Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa ( March 17 , 1979 ) is a Samoan American professional wrestler , better known by his ring name Samoa Joe , who is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) performing on the Raw brand and is a former two - time NXT champion . He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) . Before debuting in TNA in June 2005 , Seanoa competed in ROH , where he held the ROH World Championship for a record 21 months . Upon joining TNA , Seanoa embarked upon an 18 - month - long undefeated streak , in which he never lost a match by pinfall or submission . That streak came to an end at the Genesis event in 2006 , when he tapped out to Kurt Angle ' s ankle lock submission hold . Throughout his career , Seanoa has won numerous championships , including a dozen between ROH , TNA , and Japan . He has held the ROH World Championship and the ROH Pure Championship once each , the TNA World Heavyweight Championship once , five X Division Championships , two TNA World Tag Team Championship s , one TNA Television Championship , and in the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah he ' s a former GHC Tag Team Champion with fellow TNA wrestler Magnus . He has also won the 2005 Super X Cup Tournament , the 2008 King of the Mountain match ( the only one to retain the world championship in the match ) , the TNA Triple Crown , and the TNA Grand Slam . Early life . Seanoa ' s family founded a Polynesian dance troupe in the United States called Tiare Productions . Seanoa made his on stage debut at the 1984 Summer Olympics opening at the age of five . He became a California State Junior Judo Champion and was an all league football player while attending Ocean View High School . Before becoming a wrestler , Seanoa worked as a mortgage broker . Early career . Samoa Joe was the first graduate of the UIWA West Coast Dojo , training under Cincinnati Red , along with Johnny Hemp and , occasionally , John Delayo . He debuted in December 1999 in a match against " Uncle " Jess Hansen just three months after beginning training . Ultimate Pro Wrestling ( 2000 - 2001 ) . Samoa Joe quickly signed with former World Wrestling Federation developmental affiliate Ultimate Pro Wrestling ( UPW ) , where he feuded with his friend John Cena and made an appearance on WWF Jakked against Essa Rios . He tagged with Mike Knox at UPW Proving Ground on December 12 , 2000 in the Galaxy Theatre of Santa Ana , California and defeated the debuting Al Katrazz with Basil . He eventually captured the UPW Heavyweight Championship . He later became the longest reigning UPW Heavyweight Champion ever . Pro Wrestling ZERO - ONE ( 2001 – 2002 ) . In June 2001 , Samoa Joe made his way to Japan , wrestling for Shinya Hashimoto ' s ZERO ONE promotion , fighting in its Shingeki series of pay - per - views , as well as the annual Burning Heart tournaments . During this time , Samoa Joe also began wrestling for southern California promotion Pro Wrestling Guerrilla , where he had an on - screen rivalry with Super Dragon . In his debut match at the Yokohoma Red Brickhouse , Samoa Joe teamed with Yoshihiro Takayama to take on the team of Mitsuharu Misawa and Takeshi Morishima . Samoa Joe captured the win for his team after pinning Misawa with an Island Driver , one of his finishing maneuvers . Two days later , on October 27 , Samoa Joe again faced Misawa , this time for the GHC title in a one - on - one match at the Budokan Hall . Both competitors had exchanged and overcame their respective signature moves throughout the match but it was Misawa who won the pinfall after striking the back of Joe ' s head with his elbow thus marking his sixth successful title defense . Samoa Joe continued to work for the promotion throughout 2002 , participating in a number of their biggest shows and tournaments . After forming a team with Keiji Sakoda , they became the first - ever holders of the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship , though their reign is no longer officially recognized by the promotion . He worked as both Samoa Joe and , later , King Joe , but ultimately chose to leave the promotion when he was asked to take on a more gimmicky character . While in Japan , Samoa Joe trained extensively in Japan at the Fujiwara Gumi , under the guidance of submission wrestling master Yoshiaki Fujiwara . Ring of Honor ( 2002 – 2007 ) . Back in the United States , Samoa Joe joined the ranks of the East Coast - based Ring of Honor promotion in 2002 . He made his debut at " Glory by Honor " as Christopher Daniels ' " hired assassin " , brought in to take out Daniels ' chief enemy , Low Ki . Originally booked for just the one match against Low Ki ( due to the cost of flying him from California to Pennsylvania , which ROH had to pay ) , Samoa Joe impressed fans with his extremely stiff and hard - hitting style that resembled an mixed martial arts fighter more than a wrestler , which led to ROH booking him full - time . Samoa Joe quickly rose through the ranks and became ROH Champion , defeating Xavier for the belt in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania on March 22 , 2003 , which soon became the ROH World Championship on May 17 , 2003 after defeating The Zebra Kid at " Frontiers of Honor " in London , England . He held that title for twenty one months before losing it to Austin Aries at " Final Battle 2004 " on December 26 , 2004 . With his ROH title reign , Samoa Joe also established himself as the face of the company and a perennial main - eventer in North America . He elevated the title from a mid - card attraction , secondary to established independent stars like Low Ki , Daniels , and A . J . Styles , to the ultimate prize in Ring of Honor . During this time , he had a trilogy of title defenses against CM Punk ( the second match earning a 5 star rating from Dave Meltzer ' s Wrestling Observer Newsletter , the first American match in seven years to do so ) . Soon after losing the ROH World Championship to Austin