Samoa Joe
Encyclopedia
Nuufolau Joel "Joe" Seanoa (born March 17, 1979) is an American
professional wrestler
, better known by his ring name
, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
.
Before debuting in TNA in June 2005, Seanoa competed in the Ring of Honor
(ROH) independent
promotion
, where he held the ROH World Championship
for a record 21 months. Upon joining TNA, Seanoa embarked upon an 18 month-long undefeated streak, in which he never lost a match by pinfall or submission. That streak came to an end at the Genesis
event in 2006, when he tapped out to Kurt Angle
's ankle lock submission hold.
Throughout his career, Seanoa has won numerous championships, including the Ring of Honor World championship
and the Pure championship
. Within TNA, he is a former TNA World Heavyweight Champion
, a four-time TNA X Division Champion, and a one-time TNA World Tag Team Champion
. He has also won the 2005 Super X Cup Tournament
, the 2008 King of the Mountain match (the only one to retain the world championship in the match), and the TNA Triple Crown.
and spent time during his childhood in Ewa Beach, Hawaii
. Seanoa's family founded a Polynesian dance troupe
in the United States
called Tiare Productions. Seanoa made his on stage debut at the 1984 Summer Olympics
opening at the age of five. He became a California State Junior Judo Champion and was an all league football player while attending Ocean View High School
. Before becoming a wrestler, Seanoa worked as a mortgage broker
.
, along with Johnny Hemp and, occasionally, John Delayo. He debuted in December 1999 in a match against "Uncle" Jess Hansen just three months after beginning training.
developmental affiliate Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW), where he feuded
with John Cena
and made an appearance on WWF Jakked
against Essa Rios
,. He tagged with Mike Knox
at UPW Proving Ground on December 12, 2000 in the Galaxy Theatre of Santa Ana, California
and defeated the debuting Al Katrazz
with Basil. He eventually captured the UPW Heavyweight Championship. He later became the longest reigning UPW Heavyweight Champion ever.
, wrestling for Shinya Hashimoto
's Pro Wrestling Zero1 promotion
, fighting in its Shingeki series of pay-per-view
s, as well as the annual Burning Heart tournaments. During this time, Joe also began wrestling for southern California promotion Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
, where he had an on-screen rivalry with Super Dragon
.
Joe continued to work for the promotion throughout 2002, participating in a number of their biggest shows and tournaments. After forming a team with Keiji Sakoda, they became the first-ever holders of the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship, though their reign is no longer officially recognized by the promotion. He worked as both Samoa Joe and, later, King Joe, but ultimately chose to leave the promotion when he was asked to take on a more gimmicky character.
In October 2007, he made his debut for Pro Wrestling Noah
at the Yokohoma Red Brickhouse, Joe teamed with Yoshihiro Takayama
to take on the team of Mitsuharu Misawa
and Takeshi Morishima
. Joe captured the win for his team after pinning Misawa with an Island Driver, one of his finishing maneuvers. Two days later, on October 27, Joe again faced Misawa, this time for the GHC title in a one-on-one match at the Budokan Hall
. Both competitors had exchanged and overcame their respective signature moves throughout the match but it was Misawa who won the pinfall after striking the back of Joe's head with his elbow thus marking his sixth successful title defense.
(ROH) promotion in 2002. He made his debut at "Glory by Honor" as Christopher Daniels
's "hired assassin", brought in to take out Daniels's chief enemy, Low Ki. Originally booked for just the one match against Low Ki, Joe impressed fans with his extremely stiff and hard-hitting style that resembled a mixed martial arts
fighter more than a wrestler, which led to ROH booking him full time.
Joe quickly rose through the ranks and became ROH Champion
, defeating Xavier
for the belt, which soon became the ROH World Championship on May 17, 2003 after defeating The Zebra Kid
at "Frontiers of Honor" in London
, England
. He held that title for twenty one months before losing it to Austin Aries
at "Final Battle 2004" on December 26, 2004. During this time, he had a trilogy of title defenses against CM Punk
(the second match earning a 5 star rating from Dave Meltzer
's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the first American match in seven years to do so). Soon after losing the ROH World Championship to Austin Aries, Joe became the promotion's fifth Pure Champion
, defeating his on-screen protégé Jay Lethal
for the belt on May 7, 2005 at "Manhattan Mayhem" in New York City. He held the title for over three months before losing it to Nigel McGuinness
on August 27 at "Dragon Gate Invasion".
In October 2005, when Japanese heavyweight superstar Kenta Kobashi
made a "once-in-a-lifetime" trip to the United States, he was signed to two Ring of Honor shows. ROH officials selected Joe to face him in a singles match on the first night and a tag match on the second. Joe proved to be a formidable opponent for Kobashi, in a back and forth match, which Dave Meltzer again gave a five-star rating. The match went on to win the Wrestling Observer Newsletter award for "Match of the Year". In 2006, Joe was one of the principal wrestlers representing Ring of Honor in their war against rival Philadelphia promotion Combat Zone Wrestling
(CZW). The war culminated in a five-on-five Cage of Death match at "Death before Dishonor IV". Joe helped ROH dominate in the match, until, after picking up CZW wrestler Chris Hero
for one of his finishers, the Muscle Buster, he was attacked by fellow ROH wrestler Bryan Danielson
. Danielson repeatedly hit his injured knee with a steel chair, forcing him to quit the match. Joe was later replaced in the match by Homicide, who went on to win the match for ROH. Joe later teamed with Homicide to fight against the Briscoes, and, like Homicide, found himself back in the ROH world title hunt. Joe, however, came up short against champion Bryan Danielson in several matches, including a match that went to a 60 Minute Draw and the final one being a cage match on December 8. At the December 9 show, Joe called out the Pro Wrestling Noah
promotion, claiming "Ring of Honor is right here!" This was not his first encounter with NOAH; at the September 16, 2006 ROH show, after a speech by wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino
, Joe got into an argument and pull-apart brawl with Noah star Takeshi Morishima
. Subsequently a match was signed for February pitting Joe against Morishima which Joe won.
On January 31, Joe announced that he would no longer be a full time performer in ROH after March 4. All shows that led up to that date would be billed as the "Samoa Joe Farewell Tour". On March 4, he beat longtime rival Homicide in his final ROH match with a Muscle Buster from the second rope. On November 22, Joe made a one night only return for Rising Above
, defeating Tyler Black
in a non-pay-per-view main event.
(TNA). He made his official debut five days later at the Slammiversary pay-per-view
, defeating Sonjay Dutt
in a match that saw him dubbed "The Samoan Submission Machine" by announcer Mike Tenay
. Joe was a participant in the Christopher Daniels
Invitational Super X Cup
, defeating Sonjay Dutt and Alex Shelley
to advance to the tournament finals at Sacrifice. Joe won the tournament by defeating A.J. Styles
, but only with help from Daniels. As a result of Daniels' interference, however, TNA Director of Authority Larry Zbyszko
made Daniels defend his X Division Championship
in a three-way match against both Joe and Styles at TNA Unbreakable
. This match marked Joe's first title shot in the company, though Styles was booked to win the match. Joe's undefeated streak was still officially intact, as it was Daniels that had been pinned, not Joe. This match is to date the only match in TNA's history to receive a rating of five stars from Dave Meltzer
.
At Genesis on November 13, he teamed with Daniels, Alex Shelley, and Roderick Strong
(a team that Daniels called "The Ministry") against Sonjay Dutt, Chris Sabin
, Matt Bentley
, and Austin Aries in an eight man elimination match. Following the victory by Daniels and Joe (Shelley and Strong were eliminated earlier in the match), Joe attacked Daniels, beating him around the ringside area until he had busted him open. He then threw Daniels into the ring, and delivered a Muscle Buster. Joe then went out to grab a steel chair from ringside and brought it into the ring, after which he gave Daniels a second Muscle Buster, this time onto the chair, supposedly giving Daniels a level-3 concussion. In response to these actions, Styles called Joe out on an episode of Impact!
, saying his attack of Daniels violated an unwritten code of respect in the X Division. Prior to Turning Point, Joe attacked Styles, saying he did not respect the X Division code (a vast departure from his Ring of Honor
persona, who is a stalwart defender of their written Code of Honor). Joe defeated Styles at Turning Point and won the X Division Championship. Joe could not injure Styles, however, Daniels came out and stopped him. Daniels was later slated to face Joe at Final Resolution in 2006 for the X Division Championship. During the build-up to the match, Joe stated that he intended to end Daniels' career. During the match, Styles came down to the ring to cheer for Daniels. Not long after making Daniels bleed from his head, Joe stopped going for the pin, instead dropping knee after knee on Daniels' head. Styles, concerned about Daniels' health, signaled for the match to be stopped by throwing in the towel, allowing Joe to retain the X Division title. Joe proceeded to win rematch of the three-way at Unbreakable, thus retaining his title. This three-way feud
continued until Destination X, when he lost the title to Daniels in an Ultimate X match
, a match in which there is no pinfall or submission, thus keeping his undefeated streak.
Joe was then taken out of the X Division and matched with an initially unannounced opponent. On the March 25 edition of Impact!, it was announced that he would take on Sabu at Lockdown
. Despite that, he still had a scheduled X Division title match, and, on April 13's Impact! (TNA's Thursday debut), Joe regained the X Division title after delivering an Island Driver from the middle turnbuckle to Christopher Daniels. Joe then successfully defended his X Division title against Sabu at Lockdown. At Sacrifice, Joe partnered with Sting in a tag team match against Jeff Jarrett
and Scott Steiner
. Joe and Sting were victorious, but after the match, Joe left the ring and allowed Sting to be attacked. Joe explained this by stating that he agreed to only watch Sting's back "from bell to bell" (implying that once the second bell rang, his duties were over), but still had issues with Steiner. Joe added Scott Steiner to his undefeated streak, at Slammiversary.
