Samoa Joe, the Total Nonstop Action (TNA) ‘Submission Machine’ and the latest innovator of violence in professional wrestling. He has held several titles including the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, the X-Division Championship on multiple occasions, both TNA Tag Team Championships (simultaneously), and the Ring Of Honor (ROH) World Champion for a record setting twenty-one months.
Real Name : Nuufolau Joel Seanoa
Alias(es) : Samoa Joe, King Joe, & Seanoa
Date Of Birth : March 17, 1979 Height : 6’2 Weight : Approx. 290lbs
Pro Debut : September 1999
Wrestling Organization : Total Nonstop Action (TNA)
Trainer(s) : Cincinatti Red, John Delayo, William Regal, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, & Johnny Hemp
Finisher(s) : Coquina Clutch, The Muscle Buster, Island Driver, & CSS Enzuigiri
Early Pro Wrestling Background
Samoa Joe began his pro wrestling career in 1999, as the first graduate of the UIWA West Coast Dojo. He began competing professionally only three months later. By late-2000 he competed in Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW) with John Cena and tagged with Mike Knox. Soon he gained the UPW Heavyweight Championship and remained the longest reigning champion in UPW history. In June of 2001, he began a Japanese tour working for the Zero1 promotion overseas. While in Japan, Samoa Joe trained extensively in submission wrestling styles and captured the first NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championships with partner, Keiji Sakoda. In 2002, he made his debut in the Ring Of Honor (ROH) pay-per-view promotion, “Glory By Honor”, and was quickly booked full-time due to his overwhelming popularity and mixed-martial arts style. He quickly made his way through the roster and by mid-2003, he became the ROH World Champion for a record setting twenty-one months.
Samoa Joe vs CM Punk
After a five star feud with CM Punk and eventually losing the ROH World title to Austin Aries on December 26th, 2004, Joe became ROH’s fifth “Pure Champion” by defeating Jay Lethal at “Manhattan Mayhem” on May 7th, 2005. He held this prestigious title for three months before losing it to Nigel McGuiness on August 27, 2004 during the Dragon Gate Invasion”.
Total Nonstop Action (TNA) & Ring Of Honor (ROH)
June 14th, 2005, Joe signed an official contract to appear with the Total Nonstop Action (TNA) wrestling promotion. Five days later he defeated Sonjay Dutt debuting at Slammiversary and was dubbed “The Samoan Submission Machine”. Starting from July 22nd through August 10th of 2005, he began an undefeated streak by defeating Sonjay Dutt, Alex Shelley, and AJ Styles to compete for the X-Division Championship at Sacrifice. Due to Christopher Daniels interference in the previous match favoring Joe, TNA management saw fit to make the match a three way and include Styles.
While Styles pinned Daniels for the win, Joe retained his undefeated streak in the company. In October of 2005, Joe was honored by Japanese Heavyweight Kenta Kobashi who made one trip to the United States to compete in two special Ring Of Honor competitions. He was chosen for both matches, the first of which was a phenomenal singles match of attack and counter unlike any other in his career and the second was no less exciting; featuring him and Kento in a tag team environment.
X-Division Champion
2006 was a very busy year for Samoa Joe’s wrestling career. By now he was working full time for two wrestling promotions and dominating both. In TNA he competed at Genesis, teaming with Christopher Daniels, Alex Shelley, and Rodrick Strong against Sonjay Dutt, Matt Benley, Austin Aries, and Chris Sabin in an eight man elimination tournament. Both he and Daniels survived the match, but Samoa Joe turned on Daniels and beat him within an inch of his life. After delivering two stunning Muscle Busters to Daniels (one head first on a steel chair), AJ Styles entered the ring, saving Daniels and accusing Joe of violating an unwritten code of respect in the X-Division. At Turning Point, Styles lost the X-Division Championship to Samoa Joe starting a three-way feud between Joe, Daniels, and Styles that grew increasingly intense. It all, finally, culminated at Unbreakable. Joe lost the X-Division title to Daniels in an Ultimate-X match, however, he kept his undefeated streak (via pinfall or submission) in tact since he was not pinned.