Aries , Samoa Joe became the promotion ' s fifth Pure Champion , defeating his on - screen protégé Jay Lethal for the belt on May 7 , 2005 at " Manhattan Mayhem " in New York City . He held the title for over three months before losing it to Nigel McGuiness on August 27 at " Dragon Gate Invasion " . In October 2005 , when Japanese heavyweight superstar Kenta Kobashi made a " once - in - a - lifetime " trip to the United States , he was signed to two Ring of Honor shows . ROH officials selected Samoa Joe , ROH ' s top wrestler , to face him in a singles match on the first night and a tag match on the second . The first show was in New York City at the New Yorker Hotel . Joe proved to be a formidable opponent for Kobashi , and , after a back and forth match , which Dave Meltzer again gave " Five Stars " and the scripted match went on to win the Wrestling Observer Newsletter award for " Match of the Year " . In 2006 , Samoa Joe was one of the principal wrestlers representing Ring of Honor in their war against rival Philadelphia promotion Combat Zone Wrestling . The war culminated in a five - on - five Cage of Death match at " Death before Dishonor IV " . Samoa Joe helped ROH dominate in the match , until , after picking up CZW wrestler Chris Hero for one of his finishers , the Muscle Buster , he was attacked by fellow ROH wrestler Bryan Danielson . Danielson repeatedly hit his injured knee with a steel chair , forcing him to quit the match . Samoa Joe was later replaced in the match by Homicide , who went on to win the match for ROH . Samoa Joe later teamed with Homicide to fight against the Briscoes , and , like Homicide , found himself back in the ROH world title hunt . Samoa Joe , however , came up short against champion Bryan Danielson in several matches , including a match that went to a 60 Minute Draw and the final one being a cage match on December 8 . [ 14 ] At the December 9 show , Samoa Joe called out the Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion , claiming " Ring of Honor is right here ! " This was not his first encounter with NOAH ; at the September 16 , 2006 ROH show , after a speech by wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino , Samoa Joe got into an argument and pull - apart brawl with NOAH star Takeshi Morishima . Subsequently a match was signed for February pitting Samoa Joe against Morishima which Joe won . On January 31 , Samoa Joe announced that he would no longer be a full - time performer in ROH after March 4 . All shows that led up to that date would be billed as the " Samoa Joe Farewell Tour " . On March 4 , he beat long time rival Homicide in his final ROH match with a Muscle Buster from the second rope . On November 22 , 2008 Joe made a one night only return for Rising Above , defeating Tyler Black in a non - pay - per - view main event . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( 2005 - 2015 ) . On June 14 , 2005 , Samoa Joe was announced as having signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . He made his official debut five days later at the Slammiversary pay - per - view , defeating Sonjay Dutt in a match that saw him dubbed " The Samoan Submission Machine " by announcer Mike Tenay . Samoa Joe was a participant in the Christopher Daniels Invitational Super X Cup , defeating Sonjay Dutt and Alex Shelley to advance to the tournament finals at Sacrifice . Samoa Joe won the tournament by defeating A . J . Styles , but only with help from Daniels . As a result of Daniels ' interference , however , TNA Director of Authority Larry Zbyszko made Daniels defend his X Division Championship in a three - way match against both Joe and Styles . This marked Joe ' s first title shot in the company , though Styles was booked to win the match . Joe ' s undefeated streak was still officially intact , as it was Daniels that had been pinned , not Joe . This match is to date the only match in TNA ' s history to receive a rating of five stars from Dave Meltzer . At Genesis on November 13 , he teamed with Daniels , Alex Shelley , and Roderick Strong ( a team that Daniels called " The Ministry " ) against Sonjay Dutt , Chris Sabin , Matt Bentley , and Austin Aries in an eight man elimination match . Following the victory by Daniels and Samoa Joe ( Shelley and Strong were eliminated earlier in the match ) , Samoa Joe viciously attacked Daniels , beating Daniels around the ringside area until he had busted him open . He then threw Daniels into the ring , and delivered a Muscle Buster . Joe then went out to grab a steel chair from ringside and brought it into the ring , after which he gave Daniels a second Muscle Buster , this time onto the chair , supposedly giving Daniels a level - 3 concussion . In response to these actions , Styles called Joe out on an episode of Impact ! , saying his attack of Daniels violated an unwritten code of respect in the X Division . Prior to Turning Point , Samoa Joe attacked Styles , saying he did not respect the X Division code ( a vast departure from his Ring of Honor persona , who is a stalwart defender of their written Code of Honor ) . Samoa Joe defeated Styles at Turning Point and won the X Division Championship . Joe could injure Styles , however , Daniels came out and stopped him . Daniels was later slated to face Samoa Joe at Final Resolution in 2006 for the X Division Championship . During the build - up to the match , Samoa Joe stated that he intended to end Daniels ' career . During the match , Styles came down to the ring to cheer for Daniels . Not long after making Daniels bleed from his head , Samoa Joe stopped going for the pin , instead dropping knee after knee on Daniels ' head . Styles , concerned about Daniels ' health , signaled for the match to be stopped by throwing in the towel , allowing Samoa Joe to retain the X Division title . Joe proceeded to win rematch of the three - way at Unbreakable , thus retaining his title . This three - way feud continued until Destination X , when he lost the title to Daniels in an Ultimate X