During the Impact! tapings on May 15, Joe was injured as he performed a kick, and it was reported that he tore every knee
ligament
except the anterior cruciate ligament
. He suffered a first degree tear to the posterior cruciate ligament
and a second degree tear to the medial collateral ligament
. Joe would remain out of action for two weeks. After returning, Joe lost his X Division Championship in a triple threat match with Sonjay Dutt and Senshi. Senshi pinned Dutt to win the championship after Steiner laid out Joe with a steel chair. Joe would have his chance at revenge when he participated in a four-way number one contender match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
along with Sting, Christian Cage
, and Scott Steiner at Victory Road on July 16. Joe lost this match when Sting pinned Steiner.
that if Jarrett or Sting (Jarrett's scheduled opponent at Bound For Glory) wanted the belt, they could take it from him. On the October 12 episode, Joe agreed to return the belt to the Jarrett-Sting winner under one condition—the winner had to agree to give him a title shot. This offer was turned down, and finally Joe was given the choice of giving back the title or be fired. Kurt Angle
made his debut and got into a brawl with Joe after he again refused to give back the belt, and during the brawl, Jarrett took the belt back. At Bound for Glory on October 22, Joe defeated Raven
, Brother Runt
and Abyss
in a Monster's Ball match
. The match ended when special referee Jake Roberts
performed a DDT
to Raven, allowing Joe to deliver the Muscle Buster to Raven for the pinfall. Later in the night, Joe was involved in a pull-apart brawl with Kurt Angle after Jim Cornette announced that he would be fired if he interfered in the main event match that involved Angle as special enforcer. At Genesis, Joe lost to Angle after tapping out to Angle's ankle lock. This ended his eighteen month undefeated streak. Throughout the rest of 2006 into 2007, Joe continued to feud with Angle picking up a victory by submission in their rematch at Turning Point, before suffering a legitimate knee injury in a tag team match that pitted Rhino and Kurt Angle against Joe and A.J. Styles. On January 14, 2007 at Final Resolution, Joe faced Angle in a thirty minute Iron Man match
. With seconds remaining, Joe had Angle in the ankle lock. Although Angle tapped out, he did so just after time had expired. As a result, Angle won the match three falls to two.
On the February 14 edition of Impact!, Joe won a gauntlet match to become the number one contender to Christian Cage's NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Destination X. Joe lost to Cage after Cage reversed the Coquina Clutch into a pinning combination and used the ropes for leverage. On the May 24 edition of Impact!, Joe qualified for the King of the Mountain match
at Slammiversary
by defeating Sting with a Samoan drop after Christopher Daniels hit Sting with a baseball bat; Joe lost the King of the Mountain match, when Kurt Angle hung the belt. He then qualified to compete in the Match of Champions at Victory Road by defeating Jay Lethal
and Chris Sabin
for the X Division title on the July 12 episode of Impact!. At the Match of Champions, Joe scored the winning pinfall on Brother Ray after Kurt Angle hit the Angle Slam and won the TNA World Tag Team Championship
from Team 3D, making him the first wrestler in TNA to hold multiple TNA championships. He later opted to hold both the titles by himself. At Hard Justice, Joe put up the X Division title and both Tag Team titles against Kurt Angle's TNA World title as well as the IGF's version of the IWGP World Championship. Joe, however, lost all his titles thanks to interferences by Karen Angle
, enabling Kurt to become the second TNA Triple Crown Champion. Joe became the first man to defeat Christian Cage by pinfall or submission in TNA, forcing him tap out to the Coquina Clutch at Bound for Glory
, thus ending Cage's twenty-three month undefeated streak by pinfall or submission in TNA.
Joe was then announced as the teammate of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall in their match against the Angle Alliance
at Turning Point. Hall, however, no-showed the event. Before the match, Joe was asked to cut a promo alleviating heat
from the company and introducing Eric Young
as Hall's replacement. Joe went five minutes overtime and ranted against Hall (whom he sarcastically referred to as "The Phantom of the Impact Zone"), Nash and some other superstars, which legitimately upset Nash and TNA President Dixie Carter at ringside. Before calling Young to come to the ring he told the TNA ringside staff, "Are you mad? Go ahead, fire me, I don't care". Joe, Nash and Young defeated the Angle Alliance when Joe pinned Tomko after a Muscle Buster. After the match, Joe and Nash briefly argued and shoved one another backstage, with Joe apologizing at a talent meeting the following day. On-screen, though, Joe continued to direct his frustration towards TNA management, going as far as to trash a Christmas party organized by Matt Morgan. In storyline, after complaining to Jim Cornette that he did not have a match at Final Resolution, Cornette decided to team Joe with Kevin Nash, who was to receive a title shot with Scott Hall when he returned. At Final Resolution, Joe, along with his tag team partner Kevin Nash lost to the team of A.J. Styles and Tomko
. This occurred after Nash refused to tag himself into the match leaving Joe to fend for himself. In addition, Nash "flipped off
" Joe whilst leaving the ringside area. After Nash had screwed Joe at Final Resolution, a furious Joe stormed to the backstage area on the hunt for Nash, only to find him welding a baseball bat for protection and refusing to fight Joe unless they got paid. Nash explained to Joe that he was teaching him a lesson about the wrestling business and told Joe he could help him to the top if he followed his direction. In good faith, Nash gave Joe the bat and implored to hit him if he was not satisfied with his explanation. Joe was still fuming, but let Nash go without incident. On the January 24 edition of Impact!, Joe went on a rampage, attacking several TNA employees, culminating in his attacking of Jeremy Borash
after being announced as the MVP of 2007.
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At Against All Odds, Joe served as the special enforcer for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
match where Kurt Angle defended his title against challenger Christian Cage. During the contest, A.J. Styles interfered and Joe fought Styles to the back, but Tomko came out and attacked Cage giving Angle the win. On the February 14 edition of Impact!, Joe formed an alliance with Cage and Kevin Nash, to compete with Kurt Angle's Angle Alliance. It was also announced that Joe would be given the next TNA World Heavyweight Championship opportunity against Angle. Over the next few weeks, Joe and his new found alliance would attack the Angle Alliance leading up to their match at Destination X
. Joe vowed that he would eliminate the Angle Alliance so he would receive a fair title match with Angle at Lockdown
. On the March 6 edition of Impact!, Joe, Christian, and Nash faced a member of the Angle Alliance to determine who would get a five minute advantage during their match at Destination X. Joe lost his First Blood match to Tomko, but Nash defeated Styles in a Street Fight
while Cage defeated Angle in a Six Sides of Steel match. Joe's team won the match when he made Tomko tap out to the Coquina Clutch. Achieving his goal to eliminate the Angle Alliance, nothing now stood in the way of Joe getting a fair title shot at Lockdown.
At Lockdown, Joe defeated Angle to win his first TNA World Championship and become TNA's third Triple Crown Champion. The stipulation of the match was if Joe had lost, he would have had to retire from professional wrestling. He successfully defeated Angle in a rematch on Impact! and then retained against Scott Steiner
and Kaz
at Sacrifice
. At Slammiversary
, Joe became the first champion to ever retain his title in a King of the Mountain match.< Joe was then challenged to a match by Booker T
at Victory Road
, which he accepted. At Victory Road the match went to a No Contest when Sting hit Joe with a baseball bat and Booker pinned him while Sharmell
made the three count. At Hard Justice
, Joe defeated Booker after a guitar shot, thus reclaiming physical possession of the title belt, which Booker had kept after Victory Road. At Bound for Glory IV
, he fought Sting in a losing effort to defend the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, ending his reign at 182 days.
On the October 30 edition of Impact!, Joe and AJ Styles formed a faction of younger wrestlers also featuring Jay Lethal
, Consequences Creed, Petey Williams
, Eric Young, ODB
and The Motor City Machineguns, calling themselves "The Frontline
", to oppose the The Main Event Mafia
of Kurt Angle, Sting, Kevin Nash, Booker T and Scott Steiner. At Turning Point
Nash defeated Joe by pinning him with his feet on the ropes following a steel chair shot, a low blow and after ramming Joe's head to an exposed turnbuckle. At Final Resolution
, The Front Line lost to The Main Event Mafia in a 4-on-4 tag match and Styles failed to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On the December 18 edition of Impact!, Joe and Styles defeated Sting and Nash in a Six Sides of Steel match. Following the match, Joe was attacked by the members of the Main Event Mafia and suffered injuries
which would sideline him for the rest of the year.
, Joe got himself disqualified in his return match against his old rival and Main Event Mafia member Scott Steiner. That same week on Impact!, Joe once again got disqualified this time in a match with Sheik Abdul Bashir
. He took him backstage, hung him upside down, and tortured him.
The following week, he competed in a 20-man Six Sides Of Steel match where the last two men standing would be determined the captains of the Lethal Lockdown Match at Lockdown
. He entered last and won the match by pinning rival Kurt Angle via the Muscle Buster. He then later stated backstage that he did not wish to be captain, but would still be part of the team. His teammates were Jeff Jarrett, A.J. Styles and the returning Daniels. They faced off against The Main Event Mafia at Lockdown, and won the match. At this time he also revealed that he was taking orders from a "secret advisor" who he was seen talking to many times backstage although the person's identity was not revealed. He then feuded with Kevin Nash as his next victim of the Mafia and finally beat his old mentor at Sacrifice
.
