WWE wanted to bring back current AEW star

A current AEW star recently revealed that WWE wanted to rehire him in 2022. The Stamford-based company tried to re-sign the talent before he joined All Elite Wrestling.

Samoa Joe was one of the top wrestling stars not signed to WWE in the 2000s, making his name in Ring of Honor and TNA Wrestling. He finally joined the biggest pro wrestling company in the world in 2015, starting in NXT before being called up to the main roster in 2017.

The Samoan Submission Machine was initially released in April 2021 before Triple H brought him back two months later to work in NXT. However, Joe was let go again in January 2022 and signed with AEW three months later.

Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on the latest episode of the Insight podcast, Joe revealed that WWE wanted to bring him back for a second time. He was speaking to Tony Khan already, but he made his decision when AEW agreed to his preferred schedule, which incorporated the filming of Twisted Metal.

"I think the biggest thing was at first when I left WWE, I just signed my deal with Twisted Metal, there was initially a little bit of interest again from WWE and maybe redoing it, but at that point, I had started talking with AEW. So speaking with Tony and understanding kind of what he was looking to do at the time, and really being able to work out with my filming schedule, it just was a really nice fit," Joe said. [H/T: chrisvanvliet.com]

Vince McMahon was still in charge in 2022, so Samoa Joe probably wouldn't have been given time to film Twisted Metal, going by their previous approach. But now that the company is under TKO Group, several stars have signed with talent agencies and are seemingly looking to get into Hollywood.

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Samoa Joe doesn't hold any ill will toward Vince McMahon and WWE

During the same appearance on Insight, Samoa Joe opened up about how Vince McMahon perceived him during his stint in World Wrestling Entertainment. Joe felt respected and understood that McMahon preferred pushing stars he helped create.

"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]

In his two stints under Vince McMahon and Triple H, Samoa Joe became a three-time NXT Champion and a two-time United States Champion.