match , a match in which there is no pinfall or submission , thus keeping his undefeated streak . Samoa Joe was then taken out of the X Division and matched with an initially unannounced opponent . On the March 25 edition of Impact ! , it was announced that he would take on Sabu at Lockdown . Despite that , he still had a scheduled X Division title match , and , on April 13 ' s Impact ! ( TNA ' s Thursday debut ) , Samoa Joe regained the X Division title after delivering an Island Driver from the middle turnbuckle to Christopher Daniels . Samoa Joe then successfully defended his X Division title against Sabu at Lockdown . At Sacrifice , Samoa Joe partnered with Sting in a tag team match against Jeff Jarrett and Scott Steiner . Samoa Joe and Sting were victorious , but after the match , Samoa Joe left the ring and allowed Sting to be attacked . Samoa Joe explained this by stating that he agreed to only watch Sting ' s back " from bell to bell " ( implying that once the second bell rang , his duties were over ) , but still had issues with Steiner . Samoa Joe added Scott Steiner to his undefeated streak , at Slammiversary . During the Impact ! tapings on May 15 , Samoa Joe was injured as he performed a kick , and it was reported that he tore every knee ligament except the anterior cruciate ligament . He suffered a first degree tear to the posterior cruciate ligament and a second degree tear to the medial collateral ligament . Samoa Joe would remain out of action for two weeks . After returning , Samoa Joe lost his X Division Championship in a triple threat match with Sonjay Dutt and Senshi . Senshi pinned Dutt to win the championship after Steiner laid out Samoa Joe with a steel chair . Samoa Joe would have his chance at revenge when he participated in a four - way number one contender match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship along with Sting , Christian Cage , and Scott Steiner at Victory Road on July 16 . Samoa Joe lost this match when Sting pinned Steiner . Samoa Joe beat Jeff Jarrett at No Surrender in a " Fan ' s Revenge Lumberjack match " . After the match , he took Jarrett ' s NWA World Heavyweight Championship with him , telling Jim Cornette that if Jarrett or Sting ( Jarrett ' s scheduled opponent at Bound For Glory ) wanted the belt , they could take it from him . On the October 12 episode , Samoa Joe agreed to return the belt to the Jarrett - Sting winner under one condition — the winner had to agree to give him a title shot . This offer was turned down , and finally Samoa Joe was given the choice of giving back the title or be fired . Kurt Angle made his debut and got into a brawl with Samoa Joe after he again refused to give back the belt , and during the brawl , Jarrett took the belt back . At Bound for Glory on October 22 , Samoa Joe defeated Raven , Brother Runt and Abyss in a Monster ' s Ball match . The match ended when special referee Jake Roberts performed a DDT Raven , allowing Samoa Joe to deliver the Muscle Buster to Raven for the pinfall . Later in the night , Samoa Joe was involved in a pull - apart brawl with Kurt Angle after Jim Cornette announced that he would be fired if he interfered in the main event match that involved Angle as special enforcer . At Genesis , Joe lost to Angle after tapping out to Angle ' s ankle lock . This ended his eighteen month undefeated streak . Throughout the rest of 2006 into 2007 , Samoa Joe continued to feud with Angle picking up a victory by submission in their rematch at Turning Point , before suffering a legitimate knee injury in a tag team match that pitted Rhino and Kurt Angle against Samoa Joe and A . J . Styles . On January 14 , 2007 at Final Resolution , Samoa Joe faced Angle in a thirty minute Iron Man match . With seconds remaining , Samoa Joe had Angle in the ankle lock . Although Angle tapped out , he did so just after time had expired . As a result , Angle won the match three falls to two . On the February 14 edition of Impact ! , Samoa Joe won a gauntlet match to become the number one contender to Christian Cage ' s NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Destination X . Samoa Joe lost to Cage after Cage reversed the Coquina Clutch into a pinning combination and used the ropes for leverage . [ 41 ] On the May 24 edition of Impact ! , Samoa Joe qualified for the King of the Mountain match at Slammiversary by defeating Sting with a Samoan drop after Christopher Daniels hit Sting with a baseball bat ; Samoa Joe lost the King of the Mountain match when Kurt Angle hung the belt . He then qualified to compete in the Match of Champions at Victory Road by defeating Jay Lethal and Chris Sabin for the X Division title on the July 12 episode of Impact ! . At the Match of Champions , Samoa Joe scored the winning pinfall on Brother Ray after Kurt Angle hit the Angle Slam and won the TNA World Tag Team Championships from Team 3D , making him the first wrestler in TNA to hold multiple TNA championships . He later opted to hold both the titles by himself . At Hard Justice , Samoa Joe put up the X Division title and both Tag Team titles against Kurt Angle ' s TNA World title as well as the IWGP World Championship ( Third Belt ) . Samoa Joe , however , lost all his titles thanks to interferences by Karen Angle , enabling Kurt to become the second TNA Triple Crown Champion . Samoa Joe became the first man to defeat Christian Cage by pinfall or submission in TNA , forcing him tap out to the Coquina Clutch at Bound for Glory , thus ending Cage ' s twenty - three month undefeated streak by pinfall or submission in TNA . Samoa Joe was then announced as the teammate of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall in their match against The Angle Alliance at Turning Point . Hall , however , no - showed the event . Before the match , Samoa Joe was asked to cut a promo alleviating heat from the company and introducing Eric Young as Hall ' s replacement . Samoa Joe went five minutes overtime and ranted against Hall , Nash and some other superstars , which legitimately upset Nash and TNA President Dixie Carter at ringside . Before calling Young to come to the ring he told the TNA ringside staff , " Are you mad ? Go ahead , fire me , I don ' t care " . Samoa Joe , Nash and Young defeated the Angle Alliance when Samoa Joe pinned Tomko after a Muscle Buster . After the match , Samoa Joe and Nash briefly argued and shoved one another backstage , with Samoa Joe apologizing at a talent meeting the following day . On - screen , though , Samoa Joe continued to direct his frustration towards TNA management , going as far as to trash a Christmas party organized by Matt Morgan . 