At Slammiversary
, Joe betrayed A.J. Styles and turned on all the fans by helping Kurt Angle win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
in the King of the Mountain match
, and thus turned heel
. On the June 25 episode of Impact!, Joe officially joined The Main Event Mafia
after having spent the last five months taking them out. This was revealed by Angle, to be a master plan to fool the TNA Frontline and the attacks were all planned by Joe and the Mafia in advance. Joe then went on to explain that he joined the Mafia for the money that was invested by Jenna Morasca
and for the power and also debuted a new rap themed, entrance music. Throughout the night, he carried out attacks with the Mafia on Styles and Daniels and the leader of the Mafia, Sting, who was kicked out of the Mafia as leader and once again replaced with Kurt Angle. At Victory Road
, Joe faced Sting in a grudge match. Late in the match, Taz
made his TNA debut and helped Joe beat Sting, thus revealing himself as his new adviser. At Hard Justice
Joe defeated Homicide to win the X Division title for the fourth time. After winning this title, Joe feuded with his longtime rival Daniels and defeated him at No Surrender
. On the October 8 edition of Impact! Joe lost the X Division title to Amazing Red
after Bobby Lashley interfered in the match. At Bound for Glory
Lashley defeated Joe in a submission match with a referee stoppage. On the following edition of Impact! Kurt Angle turned into a fan favorite, thus signaling the end of the Main Event Mafia. The following month at Turning Point
Joe unsuccessfully challenged TNA World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles for the title in a three-way match, also involving Daniels.
Joe took part in the "Feast or Fired" match and won the briefcase containing a shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. After being off TV for several weeks, Joe returned on the February 4 edition of Impact!, by attacking A.J. Styles, who had recently turned heel with Ric Flair
, and announcing that he would be using his "Feast or Fired" briefcase to get a shot at Styles' World Heavyweight Championship at Against All Odds
, turning face in the process. At the pay-per-view Styles retained his title against Joe in a No Disqualification match refereed by Eric Bischoff
. After losing a match against new TNA acquisition Orlando Jordan
on the following Impact!, Joe was abducted by masked men. On March 29 he resurfaced in a video package on an episode of Impact!. Joe made his return on the April 19 edition of Impact! appearing as a surprise member of Team Hogan (Abyss, Jeff Jarrett and Rob Terry
) in an eight man tag team match against Team Flair (Sting, Desmond Wolfe
, Robert Roode and James Storm
), in which he scored the deciding pinfall by pinning Roode after a Muscle Buster. Joe then left the Impact Zone and did not celebrate with his fellow team members. The following week Joe inexplicably assaulted the X Division Champion Kazarian, after his title match with Shannon Moore
. In the following weeks Joe went on to randomly attack wrestlers like Douglas Williams
, Brian Kendrick
and Matt Morgan, the last of whom lost the TNA World Tag Team Championship thanks to the attack.
On the May 20 edition of Impact! Joe was ranked number ten in the first ever TNA Championship Committee rankings for a World Heavyweight Championship title shot. He began his climb up the rankings by defeating Hernandez
on June 17, number four ranked A.J. Styles on July 1 and by wrestling number two ranked Jeff Hardy
to a ten minute time limit draw on the July 22 edition of Impact!. After the match with Hardy, Joe was upset with the production crew for starting a countdown to the time limit draw, when Joe specifically requested not to start one because he thought it would reveal the ending of the match early. Because of his outburst, Joe was suspended from TNA indefinitely. Joe returned from his suspension on August 23 at the tapings of the August 26 edition of Impact! to defeat Orlando Jordan. The following week on Impact!, Joe aligned himself with Jeff Jarrett and Hulk Hogan
in their war with Sting and Kevin Nash. At No Surrender
Joe and Jarrett defeated Sting and Nash in a tag team match, when Joe choked out Sting, after Jarrett had hit him with his baseball bat behind Joe's back. At Bound for Glory
Joe and Jarrett faced Sting, Nash and their newest ally D'Angelo Dinero
in a handicap match, after Hulk Hogan, who was scheduled to team with Joe and Jarrett, was forced to pull out due to a back surgery. At the end of the match Jarrett abandoned Joe and left him to be pinned by Nash. Later in the night it was revealed that Hogan was in fact in the building as he helped Jeff Hardy win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and formed a new heel alliance with Hardy, Eric Bischoff, Jeff Jarrett and Abyss.
Joe tried to attack Jarrett on the October 21 edition of Impact!, but was stopped by TNA's security officers Gunner
and Murphy
, before being beat down by Jarrett. Joe returned two weeks later, attacking Jarrett, Gunner and Murphy. At Turning Point
Jarrett defeated Joe, after choking him out with a baton, following interference from Gunner and Murphy. The following month at Final Resolution
Joe faced Jarrett in a submission match. After a pre–match assault and later an interference by Gunner and Murphy, Jarrett managed to force Joe to submit with an ankle lock. Earlier that same day it was reported that Joe's contract with TNA had expired. On December 17, 2010, TNA president Dixie Carter announced on her Twitter
page that Joe had re–signed with the promotion. Joe returned on the January 6, 2011, edition of Impact!, confronting D'Angelo Dinero and claiming that he had not been using his donations to help the needy, like he was supposed to. Two weeks later Okato
was revealed as the camera man, whom Joe had hired to follow Dinero and from whom he had gotten the video footage to support his claim. On February 13 at Against All Odds
Joe defeated Dinero in a singles match, but was afterwards attacked and bloodied by him. On the March 10 edition of Impact!, Dinero defeated Joe in a rematch between the two, after hitting him with a chain. On April 17 at Lockdown
, Joe defeated Dinero in a steel cage match to end the feud.
, whom he would abandon in the ring and the hands of Abyss on two occasions, claiming that he himself had not needed anyone's help during his own undefeated streak, becoming a tweener in the process. On June 12 at Slammiversary IX
, Joe was defeated by Crimson in a singles match, afterwards reverting back to being a face by shaking Crimson's hand. Afterwards, Joe began showing frustration as his losing streak continued with losses against Rob Van Dam
, Devon, Kazarian and Bobby Roode. After losing all nine of his matches in the Bound for Glory Series to determine the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, Joe finally ended his long losing streak on the August 4 edition of Impact Wrestling by defeating D'Angelo Dinero via submission, but the decision was reversed after he refused to release his hold following the match. Joe then accused TNA management of being against him and proclaimed that from now on the blood would be on their hands. After voicing his intention of ruining the Bound for Glory Series, Joe attacked its participants Devon, D'Angelo Dinero and rankings leader Crimson, who was forced to pull out of the tournament following the attack, after suffering a storyline ankle injury. On the final week of the Bound for Glory Series, Joe went to interfere in a match between Gunner and Rob Van Dam, but was stopped by guest color commentator Matt Morgan, who was sidelined with a torn pectoral muscle. This led to a brawl later in the evening, which ended with Joe hitting Morgan in the arm with a steel chair. On September 11 at No Surrender
, Joe continued his losing streak as he was defeated by Morgan in a grudge match. On the following edition of Impact Wrestling, Joe ended his losing streak by defeating Morgan in a submission match. After returning from his injury, Crimson scored two more victories over Joe, first defeating him in a singles match on the October 6 edition of Impact Wrestling, and then in a three-way match, also involving Matt Morgan, at Bound for Glory
on October 16.
at Noche de Campeones, a special event held on February 14, 2009. There he was booked against El Chicano
, the reigning IWA Undisputed World Unified Heavyweight Champion
. Chicano won the match by pinfall. Prior to the show, Joe spent time with fans in a "Meet and Greet" event.
Seanoa avidly trains in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
, judo
and Muay Thai
at LA Boxing in Costa Mesa, California
. He is often noted as a sparring partner for Team Punishment
member Justin McCully
and is often in attendance in the locker room for Team Punishment fighters such as Tito Ortiz
and Kendall Grove
, with whom he maintains friendships.
Seanoa made brief appearances on the American version of the television show Distraction
, participating in the round where wrestlers perform moves on contestants while they answer questions.
1After being stripped of the title, Samoa Joe's reign was stricken from the promotion's records and the title returned to Eddie Osbourne, the man Samoa Joe defeated for the title.
2After the title was vacated, Samoa Joe and partner Keiji Sakoda's reign was stricken from the promotion's records.
3After winning the championship, Samoa Joe held the title by himself.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, better known by his ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
.
Before debuting in TNA in June 2005, Seanoa competed in the Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
(ROH) independent
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
, where he held the ROH World Championship
ROH World Championship
The Ring of Honor World Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Ring of Honor. The championship has also been through other companies in cooperation with ROH through the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance , the governing body of many independent wrestling...
for a record 21 months. Upon joining TNA, Seanoa embarked upon an 18 month-long undefeated streak, in which he never lost a match by pinfall or submission. That streak came to an end at the Genesis
TNA Genesis
Genesis is an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. The name was originally used on May 9, 2003 for a two-hour DirecTV special that highlighted early moments in TNA’s history....
event in 2006, when he tapped out to Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
's ankle lock submission hold.
Throughout his career, Seanoa has won numerous championships, including the Ring of Honor World championship
ROH World Championship
The Ring of Honor World Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Ring of Honor. The championship has also been through other companies in cooperation with ROH through the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance , the governing body of many independent wrestling...
and the Pure championship
ROH Pure Championship
The Ring of Honor Pure Championship was a professional wrestling championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor...
. Within TNA, he is a former TNA World Heavyweight Champion
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
The TNA World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is currently the highest ranked championship in TNA and is primarily defended in TNA's heavyweight division...
, a four-time TNA X Division Champion, and a one-time TNA World Tag Team Champion
TNA World Tag Team Championship
The TNA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily contested within TNA's tag team division. It was created and debuted on May 14, 2007 at the taping of TNA's primary television program,...
