes his mark. If I were in charge, Samoa Joe would be a main event challenger or midcard mainstay, but he wouldn't be ignored like he has been.

 

[Slash-LN]

Let Tazz have a stable. Let him go on a tirade about the bull **** in the industry and he wants to bring wrestling back to badasses and wrestling. Bring Joe out and use this to introduce Richards and Edwards

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Taz play the role of mentor for Joe at one point?

I wasn't watching TNA too much at the time but if I remember right Joe wore the towel and everything right?

How did people like that? Did it work?

 

[Zeven_Zion]

On working with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff:
Um i think Bischoff is still around, I think its just a production capacity. I think with Hogan, some people think he had more clout than he did. I think they really wanted him to do a bit more but I think he just didn't want to really do more at this time. As far as Hogan as a person, Cool cat.

Just put that in, Hogan was always great with the wrestlers and not involved as Bischoff&Pritchard&Russo.

You know this ... how? Fuck dude, you sound like you were there when it all happened. Hey, what does Christie Hemme smell like? I bet strawberries. I bet.

Anyway, Joe has come a long way since the days of causing backstage heat and storming off and being a little bitch. He's loyal, at least.

I just wish he'd slim down just a bit or get to the shape he used to be in like 2005-ish. If he can that is, maybe he just aged a little. AJ's not as ripped as he used to be either.

Anyway, it's been a LONG time since Joe's been anything dominant so I wouldn't mind seeing it. And, on top of all, with AJ gone isn't Joe the next best thing? I mean when you think of TNA darlings you think people like AJ and Joe followed by Roode, Storm and Daniels. All have had pushes ... except Joe.

Time's now TNA. You need to soften the blow. Until AJ comes back ...

 

[New Hot Fed]

In my opinion they missed the boat with Joe and the TV title and i'm serious. For the three weeks he had the strap, it was like the old Joe again. Cause with the tv title, the concept is that you have to defend it every week and if you beat challengers every week, it makes you look pretty good. They sort of did that with Devon at first but the guy is boring as Hell, contrary to Joe who is great in the ring so you would get solid matchs every week so the idea worked like a million bucks. (but because they had to serve the shitty Aces & 8s storyline, they had him drop it to Devon)

Furthermore, Joe's best character is the one he had when he came in in TNA as a silent type that just comes in, kicks ass and leave so having a run with the TV title concept, he's pretty much perfect for it? So in my opinion, while my first choice would be for him to be the first challenger for Magnus(after Gunner/Storm), my second choice would be to bring back the the TV belt and he give it to Joe and let him run with it for months. Maybe have Abyss finally return and the TV belt(I like continuity), Joe challenges him for it and win it. I could see it happen at Lockdown.

 

[TooDarkMark]

I have always loved Samoa Joe, but unfortunately alot of people have found him too fat too get a push.

I personally mark out when he hits the ring and no matter how poorly he's been booked since 2007, he still gets over whenever he comes out. He could easily be a top 3, 4 face in the company and should be involved in their "new" era.

With the Wolves coming in, and possibly other "worker" types, maybe they need to do what ROH was doing in 05, 06 and be the high end of the indies, rather than a low end WWE.

 

[russoswornouteraser]

When Joe had sensible serious booking behind him, like in the run up to his title bout with Kurt Angle at Lockdown 2008, he was profitable from a company standpoint. Look at the history books LD 2008 almost double all other events bracketing it for a year.

It's a no brainer that of the company makes him the focus again and dosnt lose focus on bigger wwe rejects (a la Booker T circa 2008), then he might actually be TNA's saviour.

However...If ifs and ands were pots and pans...

 

[Metal Head Mike]

I'd like to see Joe return to form. Really was and am still a huge fan. Just needs the proper push to get him back at the top. Maybe a loner role would suit him better to elevate his push