2008 - 2009 : Nation of Violence . In storyline , after complaining to Jim Cornette that he did not have a match at Final Resolution , Cornette decided to team Samoa Joe with Kevin Nash , who was to receive a title shot with Scott Hall when he returned . At Final Resolution , Samoa Joe , along with his tag team partner Kevin Nash lost to the team of A . J . Styles and Tomko . This occurred after Nash refused to tag himself into the match leaving Samoa Joe to fend for himself . In addition , Nash " flipped off " Samoa Joe whilst leaving the ringside area . After Nash had screwed Joe at Final Resolution , Nash told Joe he was teaching him a lesson about the wrestling business and told Samoa Joe he could help him to the top if he followed his direction . On the January 24 edition of Impact ! , Samoa Joe went on a rampage , attacking several TNA employees , culminating in his attacking of J . B . after being announced as the MVP of 2007 . For months , Samoa Joe was said to be unhappy with his spot in TNA and that he was considering not renewing his contract . TNA used that Internet rumor into a storyline , where Cornette tried to sign him into a new contract , but every week the signature was interrupted . At Against All Odds , Samoa Joe served as the special enforcer for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship match where Kurt Angle defended his title against challenger Christian Cage . During the contest , A . J . Styles interfered and Samoa Joe fought Styles to the back , but Tomko came out and attacked Cage giving Angle the win . On the February 14 edition of Impact ! , Samoa Joe formed an alliance with Cage and Kevin Nash , to compete with Kurt Angle ' s Angle Alliance . It was also announced that Samoa Joe would be given the next TNA World Heavyweight Championship opportunity against Angle . Over the next few weeks , Samoa Joe and his new found alliance would attack the Angle Alliance leading up to their match at Destination X . Samoa Joe vowed that he would eliminate the Angle Alliance so he would receive a fair title match with Kurt Angle at Lockdown . On the March 6 edition of Impact ! , Samoa Joe , Christian , and Nash faced a member of the Angle Alliance to determine who would get a five minute advantage during their match at Destination X . Joe lost his First Blood match to Tomko , but Nash defeated Styles in a Street Fight while Cage defeated Angle in a Six Sides of Steel match . Samoa Joe ' s team won the match when he made Tomko tap out to the Coquina Clutch . Achieving his goal to eliminate the Angle Alliance , nothing now stood in the way of Samoa Joe getting a fair title shot at Lockdown . At Lockdown , Samoa Joe defeated Angle to win his first TNA World Championship and become TNA ' s third Triple Crown Champion . The stipulation of the match was if Samoa Joe had lost , he would have had to retire from professional wrestling . He successfully defeated Angle in a rematch on Impact ! and then retained against Scott Steiner and Kaz at Sacrifice . At Slammiversary , Samoa Joe became the first champion to ever retain his title in a King of the Mountain match . Samoa Joe was then challenged to a match by Booker T at Victory Road , which he accepted . At Victory Road the match went to a No Contest when Sting hit Samoa Joe with a baseball bat and Booker pinned him while Sharmell made the three count . At Hard Justice , Samoa Joe defeated Booker after a guitar shot , thus reclaiming physical possession of the title belt , which Booker had kept after Victory Road . On October 11 , 2008 , Samoa Joe surpassed Kurt Angle for the longest reign of the TNA World Heavyweight Championship . At Bound for Glory IV , he fought Sting in a losing effort to defend the TNA World Heavyweight Championship , ending his reign at 182 days . On the October 30 edition of Impact ! , Samoa Joe and AJ Styles formed a faction of younger wrestlers also featuring Jay Lethal , Consequences Creed , Petey Williams , Eric Young , ODB and The Motor City Machineguns , calling themselves " Frontline " , to oppose the Main Event Mafia of Kurt Angle , Sting , Kevin Nash , Booker T and Scott Steiner . At Turning Point Kevin Nash defeated Joe by pinning him with his feet on the ropes following a steel chair shot , a low blow and after ramming Joe ' s head to an exposed turnbuckle . At Final Resolution The Frontline lost to The Main Event Mafia in a 4 - on - 4 tag match and failed to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for AJ Styles . On the December 18 edition of iMPACT ! Joe and Styles defeated Sting and Kevin Nash in a Six Sides of Steel match . Following the match Joe was attacked by the members of the Main Event Mafia and suffered injuries which would sideline him for the rest of the year . On the January 29 episode of " Impact ! " , a short video was shown in which Joe , sporting a new buzzcut hairstyle , tribal facepaint , and much heavier frame stated he would like to introduce the Main Event Mafia to both the " real " Samoa Joe and his " nation of violence " . At Destination X , Joe got himself disqualified in his return match against his old rival and Main Event Mafia member Scott Steiner . That same week on " Impact ! " , Joe once again got disqualified this time in a match with Sheik Abdul Bashir . He took him backstage , hung him upside down , and tortured him . The following week , he competed in a 