. He has also won the 2005 Super X Cup Tournament
TNA 2005 Super X Cup Tournament
The 2005 Super X Cup Tournament was a professional wrestling X Cup tournament held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Then X Division Champion Christopher Daniels provided guest commentary for a number of the matches, where he coined the unofficial nickname for the tournament: "The Christopher...
, the 2008 King of the Mountain match (the only one to retain the world championship in the match), and the TNA Triple Crown.
Early life
Seanoa was born and raised in Southern California. He resided mainly in Huntington BeachHuntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...
and spent time during his childhood in Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. Seanoa's family founded a Polynesian dance troupe
Music of Polynesia
Polynesia is a group of island chains spread across much of the Pacific Ocean, and includes many countries and territories. Internationally, Polynesian music is mostly associated with twinkling guitars and grass skirts, Hawaiian hula and other tourist-friendly forms of music...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
called Tiare Productions. Seanoa made his on stage debut at the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
opening at the age of five. He became a California State Junior Judo Champion and was an all league football player while attending Ocean View High School
Ocean View High School
Ocean View High School is located in Huntington Beach, California. OVHS was established in 1976 whose mascot is the Seahawks. Currently, there are approximately 1,600 enrolled students.-International Baccalaureate Magnet School:...
. Before becoming a wrestler, Seanoa worked as a mortgage broker
Mortgage broker
A mortgage broker acts as an intermediary whose brokers mortgage loans on behalf of individuals or businesses.Traditionally, banks and other lending institutions have sold their own products. However as markets for mortgages have become more competitive, the role of the mortgage broker has become...
.
Professional wrestling career
Joe was the first graduate of the UIWA West Coast Dojo, training under Cincinnati RedCincinnati Red
Gregory Scott Daves is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known by his ring name Cincinnati Red.-National Wrestling Conference :...
, along with Johnny Hemp and, occasionally, John Delayo. He debuted in December 1999 in a match against "Uncle" Jess Hansen just three months after beginning training.
Ultimate Pro Wrestling (2000–2001)
Joe quickly signed with former World Wrestling FederationWorld Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
developmental affiliate Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW), where he feuded
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
and made an appearance on WWF Jakked
WWE Jakked/Metal
WWE Jakked and WWE Metal were professional wrestling television programs produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . Both shows aired syndicated weekly from 1999 until 2002 and replaced WWF Shotgun Saturday Night...
against Essa Rios
Mr. Águila
José Seldano is a Mexican professional wrestler or luchador currently working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre...
,. He tagged with Mike Knox
Mike Knox
Michael Shawn Hettinga is a American professional wrestler. He is best known for wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment as Mike Knox. He is also an avid fisherman, and fishes in his spare time.-Independent circuit :...
at UPW Proving Ground on December 12, 2000 in the Galaxy Theatre of Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
and defeated the debuting Al Katrazz
Alkatrazz
Brian Fleming is an American professional wrestler. He is best known by his ring name Al Katrazz, which is a word play on the name of Alcatraz Prison...
with Basil. He eventually captured the UPW Heavyweight Championship. He later became the longest reigning UPW Heavyweight Champion ever.
Pro Wrestling Zero1 and Pro Wrestling Noah (2001–2002)
In June 2001, Joe made his way to JapanProfessional wrestling in Japan
Puroresu is the popular term for the predominant style or genre of professional wrestling that has developed in Japan. The term comes from the Japanese pronunciation of "professional wrestling" , which is shortened to puroresu . The term became popular among English-speaking fans due to Hisaharu...
, wrestling for Shinya Hashimoto
Shinya Hashimoto
, was a Japanese professional wrestler. Along with Masahiro Chono and Keiji Mutoh, Hashimoto was dubbed one of the "Three Musketeers" that began competing in New Japan Pro Wrestling in the mid 1980s and dominated the promotion in the 1990s....
's Pro Wrestling Zero1 promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
, fighting in its Shingeki series of pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
s, as well as the annual Burning Heart tournaments. During this time, Joe also began wrestling for southern California promotion Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is a professional wrestling promotion that is run by wrestlers themselves as it was created by Southern California wrestlers Disco Machine, Excalibur, Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Super Dragon, and Top Gun Talwar...
, where he had an on-screen rivalry with Super Dragon
Super Dragon
Daniel Lyon , better known by his ring name Super Dragon, is an American professional wrestler. Beginning his career in 1997, he has competed in companies such as All Pro Wrestling, Revolution Pro, Combat Zone Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor...
.
Joe continued to work for the promotion throughout 2002, participating in a number of their biggest shows and tournaments. After forming a team with Keiji Sakoda, they became the first-ever holders of the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship, though their reign is no longer officially recognized by the promotion. He worked as both Samoa Joe and, later, King Joe, but ultimately chose to leave the promotion when he was asked to take on a more gimmicky character.
In October 2007, he made his debut for Pro Wrestling Noah
Pro Wrestling Noah
is a major Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling ace Mitsuharu Misawa. NOAH is broadcast weekly in Japan...
at the Yokohoma Red Brickhouse, Joe teamed with Yoshihiro Takayama
Yoshihiro Takayama
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Takayama is well known for his ability to endure massive amounts of punishment, especially after his fight at PRIDE 21 against Don Frye...
to take on the team of Mitsuharu Misawa
Mitsuharu Misawa
was a Japanese professional wrestler. He made his professional debut on August 21, 1981 for All Japan Pro Wrestling . From 1984 until 1990, Misawa wrestled as the second generation Tiger Mask, as All Japan Pro Wrestling had purchased the rights of the Tiger Mask gimmick from New Japan Pro Wrestling...
and Takeshi Morishima
Takeshi Morishima
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently performing for Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan and has performed for Ring of Honor in the United States in the past. He is a former Ring of Honor World champion...
. Joe captured the win for his team after pinning Misawa with an Island Driver, one of his finishing maneuvers. Two days later, on October 27, Joe again faced Misawa, this time for the GHC title in a one-on-one match at the Budokan Hall
Nippon Budokan
The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in central Tokyo, Japan.This is the location where many "Live at the Budokan" albums were recorded...
. Both competitors had exchanged and overcame their respective signature moves throughout the match but it was Misawa who won the pinfall after striking the back of Joe's head with his elbow thus marking his sixth successful title defense.
Ring of Honor (2002–2007)
Back in the United States, Joe joined the ranks of the East Coast-based Ring of HonorRing of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
(ROH) promotion in 2002. He made his debut at "Glory by Honor" as Christopher Daniels
Christopher Daniels
Daniel Christopher Covell is an American professional wrestler, best known in the United States by his ring name "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. He is also known for performing under the ring name Curry Man. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , while also...
's "hired assassin", brought in to take out Daniels's chief enemy, Low Ki. Originally booked for just the one match against Low Ki, Joe impressed fans with his extremely stiff and hard-hitting style that resembled a mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
fighter more than a wrestler, which led to ROH booking him full time.
Joe quickly rose through the ranks and became ROH Champion
ROH World Championship
The Ring of Honor World Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Ring of Honor. The championship has also been through other companies in cooperation with ROH through the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance , the governing body of many independent wrestling...
, defeating Xavier
John Jirus
John Jirus is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Ring of Honor between 2002 and 2004 as Xavier. He is a former ROH Champion.-Professional wrestling career:Jirus trained under Tony DeVito before debuting in 1997...
for the belt, which soon became the ROH World Championship on May 17, 2003 after defeating The Zebra Kid
The Zebra Kid
The Zebra Kid is a ring name used by several professional wrestlers, who would often wear zebra print tights and sometimes masks to the ring.Users of the ring name and gimmick include:...
at "Frontiers of Honor" in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He held that title for twenty one months before losing it to Austin Aries
Austin Aries
Daniel Healy "Dan" Solwold, Jr. better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is the current X Division Champion...
at "Final Battle 2004" on December 26, 2004. During this time, he had a trilogy of title defenses against CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
(the second match earning a 5 star rating from Dave Meltzer
Dave Meltzer
David A. Meltzer is the editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter . Sports Illustrated senior writer Frank Deford has praised Meltzer's work, saying that "Meltzer, I believe, is the most accomplished reporter in sports journalism." Meltzer has written for the Oakland Tribune, the Los Angeles...
's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the first American match in seven years to do so). Soon after losing the ROH World Championship to Austin Aries, Joe became the promotion's fifth Pure Champion
ROH Pure Championship
The Ring of Honor Pure Championship was a professional wrestling championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor...
, defeating his on-screen protégé Jay Lethal
Jay Lethal
Jamar "Jay" Shipman better known by his ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Ring of Honor , where he is the ROH World Television Champion...
for the belt on May 7, 2005 at "Manhattan Mayhem" in New York City. He held the title for over three months before losing it to Nigel McGuinness
Nigel McGuinness
Steven Haworth is an English professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Desmond Wolfe and Nigel McGuinness. As McGuinness he first gained notoriety working for Ring of Honor in the United States and Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan...
on August 27 at "Dragon Gate Invasion".
In October 2005, when Japanese heavyweight superstar Kenta Kobashi
Kenta Kobashi
Not to be confused with his protégé Kenta Kobayashi is a Japanese professional wrestler currently under contract to Pro Wrestling Noah. He worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling from 1988–2000, where he became one of the promotion's top stars....
made a "once-in-a-lifetime" trip to the United States, he was signed to two Ring of Honor shows. ROH officials selected Joe to face him in a singles match on the first night and a tag match on the second. Joe proved to be a formidable opponent for Kobashi, in a back and forth match, which Dave Meltzer again gave a five-star rating. The match went on to win the Wrestling Observer Newsletter award for "Match of the Year". In 2006, Joe was one of the principal wrestlers representing Ring of Honor in their war against rival Philadelphia promotion Combat Zone Wrestling
Combat Zone Wrestling
Combat Zone Wrestling is a independent wrestling promotion. In 1999, John Zandig and four of his students, Ric Blade, Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain began to run backyard wrestling shows in New Jersey and Delaware, showcasing a brand of hardcore wrestling dubbed as "ultraviolence"...
