Samoa Joe reveals massive retirement update

Modified Apr 03, 2025 09:46 GMT

Former AEW Wolrd Champion Samoa Joe [Source: WWE.com] — Former AEW Wolrd Champion Samoa Joe [Image source: wwe.com]

Samoa Joe recently addressed his in-ring retirement. The AEW star said he might soon say goodbye to the squared circle.

The Samoan Submission Machine entered the pro wrestling business in 1999. Over the past two decades, he has wrestled for many top promotions, including WWE, ROH, Pro Wrestling Noah, TNA Wrestling, and others.

The former AEW World Champion is 46 years old and is still going strong inside the ring. He recently appeared on Chris Van Vliet's Insight podcast, where he commented on his retirement. Joe said he might hang up his wrestling boots sooner than expected.

“Yeah, I do a lot. It’s probably coming sooner than later, which is fine. I think a lot of people from my generation, from what I’ve seen, if that they have the ability, we’ve done our best to kind of save up and we definitely don’t want to out stay [sic] our welcome, because we may have been privy to a few people [who] may have done that in their careers. So I definitely don’t want to be that guy in mind.”

The veteran added that he hadn't finalized his retirement date but hinted that fans could expect it to be soon after his current contract expires.

“No, I think it’s just really based on when my contract runs out. I think exploring those options as they go. I hate just saying retirement, because how many pro wrestling retirements never stick? All of them. So yeah, I will do this for a little longer, and then yeah I think the end is probably sooner than any new deal being signed.” [H/T: chrisvanvliet.com]

Bryan Keith wants to face Samoa Joe in AEW

Bryan Keith recently appeared on the Battleground podcast, where he was asked to name a superstar whom he would like to face in AEW. The 33-year-old picked Samoa Joe.

"He's [Joe] one of the guys I'd watch all the time. That's a guy that I'd love to work with. So, yeah, Samoa Joe's up there for me! I need that one-on-one, man."

The Bounty Hunter is part of Chris Jericho's Learning Tree alongside Big Bill. He joined the stable in May 2024 after his heel turn.

About the author

Monika Thapa is a journalist at Sportskeeda, covering AEW and WWE news. A big fan of pro wrestling since childhood, she stumbled upon sports content writing in 2022. She has a ton of experience and has worked for prominent platforms like EssentiallySports.

Monika is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in English and loves creating pro wrestling content at Sportskeeda. She proofreads her work numerous times before submitting her work and relies only on trusted sources for information.

Monika is a big fan of Rhea Ripley, as she admires her fearlessness and strength. If she were to change a WWE storyline, Monika would have had Lita return and combine forces with Becky Lynch in the latter’s 2023 feud with Trish Stratus & Zoey Stark.

When not covering the latest pieces of pro wrestling news, Monika likes to read books, spend time with dogs, and learn new cooking recipes.

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Edited by Pratik Singh