20 - man Six Sides Of Steel match where the last two men standing would be determined the captains of the Lethal Lockdown Match at Lockdown . He entered last and won the match by pinning rival Kurt Angle via the Muscle Buster . He then later stated backstage that he didn ' t wish to be captain , but would still be part of the team . His teammates were Jeff Jarrett , A . J . Styles and the returning Daniels . They faced off against The Main Event Mafia at Lockdown , and won the match . At this time he also revealed that he was taking orders from a " secret advisor " who he was seen talking to many times backstage although the person ' s identity was not revealed . He then feuded with Kevin Nash as his next victim of the Mafia and finally beat his old mentor at Sacrifice 2009 : Heel Turn and Main Event Mafia . At Slammiversary , Joe betrayed A . J . Styles and turned on all the fans by helping Kurt Angle win the World Heavyweight Championship in the King of the Mountain match , and thus turned heel . On the June 25 episode of " Impact ! " , Joe officially joined The Main Event Mafia after having spent the last five months taking them out . This was revealed by Angle , to be a master plan to fool the TNA Frontline and the attacks were all planned by Joe and the Mafia in advance . Joe then went on to explain that he joined the Mafia for the money that was invested by Jenna Morasca and for the power and also debuted a new rap themed , entrance music . Throughout the night , he carried out attacks with the Mafia on Styles and Daniels and the leader of the Mafia , Sting , who was kicked out of the Mafia as leader and once again replaced with Kurt Angle . On a Later episode Joe was defeated by Hernandez . At Victory Road , Joe faced Sting in a grudge match . Later in the match , Taz made his TNA debut and helped Joe beat Sting , thus revealing himself as a heel , and as Joe ' s new adviser . At Hard Justice Joe defeated Homicide to win the X Division title for the fourth time . After winning this title , Joe feuded with his long time rival Daniels and defeated him at No Surrender . On the October 8 edition of " Impact ! " Joe lost the X Division title to Amazing Red after Bobby Lashley interfered in the match . At Bound for Glory Lashley defeated Joe in a submission match with a referee stoppage . On the following edition of " Impact ! " Kurt Angle turned into a fan favorite , thus signaling the end of the Main Event Mafia . On the same show it was announced that Joe and Daniels will challenge AJ Styles at Turning Point for the TNA Heavyweight Championship , an Unbreakable 2005 rematch . Various feuds ( 2009 – 2011 ) . At Final Resolution Joe took part in the " Feast or Fired " match and won the briefcase containing a shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship . After being off TV for several weeks , Joe returned on the February 4 edition of " Impact ! " , by attacking A . J . Styles , who had recently turned heel with Ric Flair , and announcing that he would be using his " Feast or Fired " briefcase to get a shot at Styles ' World Heavyweight Championship at Against All Odds , turning face in the process . At the pay - per - view Styles retained his title against Joe in a No Disqualification match refereed by Eric Bischoff . After losing a match against new TNA acquisition Orlando Jordan on the following " Impact ! " , Joe was abducted by masked men . On March 29 he resurfaced in a video package on an episode of " Impact ! " . Joe made his return on the April 19 edition of " Impact ! " appearing as a surprise member of Team Hogan ( Abyss , Jeff Jarrett and Rob Terry ) in an eight man tag team match against Team Flair ( Sting , Desmond Wolfe , Robert Roode and James Storm ) , in which he scored the deciding pinfall by pinning Roode after a Muscle Buster . Joe then left the Impact Zone and did not celebrate with his fellow team members . His abduction never was explained . According to Joe , Vince Russo planned a big storyline with a psycho gimmick . However , Russo called him to return because he need more babyfaces and Russo never find the way to explain the abduction . The following week Joe inexplicably assaulted the X Division Champion Kazarian , after his title match with Shannon Moore . In the following weeks Joe went on to randomly attack wrestlers like Douglas Williams , Brian Kendrick and Matt Morgan , the last of whom lost the TNA World Tag Team Championship thanks to the attack . On the May 20 edition of " Impact ! " Joe was ranked number ten in the first ever TNA Championship Committee rankings for a World Heavyweight Championship title shot . He began his climb up the rankings by defeating Hernandez on June 17 , number four ranked A . J . Styles on July 1 and by wrestling number two ranked Jeff Hardy to a ten minute time limit draw on the July 22 edition of " Impact ! " . After the match with Hardy , Joe was upset with the production crew for starting a countdown to the time limit draw , when Joe specifically requested not to start one because he thought it would reveal the ending of the match early . Because of his outburst , Joe was suspended from TNA indefinitely . Joe returned from his suspension on August 23 at the tapings of the August 26 edition of " Impact ! " to defeat Orlando Jordan . The following week on " Impact ! " , Joe aligned himself with Jeff Jarrett and Hulk Hogan in their war with Sting and Kevin Nash . At No Surrender Joe and Jarrett defeated Sting and Nash in a tag team match , when Joe choked out Sting , after Jarrett had hit him with his baseball bat behind Joe ' s back . At Bound for Glory Joe and Jarrett faced Sting , Nash and their newest ally D ' Angelo Dinero in a handicap match , after Hulk Hogan , who was scheduled to team with Joe and Jarrett , was forced to pull out due to a back surgery . At the end of the match Jarrett abandoned Joe and left him to be pinned by Nash . Later in the night it was revealed that Hogan was in fact in the building as he helped Jeff Hardy