(CZW). The war culminated in a five-on-five Cage of Death match at "Death before Dishonor IV". Joe helped ROH dominate in the match, until, after picking up CZW wrestler Chris Hero
Chris Hero
Chris Spradlin is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Hero. He is a mainstay of many independent wrestling promotions, including Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as well as Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan...
for one of his finishers, the Muscle Buster, he was attacked by fellow ROH wrestler Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand as Daniel Bryan, and currently holds the SmackDown Money in the Bank briefcase, which enables him to have a World Heavyweight Championship match at any time of his choosing...
. Danielson repeatedly hit his injured knee with a steel chair, forcing him to quit the match. Joe was later replaced in the match by Homicide, who went on to win the match for ROH. Joe later teamed with Homicide to fight against the Briscoes, and, like Homicide, found himself back in the ROH world title hunt. Joe, however, came up short against champion Bryan Danielson in several matches, including a match that went to a 60 Minute Draw and the final one being a cage match on December 8. At the December 9 show, Joe called out the Pro Wrestling Noah
Pro Wrestling Noah
is a major Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling ace Mitsuharu Misawa. NOAH is broadcast weekly in Japan...
promotion, claiming "Ring of Honor is right here!" This was not his first encounter with NOAH; at the September 16, 2006 ROH show, after a speech by wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino is an Italian-American former professional wrestler, best known for being the longest-running champion of the World Wide Wrestling Federation , holding the title across two reigns for over 11 years in total, as well as the longest single WWE Championship reign...
, Joe got into an argument and pull-apart brawl with Noah star Takeshi Morishima
Takeshi Morishima
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently performing for Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan and has performed for Ring of Honor in the United States in the past. He is a former Ring of Honor World champion...
. Subsequently a match was signed for February pitting Joe against Morishima which Joe won.
On January 31, Joe announced that he would no longer be a full time performer in ROH after March 4. All shows that led up to that date would be billed as the "Samoa Joe Farewell Tour". On March 4, he beat longtime rival Homicide in his final ROH match with a Muscle Buster from the second rope. On November 22, Joe made a one night only return for Rising Above
Rising Above (2008)
Rising Above was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor. It took place on November 22, 2008 from the Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge, Illinois. It aired on January 16, 2009....
, defeating Tyler Black
Tyler Black
Colby Lopez is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tyler Black. He is signed to a contract with WWE, where he competes in their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling as Seth Rollins. He is a former FCW 15 Champion and FCW Florida Tag Team Champion with...
in a non-pay-per-view main event.
Undefeated streak (2005–2006)
On June 14, 2005, it was announced that Joe had signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
(TNA). He made his official debut five days later at the Slammiversary pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
, defeating Sonjay Dutt
Sonjay Dutt
Retesh Bhalla is an American professional wrestler of Indian Punjabi descent, better known by his ring name, Sonjay Dutt. He is best known working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and is also known for his stints with Combat Zone Wrestling, Major League Wrestling, and other various independent...
in a match that saw him dubbed "The Samoan Submission Machine" by announcer Mike Tenay
Mike Tenay
Michael William "Mike" Tenay is a professional wrestling play-by-play announcer currently employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . Prior to signing with TNA in 2002, he had a notable tenure with World Championship Wrestling from 1994-2001...
. Joe was a participant in the Christopher Daniels
Christopher Daniels
Daniel Christopher Covell is an American professional wrestler, best known in the United States by his ring name "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. He is also known for performing under the ring name Curry Man. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , while also...
Invitational Super X Cup
TNA 2005 Super X Cup Tournament
The 2005 Super X Cup Tournament was a professional wrestling X Cup tournament held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Then X Division Champion Christopher Daniels provided guest commentary for a number of the matches, where he coined the unofficial nickname for the tournament: "The Christopher...
, defeating Sonjay Dutt and Alex Shelley
Alex Shelley
Patrick Martin , is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Alex Shelley. He wrestles for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he currently teams with Chris Sabin as The Motor City Machine Guns. He previously gained fame on the independent circuit, working most notably for...
to advance to the tournament finals at Sacrifice. Joe won the tournament by defeating A.J. Styles
A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones , better known by his ring name A.J. Styles is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, but only with help from Daniels. As a result of Daniels' interference, however, TNA Director of Authority Larry Zbyszko
Larry Zbyszko
Lawrence "Larry" Whistler is a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Larry Zbyszko. Zbyszko is perhaps best known for his feud with his mentor, wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino during the early 1980s....
made Daniels defend his X Division Championship
TNA X Division Championship
The TNA X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily defended in TNA's X Division—a style based on a fast-paced, daredevil type of wrestling...
in a three-way match against both Joe and Styles at TNA Unbreakable
TNA Unbreakable
Unbreakable was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, which took place on September 11, 2005 from the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
. This match marked Joe's first title shot in the company, though Styles was booked to win the match. Joe's undefeated streak was still officially intact, as it was Daniels that had been pinned, not Joe. This match is to date the only match in TNA's history to receive a rating of five stars from Dave Meltzer
Dave Meltzer
David A. Meltzer is the editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter . Sports Illustrated senior writer Frank Deford has praised Meltzer's work, saying that "Meltzer, I believe, is the most accomplished reporter in sports journalism." Meltzer has written for the Oakland Tribune, the Los Angeles...
.
Roderick Strong
Chris Lindsey is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Roderick Strong. Strong currently competes in several independent promotions, most notably Ring of Honor , Full Impact Pro , and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla .He initially debuted as The Jester on the Floridian...
(a team that Daniels called "The Ministry") against Sonjay Dutt, Chris Sabin
Chris Sabin
Joshua Harter is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Sabin. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he currently teams with Alex Shelley as The Motor City Machine Guns.After being trained by Scott D'Amore, Sabin debuted in 2000 for...
, Matt Bentley
Matt Bentley
Matthew James "Matt" Bentley is an American professional wrestler best known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling by the ring name Michael Shane. He was trained by his cousin, former World Wrestling Entertainment wrestler Shawn Michaels, and he took the name Michael Shane as a play on...
, and Austin Aries in an eight man elimination match. Following the victory by Daniels and Joe (Shelley and Strong were eliminated earlier in the match), Joe attacked Daniels, beating him around the ringside area until he had busted him open. He then threw Daniels into the ring, and delivered a Muscle Buster. Joe then went out to grab a steel chair from ringside and brought it into the ring, after which he gave Daniels a second Muscle Buster, this time onto the chair, supposedly giving Daniels a level-3 concussion. In response to these actions, Styles called Joe out on an episode of Impact!
TNA iMPACT!
Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...
, saying his attack of Daniels violated an unwritten code of respect in the X Division. Prior to Turning Point, Joe attacked Styles, saying he did not respect the X Division code (a vast departure from his Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
persona, who is a stalwart defender of their written Code of Honor). Joe defeated Styles at Turning Point and won the X Division Championship. Joe could not injure Styles, however, Daniels came out and stopped him. Daniels was later slated to face Joe at Final Resolution in 2006 for the X Division Championship. During the build-up to the match, Joe stated that he intended to end Daniels' career. During the match, Styles came down to the ring to cheer for Daniels. Not long after making Daniels bleed from his head, Joe stopped going for the pin, instead dropping knee after knee on Daniels' head. Styles, concerned about Daniels' health, signaled for the match to be stopped by throwing in the towel, allowing Joe to retain the X Division title. Joe proceeded to win rematch of the three-way at Unbreakable, thus retaining his title. This three-way feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
continued until Destination X, when he lost the title to Daniels in an Ultimate X match
Ultimate X match
The Ultimate X match is a type of professional wrestling match created by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , mainly used in their X Division. It is considered the "signature match of the X Division," as stated numerous times by Mike Tenay right before an Ultimate X match begins.-Match...
, a match in which there is no pinfall or submission, thus keeping his undefeated streak.
Joe was then taken out of the X Division and matched with an initially unannounced opponent. On the March 25 edition of Impact!, it was announced that he would take on Sabu at Lockdown
Lockdown (2006)
Lockdown was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on April 23, 2006 from the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the second annual event under the Lockdown chronology. Eight professional wrestling matches were featured...
. Despite that, he still had a scheduled X Division title match, and, on April 13's Impact! (TNA's Thursday debut), Joe regained the X Division title after delivering an Island Driver from the middle turnbuckle to Christopher Daniels. Joe then successfully defended his X Division title against Sabu at Lockdown. At Sacrifice, Joe partnered with Sting in a tag team match against Jeff Jarrett
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
and Scott Steiner
Scott Steiner
Scott Carl Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Scott Steiner. Steiner is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling alongside his older brother Rick as the Steiner Brothers and as a member of the New World Order...
. Joe and Sting were victorious, but after the match, Joe left the ring and allowed Sting to be attacked. Joe explained this by stating that he agreed to only watch Sting's back "from bell to bell" (implying that once the second bell rang, his duties were over), but still had issues with Steiner. Joe added Scott Steiner to his undefeated streak, at Slammiversary.
