Will Samoa Joe appear at WWE Royal Rumble on January 29? (Flickr Commons)
Could Samoa Joe make his main roster debut at Royal Rumble tonight?
The NXT superstar, whose real name is Nuufolau Joel Seanoa, is among the most popular WWE wrestlers who has not yet appeared as part of the main roster. He is a two-time NXT champion, having held the title until last month, when he was defeated by Shinsuke Nakamura.
Joe is 37 years old; he is 6’2″ and weighs 282 pounds. He has been married since 2007 to Jessica Seanoa.
For WWE viewers who aren’t as familiar with the NXT brand, here’s what you need to know Samoa Joe ahead of his possible main roster debut.
1. He Started With Ultimate Pro Wrestling in 2000
Samoa Joe started his wrestling career in 2002. (WWE.com)
Samoa Joe made his in-ring debut just three months after he started training; he was signed with Ultimate Pro Wrestling, a developmental company for WWE, in 2000.
He immediately began to feud with John Cena, who had started at Ultimate Pro Wrestling around the same time. Both of them at some point held the UPW Heavyweight Championship, but Samoa Joe was the one to become the longest reigning UPW Heavyweight Championship ever.
After a year wrestling in the United States, Joe made his way to Japan and perform with Pro Wrestling Zero-One for one year. In 2002, Joe came back to the United States and signed with Ring of Honor. In 2003, he captured the ROH World Championship and maintained it for almost two full years. One of his most critically acclaimed matches during this time was against CM Punk, with another popular match being against Kenta Kobashi.
Joe remained with Ring of Honor until 2007; his final match took place in March 2007, though he made a one-time return in 2008.
2. He Spent a Decade With Total Nonstop Action
Samoa Joe is also known for his time with Total Nonstop Action. He signed with the company in June 2005, making his debut at Slammiversary. Later that year, he defeated AJ Styles to win the Super X Cup at TNA Sacrifice 2005.
Joe continued to feud with Styles and later defeated him again at Turning Point to become the X Division Champion, which he held onto until June. Joe also had an 18-month winning streak, which finally ended when he was defeated by Kurt Angle.
In April 2008, Joe defeated Kurt Angle to win the TNA World Championship for the first time. He held onto the title for 182 days before losing it to Sting. In 2009, Joe turned heel when he attacked AJ Styles and helped Kurt Angle, his longtime rival, win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. He then joined the group The Main Event Mafia after having previously opposed them. Joe later turned face when he feuded with AJ Styles, who was a heel.
In the end, Joe held the TNA World Tag Team Championship twice, the TNA X Division Championship five times, and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship once. He left the company in early 2015.
3. He is a Two-Time NXT Champion
Three months after leaving Total Nonstop Action, Samoa Joe made his debut on NXT, interfering in a fight between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. His first official match came a month later, and it was against Scott Dawson.
After feuding with Finn Balor for several months, Samo Joe defeated Balor in April 2016 to win the NXT Championship for the first time. His title reign lasted 121 days, and he was defeated by Shinsuke Nakamura at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II.
Three months later, Joe faced Nakamura in a rematch and won the title back. This second title reign only lasted two weeks, though, and Nakamura defeated him in December. Nakamura is the current NXT champion.
4. His Parents Own a Polynesian Dance Troupe
Samoa Joe is of Polynesian decent. (WWE.com)
As you can gleam from his name, Samoa Joe is of Polynesian decent. He has seven siblings, and his parents own and operate the largest Polynesian dance troop in the United States.
In fact, Joe revealed in a 2005 interview that he performed in the dance troupe himself starting from when he was five years old.
“I danced, played drums, sang….toured the world with my family three times – China, Japan, Europe, across the US, everywhere,” he said.
He went on to joke that he and his siblings were “the staff for our parents”
5. His Father Got Him Into Wrestling
As a kid, Samoa Joe says, it was really his father who was the huge wrestling fan in the house.
He explained in 2005 that “I enjoyed it, but my dad was a big fan.” He went on to say that his father would take him to go see wrestling shows when he was a kid, mostly WWF shows since they were located on the west coast.
Joe also added that he was more into wrestling from Japan because “with my judo background I was really entertained by it. I enjoyed the shoot-style of wrestling from Japan. Guys like Takada really influenced me…I did watch the Starrcades and WrestleManias, but to me the stuff from Japan really clicked with me based on my background. I was doing judo, takedowns, throws, etc and here was the same style being used in wrestling matches.”