Top AEW star wanted to face Samoa Joe after his initial WWE release in April

Eddie Kingston recently revealed that he would have loved to face Samoa Joe if he had joined AEW after his initial WWE departure in April 2021.

Though he's back in NXT as General Manager William Regal's enforcer, Samoa Joe was released, among others, in April owing to budget cuts.

While many fans wanted to see him wrestle in AEW, Triple H, who was reportedly unhappy over his exit, managed to bring him back to the black and gold brand.

Time for @SamoaJoe to lay down the law in the #WWENXT Women's Tag Team Division. pic.twitter.com/0FQP5w5Pxn

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) June 23, 2021

Speaking at a Q/A session conducted by Pro Wrestling Junkies, Eddie Kingston stated that he would have preferred to see Samoa Joe and Aleister Black join AEW. He elaborated that he has immense respect for Joe and hopes WWE is paying him well to remain in a non-wrestling role.

He further revealed that he liked wrestling Samoa Joe in the past and would have enjoyed locking horns with him again on national television, either on TNT or TBS.

“One dude I do know, who I have known for years, is Aleister Black. We never got to fight each other. I would love to fight him, Out of respect, I would love to fight him. Of course, I wanted Joe to come to AEW. I’ve fought Joe before but Joe is my man. I know Joe and respect Joe. I’m so happy for him and I hope he’s getting that good cheddar and getting that bank. Of course, I wanted to fight Joe. When I first fought Joe, I came back from ankle surgery and was moving a little slow. All the other times I fought Joe, they were fun. I wanted to do it on TNT or TBS. On some type of national television. I respect Joe, that’s my man,” said Eddie Kingston (H/T - Fightful)

Samoa Joe vs Eddie Kingston could have been a great feud in AEW

Had Joe joined AEW, one can only imagine a promo battle between him and Kingston, the intensity of which would have certainly been through the roof. And if one checks out the handful of matches Eddie Kingston and Samoa Joe have wrestled in the past, it's clear they share great chemistry between the ropes.

Samoa Joe vs Eddie Kingston tho pic.twitter.com/k5XIXHsM3C

— kate ☕️ 🏳️‍🌈 (@makeitloud) April 15, 2021

That said, Samoa Joe is shining in his role in NXT, and it remains to be seen if his recent interactions with Adam Cole and NXT Champion Karrion Kross lead up to a match sometime down the line.

Would you have liked to Samoa Joe join AEW? Do you think Eddie Kingston would have been an ideal foe for Joe? Sound off in the comments section below.