Samoa Joe changes up his look amid AEW absence

AEW star Samoa Joe has switched up his look amid his ongoing hiatus. The 45-year-old veteran was last seen in action in July 2024.

The Samoan Submission Machine is one of the most revered wrestlers in the world, having found success over the years across promotions including Ring of Honor (ROH), TNA Wrestling, and WWE. After a seven-year-long stint in the Stamford-based company, Joe signed with AEW in 2022 and has emerged as one of the most dominant figures in the Tony Khan-led promotion.

The California native has been absent from in-ring action since his Stampede Street Fight against Chris Jericho on Dynamite last month, which ended after The Learning Tree and his stablemates ganged up on Joe, eventually placing the latter on a forklift pallet and then driving the forklift through a wall, which forced the referee to stop the match. Recent reports have explained Joe's absence from AEW programming by claiming that the former WWE Superstar has been filming the second season of the action-comedy series Twisted Metal in Toronto. Production for the show is supposedly set to continue through October, albeit with breaks in between.

Amid his ongoing hiatus in All Elite Wrestling, Samoa Joe appeared at the Terrificon convention earlier this month. The former AEW World Champion seems to have changed his look during his in-ring absence, having shaved his head completely bald, possibly in service of his work as an actor.

It remains to be seen when The Samoan Submission Machine will return to AEW programming.

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Samoa Joe recently commented on his future in AEW

During his appearance at Terrificon, a fan asked Samoa Joe which opponents he would like to lock horns with if he were allowed to develop or book his own feuds in the future. The former TNT Champion responded by voicing his disinterest in competing against major names to add to his many achievements, claiming that he wanted to take part in matches that fans and viewers of AEW would want to see.

"It's a tough answer because I'm only interested in doing the match-ups that the fans want to see. I have zero interest in doing a vanity match of somebody who's my dream opponent because I don't do this for me. I'm not doing this to pad my resume, to add to my portfolio. I do this for the fans to want to come and watch it. So, inevitable that question, at this point in my career, in my life, is left in your hands. What match do you want to see?" Samoa Joe said. [34:17 - 34:48]

Given his unfinished business with Chris Jericho, it remains to be seen whether and when Samoa Joe will return to All Elite Wrestling and exact revenge on The Learning Tree.