Challenges Faced by Samoa Joe: Obstacles and Turning Points

Life is full of challenges, and Samoa Joe faced many. Discover key struggles and how they were overcome.

Nuufolau Joel Seanoa, famously known as Samoa Joe, is a prominent American professional wrestler currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). As the leader of the Opps, he's a two-time AEW World Champion and one-time AEW World Trios Champion. His wrestling career is marked by successful stints in various promotions, including Ring of Honor (ROH), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), and WWE, solidifying his reputation as a respected and accomplished figure in professional wrestling.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

March 2006: Lost the title to Daniels in an Ultimate X match

In March 2006, at Destination X, Samoa Joe lost the X Division Championship to Christopher Daniels in an Ultimate X match.

May 2006: Absent due to injury rehabilitation

In late May 2006, Samoa Joe was absent for two weeks to rehabilitate a major tear to his posterior cruciate ligament.

June 2006: X Division Championship reign ended

In June 2006, Samoa Joe defeated Scott Steiner at Slammiversary. On June 19, Joe lost the X Division Championship in a triple threat match against Senshi and Sonjay Dutt after Steiner's interference, ending his second reign.

November 2006: Lost to Kurt Angle, ending undefeated streak

In November 2006, at Genesis, Samoa Joe lost to Kurt Angle after submitting to Angle's ankle lock, ending his 18-month undefeated streak.

January 2007: Lost to Angle in an Iron Man match

In January 2007, at Final Resolution, Samoa Joe lost to Kurt Angle in a 30-minute Iron Man match.

August 2007: Lost titles to Kurt Angle

In August 2007, at Hard Justice, Samoa Joe lost the X Division Championship and TNA World Tag Team Championship to Kurt Angle due to interference by Karen Angle.

September 2007: Lost to Christian Cage

In September 2007, at No Surrender, Samoa Joe lost to Christian Cage.

January 2008: Teamed with Nash against Styles and Tomko

In January 2008, after complaining about not having a match at Final Resolution, Samoa Joe teamed with Kevin Nash against TNA World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Tomko, losing after Nash refused to tag in.

October 2008: Lost to Sting and TNA World Heavyweight Champion

In October 2008, at Bound for Glory IV, Samoa Joe lost to Sting, ending his reign as TNA World Heavyweight Champion at 182 days. He also suffered an injury during the match.

November 2008: Lost to Nash

In November 2008, at Turning Point, Samoa Joe lost to Kevin Nash by cheating.

December 2008: Lost eight man tag team match and defeated Sting and Nash

In December 2008, at Final Resolution, the Front Line lost to the Main Event Mafia in an eight man tag team match. On December 18 on Impact, Joe and Styles defeated Sting and Nash, but Joe was subsequently attacked and sidelined.

March 2009: Lost to Steiner by disqualification

In March 2009, at Destination X, Samoa Joe lost to Scott Steiner by disqualification after throwing the referee out of the ring.

November 2009: Unsuccessfully challenged for TNA World Heavyweight Champion

In November 2009 at Turning Point, Samoa Joe unsuccessfully challenged TNA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles in a three-way match that also involved Christopher Daniels.

2009: Standing as a Main Event Star in the Company Entered a Downward Spiral

Starting in 2009, Kyle Johnson writing for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that Samoa Joe's standing as a main event star in TNA declined significantly, never recovering from an injury sustained at Bound for Glory in October 2008.

October 2010: Handicap Match Loss at Bound for Glory

In October 2010 at Bound for Glory, Samoa Joe and Jeff Jarrett faced Kevin Nash, Sting, and D'Angelo Dinero in a handicap match. Hogan, originally slated to team with Joe and Jarrett, withdrew due to a ruse injury, leading to Joe's loss after being abandoned by Jarrett and the formation of the Immortal stable.

November 2010: Loss to Jarrett at Turning Point

In November 2010, at Turning Point, Jeff Jarrett defeated Samoa Joe by choking him out with a baton after interference from Immortal.

June 2011: Loss to Crimson at Slammiversary IX

In June 2011, at Slammiversary IX, Samoa Joe lost to Crimson, after which he shook Crimson's hand.

September 2011: Loss to Matt Morgan at No Surrender

In September 2011, Samoa Joe lost to Matt Morgan at No Surrender, following his attempts to disrupt the Bound for Glory Series and interference from Morgan.

January 2012: Unsuccessful Tag Team Championship Challenge at Genesis

In January 2012, at Genesis, Samoa Joe and Magnus unsuccessfully challenged Crimson and Matt Morgan for the TNA World Tag Team Championship.

May 2012: Loss of TNA World Tag Team Championship

In May 2012, Samoa Joe and Magnus lost the TNA World Tag Team Championship to Christopher Daniels and Kazarian at Sacrifice.