win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and formed a new heel alliance with Hardy , Eric Bischoff , Jeff Jarrett and Abyss . Joe tried to attack Jarrett on the October 21 edition of " Impact ! " , but was stopped by TNA ' s security officers Gunner and Murphy , before being beat down by Jarrett . Joe returned two weeks later , attacking Jarrett , Gunner and Murphy . At Turning Point Jarrett defeated Joe , after choking him out with a baton , following interference from Gunner and Murphy . The following month at Final Resolution Joe faced Jarrett in a submission match . After a pre – match assault and later an interference by Gunner and Murphy , Jarrett managed to force Joe to submit with an ankle lock . Earlier that same day it was reported that Joe ' s contract with TNA had expired . On December 17 , 2010 , TNA president Dixie Carter announced on her Twitter page that Joe had re – signed with the promotion . Joe returned on the January 6 , 2011 , edition of " Impact ! " , confronting D ' Angelo Dinero and claiming that he had not been using his donations to help the needy , like he was supposed to . Two weeks later Okato was revealed as the camera man , whom Joe had hired to follow Dinero and from whom he had gotten the video footage to support his claim . On February 13 at Against All Odds Joe defeated Dinero in a singles match , but was afterwards attacked and bloodied by him . On the March 10 edition of " Impact ! " , Dinero defeated Joe in a rematch between the two , after hitting him with a chain . On April 17 at Lockdown , Joe defeated Dinero in a steel cage match to end the feud . Joe ' s next feud would be with the undefeated Crimson , whom he would abandon in the ring and the hands of Abyss on two occasions , claiming that he himself had not needed anyone ' s help during his own undefeated streak , becoming a tweener in the process . On June 12 at Slammiversary IX , Joe was defeated by Crimson in a singles match , and afterwards shook Crimson ' s hand . Afterwards , Joe began showing frustration as his losing streak continued with losses against Rob Van Dam , Devon , Kazarian and Bobby Roode . After losing all nine of his matches in the Bound for Glory Series to determine the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship , Joe finally ended his long losing streak on the August 4 edition of " Impact Wrestling " by defeating D ' Angelo Dinero via submission , but the decision was reversed after he refused to release his hold following the match . Joe then accused TNA management of being against him and proclaimed that from now on the blood would be on their hands . After voicing his intention of ruining the Bound for Glory Series , Joe attacked its participants Devon , D ' Angelo Dinero and rankings leader Crimson , who was forced to pull out of the tournament following the attack , after suffering a storyline ankle injury . On the final week of the Bound for Glory Series , Joe went to interfere in a match between Gunner and Rob Van Dam , but was stopped by guest color commentator Matt Morgan , who was sidelined with a torn pectoral muscle . This led to a brawl later in the evening , which ended with Joe hitting Morgan in the arm with a steel chair . On September 11 at No Surrender , Joe continued his losing streak as he was defeated by Morgan in a grudge match . On the following edition of " Impact Wrestling " , Joe ended his losing streak by defeating Morgan in a submission match . After returning from his injury , Crimson scored two more victories over Joe , first defeating him in a singles match on the October 6 edition of " Impact Wrestling " , and then in a three - way match , also involving Matt Morgan , at Bound for Glory on October 16 . Teaming and feuding with Magnus ( 2011 – 2012 ) . On the January 5 , 2012 , edition of " Impact Wrestling " , Joe and Magnus defeated A . J . Styles and Kazarian to win the four week long Wild Card Tournament and become the number one contenders to the TNA World Tag Team Championship . Magnus said that Vince Russo put them as a tag team because " we were both always pissed off , so we could be pissed off together " . Three days later at Genesis , Joe and Magnus failed to capture the TNA World Tag Team Championship from Crimson and Matt Morgan . Despite the loss , Joe and Magnus remained together as a tag team , attacking Crimson and Morgan on the next two editions of " Impact Wrestling " . On the February 2 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Joe and Magnus defeated Crimson and Morgan in a non - title match to earn another shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship . On February 12 at Against All Odds , Joe and Magnus defeated Crimson and Morgan to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship . Joe and Magnus then defeated Crimson and Morgan in two rematches , the first on the February 23 episode of " Impact Wrestling " and the second on March 18 at Victory Road , to retain the championship . On the March 22 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Joe and Magnus successfully defended their title against Mexican America ( Anarquia and Hernandez ) . On April 15 at Lockdown , Joe and Magnus defeated The Motor City Machine Guns in a steel cage match to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship . During the first " Open Fight Night " on April 26 , Joe and Magnus successfully defended the TNA World Tag Team Championship against the team of Jeff Hardy and Mr . Anderson , after which they were attacked by Christopher Daniels and Kazarian , who had asked for a title shot earlier in the event . On May 13 at Sacrifice , Joe and Magnus lost the TNA World Tag Team Championship to Daniels and Kazarian . On the May 31 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Joe had a run - in with X Division Champion Austin Aries , which led to Joe costing Aries his match with Crimson the following week . On June 10 at Slammiversary , Joe unsuccessfully challenged Aries for the X Division Championship . On the following episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Joe entered the 2012 Bound for Glory Series , taking part in the opening gauntlet match , from which he was the last man eliminated by James Storm . On July 8 at Destination X , Joe defeated old rival Kurt Angle via submission to become the new points leader in the Bound for Glory Series . When the group stage of the tournament concluded on September 6 , Joe finished second behind James Storm , thus advancing to the semifinals . Three days later at No Surrender , Joe was eliminated from the tournament , after losing to Jeff Hardy in his semifinal match . On the September 27 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Joe defeated Mr . Anderson to win the vacant TNA Television Championship , making him TNA ' s third Grand Slam Champion . Joe made his first successful title defense the following week , defeating Rob Van Dam . On October 14 at Bound for Glory , Joe successfully defended his title against former tag team partner Magnus . Joe continued making successful defenses the following weeks , defeating Robbie E on the October 18 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , and Robbie T the following week . Joe then resumed his rivalry with former partner Magnus , defeating him via disqualification on the November 1 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , after being hit with a wrench . The rivalry culminated in a No Disqualification match on November 11 at Turning Point , where Joe was again successful in retaining the title . On the December 6 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Joe lost the Television Championship to Devon after DOC of Aces & Eights hit him with a ball - peen hammer . Three days later at Final Resolution , Joe teamed with Garett Bischoff , Kurt Angle , and Wes Brisco to defeat Devon , DOC , and two masked members of Aces & Eights in an eight - man tag team match . On the January 3 , 2013 , episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Joe and Kurt Angle defeated Devon and a masked member of Aces & Eights in a steel cage tag team match . Afterwards , the returning Sting saved Joe and Angle from a beatdown from Aces & Eights before revealing the mystery member as the debuting Mike Knox . On January 13 at Genesis , Joe was defeated by Mr . Anderson in a singles match , following interference from Mike Knox . On March 10 at Lockdown , Team TNA , consisting of Joe , Eric Young , James Storm , Magnus , and Sting defeated Aces & Eights , consisting of Devon , DOC , Garett Bischoff , Mike Knox , and Mr . Anderson in a Lethal Lockdown match . On the March 21 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Joe was defeated by Jeff Hardy in a four - way number one contenders match for the World Heavyweight Championship , which also included Kurt Angle and Magnus . On the April 18 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Devon was scheduled to defend his Television Championship against Magnus , however , he was attacked by DOC and Knux before the match could start . Joe was then awarded the title match in his place , but Devon retained the title after interference from Aces & Eights . Main Event Mafia ; feud with Dixie Carter ( 2013 – 2014 ) . Joe returned on the May 23 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , saving former tag team partner Magnus from an attack by Aces & Eights . On June 2 at Slammiversary XI , Joe teamed with Jeff Hardy and Magnus in a winning effort against Aces & Eights ( Garett Bischoff , Mr . Anderson , and Wes Brisco ) . On the following episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Joe defeated Robbie E to qualify for the 2013 Bound for Glory Series . During the June 27 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , Joe was helped to a submission victory over Mr . Anderson in his Bound For Glory Series match after Kurt Angle and Sting took out Anderson ' s fellow Aces and Eights members , and was then named as the third member of their New Main Event Mafia . On October 10 , 2013 , he added himself to the Ultimate X match in Bound For Glory against Manik , Austin Aries , Chris Sabin and Jeff Hardy . At Bound for Glory , Sabin won the match . In November 7 , The Main Event Mafia was " temporarily disbanded " by Sting , and Samoa Joe was put in the World Title Tournament . His first round matchup on against former Main Event Mafia stable - partner Magnus will be a Fall Count Anywhere match on " Turning Point " PPV ( which became a free - Spike TV event ) on November 21 . On November 14 episode of Impact , Samoa Joe aired his grievances over the botched contract negotiations between Dixie Carter and AJ Styles , and will defend his title with Styles if he wins the title . At Turning Point , Joe was defeated by Magnus in the first round of the tournament for the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship . On the December 12 edition of " Impact ! " , Joe was unsuccessful in grabbing any of the four cases in a Feast or Fired match against Austin Aries , Chris Sabin , Curry Man , Dewey Barnes , James Storm , Norv Fernum , Gunner , Chavo Guerrero , Zema Ion and Hernandez . On the January 1 , 2014 edition of " Impact ! " , Joe talked to Dixie , telling her about what AJ said in regards to having a locker room full of friends . Dixie ignoring what Joe previously said , told him to only focus on his match against her nephew , Ethan Carter III . Later on the show , Joe is jumped backstage by EC3 , only to fight back on their way to the ring to start the match . Joe went on to win the match by disqualification after taking a hit from a wrench by EC3 after an interference by Rockstar Spud . On Day 1 of Genesis , Joe , along with James Storm , Gunner , Eric Young , Joseph Park , and ODB , won a 12 - man tag team match against The BroMans ( Jessie Godderz , Robbie E , and Zema Ion ) , Bad Influence ( Christopher Daniels and Kazarian ) and Lei ' D Tapa after Daniels submitted to his Coquina Clutch . On Day 2 of Genesis , Joe defeated Rockstar Spud by submission after a Muscle Buster , followed by the Coquina Clutch , holding it until Spud passed out . Joe later helped in leveling the playing field in Sting ' s match against Magnus for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship , following interferences by EC3 , Bad Influence , The BroMans and Bobby Roode , with Sting ' s contract voided if he lost . Championship pursuits ( 2014 ) . On the January 30 edition of " Impact ! " , Joe teamed up with Kurt Angle to win a tag team match by submission against Magnus and Ethan Carter III . On the February 6 edition of " Impact ! " , Joe faced off with Bobby Roode to decide the No . 