Samoa Joe vs Christopher Daniels vs AJ Styles - Ultimate-X
On April 13th, 2006, Samoa Joe regained the X-Division Championship, defeating Daniels with an Island Driver from the top turnbuckle. He continued his domination in the TNA arena defeating Sabu at Lockdown, Jeff Jarrett and Scott Steiner with partner Sting at Sacrifice, and at Slammiversary, he defeated Steiner (once again) in a singles match. It was not until the beginning of June that Joe lost the X-Division title. In a match that was contested under Triple Threat rules, Joe was laid out by Steiner with a steel chair. On July 16th, at Victory Road, Samoa Joe faced Steiner, Sting, and Christian Cage in a four-way dance for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Since he was unsuccessful in obtaining the title at Victory Road, Joe beat Jeff Jarrett at No Surrender and “took” to title.
Around this time, Joe was also working for the Ring Of Honor as a full-time wrestler. He appeared in key cross-promotional events such as ‘Death Before Dishonor 4′ and a few NOAH cross promotions that wound up getting him a win over Takeshi Morishima. He, also, pursued the ROH World Championship belt competing in several matches with Bryan Danielson, but always come up short.
Samoa Joe vs Kurt Angle
It wasn’t until October 12th that Joe lost possession of the NWA title as Kurt Angle hit the ring and during the brawl that ensued, Jarrett snuck in and stole back the strap. Samoa Joe remained dominant until November 19th, 2006, at Genesis, when his eighteen month undefeated streak came to a halt. Kurt Angle handed him his first official loss causing him to tap out to an ankle lock. This infuriated Joe and he became obsessed with beating Kurt Angle. The rivalry that existed between Joe and Angle went beyond any feud he had previously been in.
Samoa Joe vs Kurt Angle II
For the next three months, the both Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle gave wrestling fans some of the best matches ever televised and pay-per-view main events. Giving their all at Genesis and Turning Point in two of the most grueling and gritty wrestling matches, these performers set new standards at Final Resolution in a 30 minute Iron Man match. The struggle, the pain, and the defeat Joe felt that night was shared by every one of his fans as Angle tapped out as the time limit expired, leaving Joe, once again, frustrated and angry. So he turned his attentions elsewhere, winning the right to challenge Christian Cage for his NWA World Heavyweight Title by winning a Gauntlet match. At Destination-X, Cage defeated Joe by countering the Coquina Clutch into a pinning combination. At King Of The Mountain, Joe was upset by Angle again as he hung the belt winning the match. On July 12th, 2007, prior to the Match of Champions at Victory Road, Samoa Joe regained the X-Division belt beating both Chris Sabin and Jay Lethal. At Victory Road, he and Kurt Angle were paired to face Team 3D for the TNA Tag Team Championship titles. That night, Joe pinned Bubba-Ray Dudley to win the straps and confiscated both belts. Refusing to work with Angle, Joe put his X-Division and both Tag Team belts against Kurt’s TNA World Heavyweight Title and his newly won IWGP World Title. The event? Hard Justice 2007. Joe wound up losing everything he’d worked so hard for due to interference from Angle’s wife, Karen.
In October of 2oo7, Samoa Joe found himself extremely busy. Not only did he end Christian Cage’s twenty-three month undefeated streak (via pinfall or submission) at Bound For Glory, he also debuted for NOAH wrestling tag teaming with Yoshihiro Takayama to take on Takeshi Morishima and Mitsuharu Misawa. Two days later, Samoa Joe and Misawa gave an exceptional performance while competing for the GHC title.
Upon his return to the United States, Samoa Joe was scheduled to team with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to take on the newly formed Angle Alliance. When the Turning Point pay-per-view arrived, however, Scott Hall was no where to be found and Joe was fit to be tied. Prior to announcing Hall’s replacement (Eric Young) for the match, he went on a five minute tirade that ended as he looked directly at TNA ringside management saying “Are you mad? Go ahead, fire me! I don’t care!”.
Samoa Joe on a tirade at Turning Point
Sometimes wrestling gets a little too real and this was one of those times. Joe, Young, and Nash went on to win the match, but Joe had crossed an invisible line and Kevin Nash was not above revenge. The following week, Joe and Nash were scheduled to appear in tag team action together only to have Nash walk out on him in the middle of the match leaving Joe to be pummeled in to ring.