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Former WWE Superstar Samoa Joe recently opened up about how Vince McMahon treated him during his two stints with the company from 2015 to 2022. Joe currently works in AEW, signing with Tony Khan's promotion several months after his second WWE release.
The Samoan Submission Machine made a name for himself in Ring of Honor and TNA Wrestling before getting signed by WWE in 2015. He was assigned to NXT, working under the guidance of Triple H where he became a three-time NXT Champion, the most in history.
On the main roster, Joe was a two-time United States Champion, but injuries and questionable booking resulted in his potential being wasted. While speaking to Chris Van Vliet on the most recent episode of Insight, the veteran opened up about the treatment he received from Vince McMahon.
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Here's what Samoa Joe said:
"They were respectful of me. Listen, I think Vince understood who I was and what I brought to the show. If anything though, and I understand this, you want your own creations to do the best. You want your own things that you’ve invested time, money and effort into to kind of go to the forefront. I’ve never faulted anybody for that," Joe said. [H/T: chrisvanvliet.com]
Check out the podcast below:
Samoa Joe added that while Vince McMahon loved the original characters he created, he wasn't just going to lie down for anybody. It's still a competition, and he will make an opponent look great in any situation.
Samoa Joe was praised by Vince McMahon for a segment with Brock Lesnar
After losing to Brock Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire in 2017, Samoa Joe had a fiery segment with The Beat on RAW, which also involved Roman Reigns. Joe and Lesnar butted heads at one point, with Kurt Angle and other WWE officials trying to separate them.
In the same interview on Insight, Joe revealed that Vince McMahon liked the intensity he showed during the segment.
"Everybody’s stoked. And I remember I just looked over at Vince, and he's just like, ‘Yeah, good job.’ Because I think he wanted a different look to how everybody was in the ring," Joe said. [H/T: chrisvanvliet.com]
Joe signed with AEW a few months after his second release by WWE. He's a two-time TNT Champion and a one-time AEW World Champion in the Tony Khan-owned promotion.