During the Impact! tapings on May 15, Joe was injured as he performed a kick, and it was reported that he tore every knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
ligament
Ligament
In anatomy, the term ligament is used to denote any of three types of structures. Most commonly, it refers to fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bones and is also known as articular ligament, articular larua, fibrous ligament, or true ligament.Ligament can also refer to:* Peritoneal...
except the anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
. He suffered a first degree tear to the posterior cruciate ligament
Posterior cruciate ligament
The posterior cruciate ligament is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It connects the posterior intercondylar area of the tibia to the medial condyle of the femur...
and a second degree tear to the medial collateral ligament
Medial collateral ligament
The medial collateral ligament of the knee is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. It is also known as the tibial collateral ligament, or abbreviated as the MCL.- Structure :It is a broad, flat, membranous band,...
. Joe would remain out of action for two weeks. After returning, Joe lost his X Division Championship in a triple threat match with Sonjay Dutt and Senshi. Senshi pinned Dutt to win the championship after Steiner laid out Joe with a steel chair. Joe would have his chance at revenge when he participated in a four-way number one contender match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
along with Sting, Christian Cage
Jason Reso
William Jason Reso is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring names Christian and Christian Cage...
, and Scott Steiner at Victory Road on July 16. Joe lost this match when Sting pinned Steiner.
Contender and Champion (2006–2008)
Joe beat Jeff Jarrett at No Surrender in a "Fan's Revenge Lumberjack match". After the match, he took Jarrett's NWA World Heavyweight Championship with him, telling Jim CornetteJim Cornette
James Mark "Jim" Cornette is an American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker. As a manager, he has worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation and from 1991 to 1995, was the owner of Smoky Mountain Wrestling...
that if Jarrett or Sting (Jarrett's scheduled opponent at Bound For Glory) wanted the belt, they could take it from him. On the October 12 episode, Joe agreed to return the belt to the Jarrett-Sting winner under one condition—the winner had to agree to give him a title shot. This offer was turned down, and finally Joe was given the choice of giving back the title or be fired. Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
made his debut and got into a brawl with Joe after he again refused to give back the belt, and during the brawl, Jarrett took the belt back. At Bound for Glory on October 22, Joe defeated Raven
Scott Levy
Scott Anthony Levy , better known by his ring name Raven, is an American professional wrestler, wrestling producer, wrestling writer, and occasional author and actor currently working for Juggalo Championship Wrestling , where he is co-holder of the JCW Tag Team Championship, as well as other...
, Brother Runt
Matt Hyson
Matthew "Matt" Hyson is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his performances in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Spike Dudley and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Brother Runt.In ECW, he was a two-time...
and Abyss
Chris Parks
Christopher J. "Chris" Parks , better known by his ring name "The Monster" Abyss, is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
in a Monster's Ball match
Monster's Ball match
A Monster's Ball match is a professional wrestling, hardcore match staged by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. The name is derived from the 2001 film Monster's Ball....
. The match ended when special referee Jake Roberts
Jake Roberts
Aurelian Jake Smith, Jr. is a second-generation American professional wrestler, the son of former wrestler Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith...
performed a DDT
DDT (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock, and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat...
to Raven, allowing Joe to deliver the Muscle Buster to Raven for the pinfall. Later in the night, Joe was involved in a pull-apart brawl with Kurt Angle after Jim Cornette announced that he would be fired if he interfered in the main event match that involved Angle as special enforcer. At Genesis, Joe lost to Angle after tapping out to Angle's ankle lock. This ended his eighteen month undefeated streak. Throughout the rest of 2006 into 2007, Joe continued to feud with Angle picking up a victory by submission in their rematch at Turning Point, before suffering a legitimate knee injury in a tag team match that pitted Rhino and Kurt Angle against Joe and A.J. Styles. On January 14, 2007 at Final Resolution, Joe faced Angle in a thirty minute Iron Man match
Iron Man match
An Iron Man match is a professional wrestling match type that is set to go a specific amount of time, usually 30 or 60 minutes, with the competitor with the most falls at the end of that time named the victor...
. With seconds remaining, Joe had Angle in the ankle lock. Although Angle tapped out, he did so just after time had expired. As a result, Angle won the match three falls to two.
On the February 14 edition of Impact!, Joe won a gauntlet match to become the number one contender to Christian Cage's NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Destination X. Joe lost to Cage after Cage reversed the Coquina Clutch into a pinning combination and used the ropes for leverage. On the May 24 edition of Impact!, Joe qualified for the King of the Mountain match
King of the Mountain match
The King of the Mountain match is a professional wrestling match exclusive to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . It consists of five competitors competing for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship or the TNA X Division Championship as of Slammiversary 2009...
at Slammiversary
Slammiversary (2007)
Slammiversary was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, which took place on June 17, 2007 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. It was the third event under the Slammiversary chronology and marked the fifth anniversary of...
by defeating Sting with a Samoan drop after Christopher Daniels hit Sting with a baseball bat; Joe lost the King of the Mountain match, when Kurt Angle hung the belt. He then qualified to compete in the Match of Champions at Victory Road by defeating Jay Lethal
Jay Lethal
Jamar "Jay" Shipman better known by his ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Ring of Honor , where he is the ROH World Television Champion...
and Chris Sabin
Chris Sabin
Joshua Harter is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Sabin. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he currently teams with Alex Shelley as The Motor City Machine Guns.After being trained by Scott D'Amore, Sabin debuted in 2000 for...
for the X Division title on the July 12 episode of Impact!. At the Match of Champions, Joe scored the winning pinfall on Brother Ray after Kurt Angle hit the Angle Slam and won the TNA World Tag Team Championship
TNA World Tag Team Championship
The TNA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily contested within TNA's tag team division. It was created and debuted on May 14, 2007 at the taping of TNA's primary television program,...
from Team 3D, making him the first wrestler in TNA to hold multiple TNA championships. He later opted to hold both the titles by himself. At Hard Justice, Joe put up the X Division title and both Tag Team titles against Kurt Angle's TNA World title as well as the IGF's version of the IWGP World Championship. Joe, however, lost all his titles thanks to interferences by Karen Angle
Karen Angle
Karen Jarrett is an American professional wrestling valet and personality, currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, enabling Kurt to become the second TNA Triple Crown Champion. Joe became the first man to defeat Christian Cage by pinfall or submission in TNA, forcing him tap out to the Coquina Clutch at Bound for Glory
Bound for Glory (2007)
Bound for Glory was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on October 14, 2007 at the Gwinnett Center in the Atlanta suburb of Duluth, Georgia. It was the third event under the Bound for Glory chronology...
, thus ending Cage's twenty-three month undefeated streak by pinfall or submission in TNA.
Joe was then announced as the teammate of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall in their match against the Angle Alliance
Angle Alliance
The Angle Alliance was a heel wrestling stable headed by Kurt Angle in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. For Lockdown 2008, in the absence of Kurt from the stable's activities, Tomko captained a subdivision under the name "Team Tomko".-Initial Formation:The formation took place at Genesis when A.J...
at Turning Point. Hall, however, no-showed the event. Before the match, Joe was asked to cut a promo alleviating heat
Heat (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, heat refers to both crowd reaction and real-life animosity between those involved in the professional wrestling business. In terms of crowd reaction, heat is usually either cheers for a babyface or boos for a heel...
from the company and introducing Eric Young
Eric Young (wrestler)
Jeremy Fritz is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known under his ring name Eric Young. He currently performs for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he has gained popularity using a variety of comic relief gimmicks....
as Hall's replacement. Joe went five minutes overtime and ranted against Hall (whom he sarcastically referred to as "The Phantom of the Impact Zone"), Nash and some other superstars, which legitimately upset Nash and TNA President Dixie Carter at ringside. Before calling Young to come to the ring he told the TNA ringside staff, "Are you mad? Go ahead, fire me, I don't care". Joe, Nash and Young defeated the Angle Alliance when Joe pinned Tomko after a Muscle Buster. After the match, Joe and Nash briefly argued and shoved one another backstage, with Joe apologizing at a talent meeting the following day. On-screen, though, Joe continued to direct his frustration towards TNA management, going as far as to trash a Christmas party organized by Matt Morgan. In storyline, after complaining to Jim Cornette that he did not have a match at Final Resolution, Cornette decided to team Joe with Kevin Nash, who was to receive a title shot with Scott Hall when he returned. At Final Resolution, Joe, along with his tag team partner Kevin Nash lost to the team of A.J. Styles and Tomko
A.J. Styles and Tomko
A.J. Styles and Tomko are former tag team partners in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling who were a part of two factions together, Christian's Coalition and the Angle Alliance....
. This occurred after Nash refused to tag himself into the match leaving Joe to fend for himself. In addition, Nash "flipped off
Finger (gesture)
In Western culture, the finger , also known as the middle finger, is an obscene hand gesture, often meaning the phrases "fuck off" , "fuck you" or "up yours"...
" Joe whilst leaving the ringside area. After Nash had screwed Joe at Final Resolution, a furious Joe stormed to the backstage area on the hunt for Nash, only to find him welding a baseball bat for protection and refusing to fight Joe unless they got paid. Nash explained to Joe that he was teaching him a lesson about the wrestling business and told Joe he could help him to the top if he followed his direction. In good faith, Nash gave Joe the bat and implored to hit him if he was not satisfied with his explanation. Joe was still fuming, but let Nash go without incident. On the January 24 edition of Impact!, Joe went on a rampage, attacking several TNA employees, culminating in his attacking of Jeremy Borash
Jeremy Borash
Jeremy Borash , is an American professional wrestling play-by-play commentator, announcer, ring announcer, booker, interviewer, producer and website designer...
after being announced as the MVP of 2007.