1 contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship , in which Joe won after applying the Coquina Clutch and making Roode tap . On the February 13 edition of " Impact ! " , Joe , along with The Wolves , defeated The BroMans and Zema Ion . On the February 20 edition of " Impact ! " , Joe cut a promo saying he gets to face the winner of Magnus - Gunner at Lockdown and issued an open challenge to any resident of Dixieland , in which The BroMans and Zema Ion responded back . Eventually , Joe would win the 3 - on - 1 handicap match against the trio . On the February 27 edition of " Impact ! " , Joe defeated Bad Bones in a singles match , after being asked to prove himself by Magnus if he wanted to cheap shot him as he did earlier in the night . On March 9 , 2014 at Lockdown , Joe lost to Magnus in a Steel Cage match for the TNA World Championship after an attack from Abyss , in which could ' ve only ended via knockout , tap - out or submission under " Joe ' s Rules " . On the March 13 edition of " Impact ! " , MVP booked Joe to face Abyss later in the night , in which Joe won by disqualification after Eric Young ran out to hit a missile dropkick on Abyss after going for Janice . Joe competed in a fatal four way match for the TNA World Championship with Eric Young , Abyss , and then - champion Magnus on April 3 which he lost . Joe has taken time off from TNA . Samoa Joe made his return on May 29 , and helped Eric Young and Bully Ray fend off MVP , Bobby Lashley and Kenny King all by himself . On June 27 ( Aired August 2 , 2014 ) Joe defeated Low Ki and Sanada to win the TNA X Division title for the first time in nearly 4 years . At Hardcore Justice , Joe successfully defended the X Division Championship against Low Ki after pinning him with a muscle buster . However , he was stripped from the title due a injury . At Bound for Glory , TNA gave him the title back for one night to defend it against Low Ki and Kaz Hayashi . Beat Down Clan ( 2015 ) . On the January 7 , 2015 edition of " Impact Wrestling " , Joe helped Lashley regain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship with the help of MVP , Kenny King , Low Ki and Roode ' s friend Eric Young , turning Joe and the last two into heels in the process . On the following night ' s tapings of the January 16 , 2015 episode of Impact Wrestling , MVP presented the group as his " family " and officially christened them the Beat Down Clan , following which MVP attempted to present Lashley as the centerpiece of the Clan as well as a " founding member " ( officially establishing the MVP - Lashley - King trio as the foundation of the BDC as a faction ) . However , Lashley refused to become a part of this new group and decided to leave , but was attacked by the other members with MVP saying that the title belongs to the BDC . On February 6 , 2015 at Lockdown , Team Angle ( Kurt Angle , Austin Aries , Gunner and Lashley ) defeated The BDC ( MVP , Samoa Joe , Low Ki and Kenny King ) in a Lethal Lockdown match . On February 17 , 2015 , Joe announced on Twitter that he " decided to part ways with @ IMPACTWRESTLING " ending his ten - year run with TNA . Return to ROH ( 2015 ) . It was announced on February 24 , 2015 that Samoa Joe would return to ROH for a number of appearances through March 2015 . On March 1 , Samoa Joe made his ROH return confronting ROH World Champion Jay Briscoe and challenging him to a title match . On March 27 at Supercard of Honor IX , Jay Briscoe defeated Samoa Joe to retain the ROH World title . On March 29 , Samoa Joe returned to ROH in - ring action for the first time since 2008 to face Kyle O ' Reilly , whom he defeated . World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE ( 2015 – present ) . On May 20 , 2015 , at Unstoppable , Joe would make his unannounced debut during the main event after stopping Kevin Owens from attacking an injured Sami Zayn with a steel chair , before sharing a stare - down with Owens . While initially Joe was allowed to also contiue working outside WWE , On June 1 , it was reported that WWE had decided to sign him to a full - time deal due to his impressive merchandise sales . Joe mad his in - ring debut on the June 10 episode of NXT , defeating Scott Dawson . After weeks of tension between Joe and Kevin Owens , the two fought on the June 17 episode of " NXT " . After the match went to a no - contest , the two would continue to brawl until they had to be separated . Personal life . Seanoa got married on July 27 , 2007 . Seanoa is close friends with fellow wrestlers CM Punk ( Phil Brooks ) , Homicide ( Nelson Erazo ) , Christopher Daniels ( Daniel Covell ) , A . J . Styles ( Allen Jones ) , Rob Van Dam ( Robert Szatkowski ) and John Cena ( John Felix Anthony Cena ) . [ 15 ] Seanoa has also appeared on Szatkowski ' s internet based reality show " RVD TV " numerous times . Seanoa avidly trains in both Judo and Jiu Jitsu at LA Boxing in Costa Mesa , California . He is often noted as a sparring partner for Team Punishment member Justin McCully and is often in attendance in the locker room for Team Punishment fighters such as Tito Ortiz and Kendall Grove , with whom he maintains friendships . Seanoa was born and raised in Southern California . He resided mainly in Huntington Beach , and split time during his childhood in Ewa Beach , Hawaii . He also has a newborn child .