September 2012: Bound for Glory Series Elimination

In September 2012, Samoa Joe was eliminated from the 2012 Bound for Glory Series after losing to Jeff Hardy at No Surrender.

December 6, 2012: Loss of TNA Television Championship

On December 6, 2012, Samoa Joe lost the TNA Television Championship to Devon on Impact Wrestling after DOC of Aces & Eights hit him with a ball-peen hammer.

January 2013: Singles Match Loss at Genesis

In January 2013, at Genesis, Samoa Joe lost to Aces & Eights member Mr. Anderson in a singles match following interference from Mike Knox.

November 2013: Tournament Entry and Elimination

In November 2013, Samoa Joe entered a tournament for the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship, but was eliminated by Magnus in a falls count anywhere match at Turning Point.

December 2013: TNA World Heavyweight Championship Challenge at #OldSchool

Recorded in December 2013, and aired in February 2014, Samoa Joe unsuccessfully challenged Magnus for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at One Night Only:#OldSchool, following interference from Ethan Carter III.

March 2014: Cage Match Challenge

In March 2014, Samoa Joe unsuccessfully challenged Magnus in a cage match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Lockdown, following interference from Abyss.

January 31, 2015: Final Match for TNA

On January 31, 2015, Samoa Joe wrestled his final match for TNA, losing to Austin Aries in Wembley Arena, London, England.

February 2015: Departure from TNA

In February 2015, Samoa Joe announced his departure from TNA, ending his nearly decade-long run with the company, due to his perception that TNA management did not care about the X Division title change after Low Ki's injury.

March 2015: Broadcast of Samoa Joe's Final Match in TNA

In March 2015, Samoa Joe's final match in TNA, a loss to Austin Aries, finally aired on television due to a broadcast delay.

December 2015: Challenges Finn Balor for the NXT Championship

In December 2015 at NXT TakeOver: London, Samoa Joe unsuccessfully challenged Finn Bálor for the NXT Championship.

December 3, 2016: Loses NXT Championship to Nakamura

On December 3, 2016, in Osaka, Japan, Samoa Joe lost the NXT Championship back to Shinsuke Nakamura, ending his second reign at 14 days.

January 2018: Suffers foot injury

In January 2018, Samoa Joe suffered a tear to the plantar fascia in his right foot during a match with Titus O'Neil.

May 2018: Loses to Roman Reigns at Backlash

In May 2018, Samoa Joe lost to Roman Reigns at Backlash.

August 2018: Unsuccessfully challenges AJ Styles for WWE Championship

In August 2018, Samoa Joe unsuccessfully challenged WWE Champion AJ Styles at SummerSlam.

September 2018: Unsuccessfully challenges AJ Styles for WWE Championship at Hell in a Cell

In September 2018, Samoa Joe unsuccessfully challenged WWE Champion AJ Styles at Hell in a Cell.

October 2018: Unsuccessfully challenges AJ Styles for WWE Championship at Super Show-Down

In October 2018, Samoa Joe unsuccessfully challenged WWE Champion AJ Styles a third time at Super Show-Down.

November 2018: Unsuccessfully challenges AJ Styles for WWE Championship at Crown Jewel and competes at Survivor Series

In November 2018, Samoa Joe unsuccessfully challenged WWE Champion AJ Styles a fourth time at Crown Jewel. At Survivor Series later that month, Joe teamed with Jeff Hardy, The Miz, Rey Mysterio, and Shane McMahon as "Team SmackDown" in a loss to Bobby Lashley, Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, and Finn Bálor as "Team Raw".

February 2019: Unsuccessfully Challenges for WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber

In February 2019, Samoa Joe unsuccessfully challenged Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber match that also included AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Kofi Kingston, and Randy Orton.

July 2019: Unsuccessfully challenges for WWE Championship

In July 2019, Samoa Joe attacked WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, leading to a title match at Extreme Rules that was won by Kingston. He also unsuccessfully challenged Kingston for the title at Smackville in a triple threat match.

September 2019: King of the Ring Tournament

In September 2019, Samoa Joe competed in the 2019 King of the Ring tournament, reaching the semi-finals and then becoming inactive due to a broken thumb.

December 23, 2019: Attacked by Authors of Pain

On December 23, 2019, on the episode of Raw, Samoa Joe was attacked by the Authors of Pain.

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2019: Begins Working as Color Commentator

In 2019, Samoa Joe began working as a color commentator for WWE due to accumulated injuries.

September 12, 2021: Relinquishes NXT Championship

On September 12, 2021, Samoa Joe relinquished the NXT Championship before making any title defenses, citing a combination of testing positive for COVID-19 and WWE chairman Vince McMahon wanting to change the overall creative direction of NXT.

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