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
The TNA World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is currently the highest ranked championship in TNA and is primarily defended in TNA's heavyweight division...
match where Kurt Angle defended his title against challenger Christian Cage. During the contest, A.J. Styles interfered and Joe fought Styles to the back, but Tomko came out and attacked Cage giving Angle the win. On the February 14 edition of Impact!, Joe formed an alliance with Cage and Kevin Nash, to compete with Kurt Angle's Angle Alliance. It was also announced that Joe would be given the next TNA World Heavyweight Championship opportunity against Angle. Over the next few weeks, Joe and his new found alliance would attack the Angle Alliance leading up to their match at Destination X
Destination X (2008)
Destination X was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on March 9, 2008 at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia. It was the fourth event under the Destination X chronology and the third event in the 2008 TNA PPV...
. Joe vowed that he would eliminate the Angle Alliance so he would receive a fair title match with Angle at Lockdown
Lockdown (2008)
Lockdown was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on April 13, 2008 at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Massachusetts. It was the fourth annual event under the Lockdown chronology. Eight professional wrestling matches were featured...
. On the March 6 edition of Impact!, Joe, Christian, and Nash faced a member of the Angle Alliance to determine who would get a five minute advantage during their match at Destination X. Joe lost his First Blood match to Tomko, but Nash defeated Styles in a Street Fight
Hardcore wrestling
Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted...
while Cage defeated Angle in a Six Sides of Steel match. Joe's team won the match when he made Tomko tap out to the Coquina Clutch. Achieving his goal to eliminate the Angle Alliance, nothing now stood in the way of Joe getting a fair title shot at Lockdown.
At Lockdown, Joe defeated Angle to win his first TNA World Championship and become TNA's third Triple Crown Champion. The stipulation of the match was if Joe had lost, he would have had to retire from professional wrestling. He successfully defeated Angle in a rematch on Impact! and then retained against Scott Steiner
Scott Steiner
Scott Carl Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Scott Steiner. Steiner is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling alongside his older brother Rick as the Steiner Brothers and as a member of the New World Order...
and Kaz
Frankie Kazarian
Frank B. Gerdelman is an Armenian-American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Frankie Kazarian or simply Kazarian. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
at Sacrifice
Sacrifice (2008)
Sacrifice was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on May 11, 2008 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the fourth event under the Sacrifice chronology...
. At Slammiversary
Slammiversary (2008)
Slammiversary was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on June 8, 2008 from the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, Mississippi. It was the fourth event under the Slammiversary chronology and marked the sixth anniversary of the...
, Joe became the first champion to ever retain his title in a King of the Mountain match.< Joe was then challenged to a match by Booker T
Booker Huffman
Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World...
at Victory Road
Victory Road (2008)
Victory Road was the fourth Victory Road professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by American promotion, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, which he accepted. At Victory Road the match went to a No Contest when Sting hit Joe with a baseball bat and Booker pinned him while Sharmell
Sharmell Sullivan
Sharmell Sullivan-Huffman is an American professional wrestling valet and occasional wrestler - the wife of Booker T. She is best known for her work as Queen Sharmell with WWE until her release in 2007. She first came to prominence in the wrestling world as Paisley, a member of the World...
made the three count. At Hard Justice
Hard Justice (2008)
Hard Justice was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on August 10, 2008 at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, New Jersey. It was the fourth annual event under the Hard Justice chronology...
, Joe defeated Booker after a guitar shot, thus reclaiming physical possession of the title belt, which Booker had kept after Victory Road. At Bound for Glory IV
Bound for Glory IV
Bound for Glory IV was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on October 12, 2008 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. It was the fourth annual Bound for Glory event and the first to be referred to in roman numerals...
, he fought Sting in a losing effort to defend the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, ending his reign at 182 days.
On the October 30 edition of Impact!, Joe and AJ Styles formed a faction of younger wrestlers also featuring Jay Lethal
Jay Lethal
Jamar "Jay" Shipman better known by his ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Ring of Honor , where he is the ROH World Television Champion...
, Consequences Creed, Petey Williams
Petey Williams
Peter "Petey" Williams III is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a two time X Division Champion and a former captain of Team Canada. Williams Currently Wrestles for Lucha Libre USA...
, Eric Young, ODB
Jessica Kresa
Jessica Kresa is an American professional wrestler and actress better known as ODB , currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where she is a former three–time TNA Women's Knockout Champion....
and The Motor City Machineguns, calling themselves "The Frontline
The TNA Front Line
The TNA Front Line was a heroic alliance in the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
", to oppose the The Main Event Mafia
The Main Event Mafia
The Main Event Mafia was a heel stable in the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
of Kurt Angle, Sting, Kevin Nash, Booker T and Scott Steiner. At Turning Point
Turning Point (2008)
Turning Point was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on November 9, 2008 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the fourth event under the Turning Point chronology and first event under the name to...
Nash defeated Joe by pinning him with his feet on the ropes following a steel chair shot, a low blow and after ramming Joe's head to an exposed turnbuckle. At Final Resolution
Final Resolution (December 2008)
Final Resolution was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on December 7, 2008 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the fifth event under the Final Resolution chronology and second Final Resolution event to take...
, The Front Line lost to The Main Event Mafia in a 4-on-4 tag match and Styles failed to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On the December 18 edition of Impact!, Joe and Styles defeated Sting and Nash in a Six Sides of Steel match. Following the match, Joe was attacked by the members of the Main Event Mafia and suffered injuries
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
which would sideline him for the rest of the year.
Nation of Violence and The Main Event Mafia (2009)
On the January 29 episode of Impact!, a short video was shown in which Joe, sporting a new buzzcut hairstyle, tribal facepaint, and much heavier frame stated he would like to introduce the Main Event Mafia to both the "real" Joe and his "nation of violence". At Destination XDestination X (2009)
Destination X was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on March 15, 2009 at the TNA Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida...
, Joe got himself disqualified in his return match against his old rival and Main Event Mafia member Scott Steiner. That same week on Impact!, Joe once again got disqualified this time in a match with Sheik Abdul Bashir
Shawn Daivari
Dara Daivari is an Iranian American professional wrestler, currently performing on the American independent circuit as Shawn Daivari. He is best known for his work with World Wrestling Entertainment as simply Daivari and with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as Sheik Abdul Bashir.-Career:Daivari...
. He took him backstage, hung him upside down, and tortured him.
The following week, he competed in a 20-man Six Sides Of Steel match where the last two men standing would be determined the captains of the Lethal Lockdown Match at Lockdown
Lockdown (2009)
Lockdown was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on April 19, 2009 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the fifth event under the Lockdown chronology...
. He entered last and won the match by pinning rival Kurt Angle via the Muscle Buster. He then later stated backstage that he did not wish to be captain, but would still be part of the team. His teammates were Jeff Jarrett, A.J. Styles and the returning Daniels. They faced off against The Main Event Mafia at Lockdown, and won the match. At this time he also revealed that he was taking orders from a "secret advisor" who he was seen talking to many times backstage although the person's identity was not revealed. He then feuded with Kevin Nash as his next victim of the Mafia and finally beat his old mentor at Sacrifice
Sacrifice (2009)
-Pre-show:Before the show was broadcasted live, there was a match that aired on TNA's Web site and for free on television, which pitted Amazing Red against Kiyoshi...
.
At Slammiversary
Slammiversary (2009)
Slammiversary was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on June 21, 2009 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was the fifth event under the Slammiversary chronology and used to commemorate the seventh...
, Joe betrayed A.J. Styles and turned on all the fans by helping Kurt Angle win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
The TNA World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is currently the highest ranked championship in TNA and is primarily defended in TNA's heavyweight division...
in the King of the Mountain match
King of the Mountain match
The King of the Mountain match is a professional wrestling match exclusive to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . It consists of five competitors competing for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship or the TNA X Division Championship as of Slammiversary 2009...
, and thus turned heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
. On the June 25 episode of Impact!, Joe officially joined The Main Event Mafia
The Main Event Mafia
The Main Event Mafia was a heel stable in the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
after having spent the last five months taking them out. This was revealed by Angle, to be a master plan to fool the TNA Frontline and the attacks were all planned by Joe and the Mafia in advance. Joe then went on to explain that he joined the Mafia for the money that was invested by Jenna Morasca
Jenna Morasca
Jenna Morasca is an American actress, former swimsuit model and American reality TV contestant who was the million-dollar grand prize winner of Survivor: The Amazon and previously worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
and for the power and also debuted a new rap themed, entrance music. Throughout the night, he carried out attacks with the Mafia on Styles and Daniels and the leader of the Mafia, Sting, who was kicked out of the Mafia as leader and once again replaced with Kurt Angle. At Victory Road
Victory Road (2009)
Victory Road was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on July 19, 2009 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
, Joe faced Sting in a grudge match. Late in the match, Taz
Tazz
Peter Senerchia is a retired American professional wrestler and current color commentator best known by his ring name Tazz, originally Tazmaniac and later shortened to simply Taz...
made his TNA debut and helped Joe beat Sting, thus revealing himself as his new adviser. At Hard Justice
Hard Justice (2009)
Hard Justice was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on August 16, 2009 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the fifth event under the Hard Justice chronology....
Joe defeated Homicide to win the X Division title for the fourth time. After winning this title, Joe feuded with his longtime rival Daniels and defeated him at No Surrender
No Surrender (2009)
No Surrender was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on September 20, 2009 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
. On the October 8 edition of Impact! Joe lost the X Division title to Amazing Red
Amazing Red
Jonathan Figueroa is a professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Amazing Red, or simply Red for short. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a former three-time X Division Champion, while also working on the American independent circuit...
after Bobby Lashley interfered in the match. At Bound for Glory
Bound for Glory (2009)
Bound for Glory was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on October 18, 2009 at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, California. It was the fifth event under the Bound for Glory chronology. The Event was the Premiere...
