10 Things you didn't know about Samoa Joe

#9 He is a former California State Judo Champion

Samoa Joe has a strong martial arts background.

When it comes to pro wrestling success, studying Judo seems to be a great way to get your start.

Rowdy Roddy Piper was trained by the legendary Judo Gene LaBell prior to becoming a pro wrestler. Though Hot Rod's brawling style didn't involve much martial arts, he did utilize his Judo training for taking bumps and for his movie roles, such as They Live.

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Other famous Judo players who joined the ranks of pro wrestling include Shinsuke Nakamura and Taz. Samoa Joe is also a former Judo player. In fact, he is a former champion.

Samoa Joe was the California State Junior Judo Champion prior to becoming a pro wrestler. No doubt the discipline and martial arts skills he picked up during his time as a Judoka played heavily into his in-ring style.

About the author

Christopher Scott Wagoner is a writer from Austin, Texas in the United States. He is also a proud descendent of the Choctaw and Lakota people.
Chris has an English and Creative Writing degree, and is a published author with Simon and Schuster. He's ghost-written over eight million words in more than 500 books.
A long time wrestling fan, Chris is also a professional journalist who covers sports-entertainment. He's been writing for Sportskeeda since 2018.

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Edited by Anirban