Former WWE NXT Champion Samoa Joe had to relinquish his Championship last weekend due to injury. The former ROH and TNA star stated on Twitter that he has not been cleared to compete and had to relinquish the belt.
Tomasso Ciampa would go on to win the belt at the reboot episode of NXT 2.0, however, the actual implications of Joe having to relinquish are far more interesting.
According to a new report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Samoa Joe was actually brought into the NXT brand with a bigger focus on a backstage role rather than being a performer on-screen.
Although the former United States Champion will be wrestling sporadically, at this point he apparently going to be focusing more backstage and ‘talent scouting’ for the company. It is not confirmed at this point when Joe will be returning to the ring for the company.
Update on Samoa Joe and his WWE status
Here is the current card for WWE Extreme Rules 2021; which takes place on Sunday, September 26th, from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio:
- SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Becky Lynch (c) vs Bianca Belair
- United States Championship Match: Damian Priest (c) vs Sheamus
- RAW Women’s Championship Match: Charlotte Flair (c) vs Alexa Bliss
- WWE Universal Championship Match: Roman Reigns (c) w/Paul Heyman vs Finn Balor
Extreme Rules 2021 will be available on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network internationally. Peacock is available from $4.99 per month, and WWE Network is £9.99 in all other regions, dependent on the type of currency.