Lashley defeated Joe in a submission match with a referee stoppage. On the following edition of Impact! Kurt Angle turned into a fan favorite, thus signaling the end of the Main Event Mafia. The following month at Turning Point
Turning Point (2009)
Turning Point was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on November 15, 2009 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
Joe unsuccessfully challenged TNA World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles for the title in a three-way match, also involving Daniels.
Various feuds (2009–2011)
At Final ResolutionFinal Resolution (2009)
Final Resolution was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on December 20, 2009 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
Joe took part in the "Feast or Fired" match and won the briefcase containing a shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. After being off TV for several weeks, Joe returned on the February 4 edition of Impact!, by attacking A.J. Styles, who had recently turned heel with Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
, and announcing that he would be using his "Feast or Fired" briefcase to get a shot at Styles' World Heavyweight Championship at Against All Odds
Against All Odds (2010)
-See also:*TNA Against All Odds*List of TNA pay-per-view events-External links:**...
, turning face in the process. At the pay-per-view Styles retained his title against Joe in a No Disqualification match refereed by Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
. After losing a match against new TNA acquisition Orlando Jordan
Orlando Jordan
Orlando Jordan is an American professional wrestler, most recently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Jordan is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one-time United States Champion....
on the following Impact!, Joe was abducted by masked men. On March 29 he resurfaced in a video package on an episode of Impact!. Joe made his return on the April 19 edition of Impact! appearing as a surprise member of Team Hogan (Abyss, Jeff Jarrett and Rob Terry
Rob Terry
Robert "Rob" Terry is a Welsh professional wrestler and bodybuilder. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . Before signing with TNA, he was under contract with World Wrestling Entertainment and competed in the company's developmental territory, Florida Championship...
) in an eight man tag team match against Team Flair (Sting, Desmond Wolfe
Nigel McGuinness
Steven Haworth is an English professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Desmond Wolfe and Nigel McGuinness. As McGuinness he first gained notoriety working for Ring of Honor in the United States and Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan...
, Robert Roode and James Storm
James Storm
James Allen Cox is an American professional wrestler who competes under the ring name "The Cowboy" James Storm. Since 2002, Storm has been employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he, along with A.J...
), in which he scored the deciding pinfall by pinning Roode after a Muscle Buster. Joe then left the Impact Zone and did not celebrate with his fellow team members. The following week Joe inexplicably assaulted the X Division Champion Kazarian, after his title match with Shannon Moore
Shannon Moore
Shannon Moore is an American professional wrestler, who is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling between 1999 and 2001 and with World Wrestling Entertainment for several years in the 2000s.Moore befriended Matt and Jeff Hardy...
. In the following weeks Joe went on to randomly attack wrestlers like Douglas Williams
Doug Williams (wrestler)
Douglas Clayton Durdle is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Doug Williams. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Douglas Williams...
, Brian Kendrick
Brian Kendrick
Brian David Kendrick is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under his real name. Before joining TNA he spent several years wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment, where he wrestled under his name, as Spanky, and finally as "The" Brian Kendrick...
and Matt Morgan, the last of whom lost the TNA World Tag Team Championship thanks to the attack.
On the May 20 edition of Impact! Joe was ranked number ten in the first ever TNA Championship Committee rankings for a World Heavyweight Championship title shot. He began his climb up the rankings by defeating Hernandez
Shawn Hernandez
Shawn Hernandez is an American professional wrestler of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring names, "Hotstuff Hernandez" and "Hernandez"....
on June 17, number four ranked A.J. Styles on July 1 and by wrestling number two ranked Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
to a ten minute time limit draw on the July 22 edition of Impact!. After the match with Hardy, Joe was upset with the production crew for starting a countdown to the time limit draw, when Joe specifically requested not to start one because he thought it would reveal the ending of the match early. Because of his outburst, Joe was suspended from TNA indefinitely. Joe returned from his suspension on August 23 at the tapings of the August 26 edition of Impact! to defeat Orlando Jordan. The following week on Impact!, Joe aligned himself with Jeff Jarrett and Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
in their war with Sting and Kevin Nash. At No Surrender
No Surrender (2010)
No Surrender was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on September 5, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
Joe and Jarrett defeated Sting and Nash in a tag team match, when Joe choked out Sting, after Jarrett had hit him with his baseball bat behind Joe's back. At Bound for Glory
Bound for Glory (2010)
Bound for Glory was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , that took place on October 10, 2010 at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was the sixth annual event under the Bound for Glory chronology. Bound For Glory is considered to be...
Joe and Jarrett faced Sting, Nash and their newest ally D'Angelo Dinero
Elijah Burke
Elijah Samuel Burke is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the name of "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero; a gimmick in which he portrays a Harlem street preacher...
in a handicap match, after Hulk Hogan, who was scheduled to team with Joe and Jarrett, was forced to pull out due to a back surgery. At the end of the match Jarrett abandoned Joe and left him to be pinned by Nash. Later in the night it was revealed that Hogan was in fact in the building as he helped Jeff Hardy win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and formed a new heel alliance with Hardy, Eric Bischoff, Jeff Jarrett and Abyss.
Joe tried to attack Jarrett on the October 21 edition of Impact!, but was stopped by TNA's security officers Gunner
Phill Shatter
Chad Lail is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, where he performs under the ring name Gunner. In TNA, Lail is a member of the Immortal stable and a former one-time TNA Television Champion...
and Murphy
Mikael Judas
Michael Cole is an American professional wrestler best known by the ring name Mikael Judas and for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Murphy.-Professional wrestling career:...
, before being beat down by Jarrett. Joe returned two weeks later, attacking Jarrett, Gunner and Murphy. At Turning Point
Turning Point (2010)
Turning Point was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , that took place on November 7, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
Jarrett defeated Joe, after choking him out with a baton, following interference from Gunner and Murphy. The following month at Final Resolution
Final Resolution (2010)
Final Resolution was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling professional wrestling promotion, that took place on December 5, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
Joe faced Jarrett in a submission match. After a pre–match assault and later an interference by Gunner and Murphy, Jarrett managed to force Joe to submit with an ankle lock. Earlier that same day it was reported that Joe's contract with TNA had expired. On December 17, 2010, TNA president Dixie Carter announced on her Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
page that Joe had re–signed with the promotion. Joe returned on the January 6, 2011, edition of Impact!, confronting D'Angelo Dinero and claiming that he had not been using his donations to help the needy, like he was supposed to. Two weeks later Okato
Kazuchika Okada
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling. From February 2010 until October 2011, he was on a developmental tour, working for American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the name Okada.-Training and debut:Trained by Último Dragón at his Toryumon...
was revealed as the camera man, whom Joe had hired to follow Dinero and from whom he had gotten the video footage to support his claim. On February 13 at Against All Odds
Against All Odds (2011)
Against All Odds was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on February 13, 2011 at TNA Impact! Zone in Universal Studios Florida...
Joe defeated Dinero in a singles match, but was afterwards attacked and bloodied by him. On the March 10 edition of Impact!, Dinero defeated Joe in a rematch between the two, after hitting him with a chain. On April 17 at Lockdown
Lockdown (2011)
Lockdown was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, that took place on April 17, 2011 at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the seventh event under the Lockdown chronology and the fourth event of the 2011 TNA PPV schedule...
, Joe defeated Dinero in a steel cage match to end the feud.
Heel turn (2011)
Joe's next feud would be with the undefeated CrimsonTommy Mercer
Tommy Mercer is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Crimson. He is currently one half of the TNA World Tag Team Champions with Matt Morgan...
, whom he would abandon in the ring and the hands of Abyss on two occasions, claiming that he himself had not needed anyone's help during his own undefeated streak, becoming a tweener in the process. On June 12 at Slammiversary IX
Slammiversary IX
Slammiversary IX was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on June 12, 2011 at the Impact Wrestling Zone in Orlando, Florida...
, Joe was defeated by Crimson in a singles match, afterwards reverting back to being a face by shaking Crimson's hand. Afterwards, Joe began showing frustration as his losing streak continued with losses against Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, Devon, Kazarian and Bobby Roode. After losing all nine of his matches in the Bound for Glory Series to determine the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, Joe finally ended his long losing streak on the August 4 edition of Impact Wrestling by defeating D'Angelo Dinero via submission, but the decision was reversed after he refused to release his hold following the match. Joe then accused TNA management of being against him and proclaimed that from now on the blood would be on their hands. After voicing his intention of ruining the Bound for Glory Series, Joe attacked its participants Devon, D'Angelo Dinero and rankings leader Crimson, who was forced to pull out of the tournament following the attack, after suffering a storyline ankle injury. On the final week of the Bound for Glory Series, Joe went to interfere in a match between Gunner and Rob Van Dam, but was stopped by guest color commentator Matt Morgan, who was sidelined with a torn pectoral muscle. This led to a brawl later in the evening, which ended with Joe hitting Morgan in the arm with a steel chair. On September 11 at No Surrender
No Surrender (2011)
No Surrender was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that took place on September 11, 2011 at the Impact Wrestling Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the seventh annual No Surrender chronology...
, Joe continued his losing streak as he was defeated by Morgan in a grudge match. On the following edition of Impact Wrestling, Joe ended his losing streak by defeating Morgan in a submission match. After returning from his injury, Crimson scored two more victories over Joe, first defeating him in a singles match on the October 6 edition of Impact Wrestling, and then in a three-way match, also involving Matt Morgan, at Bound for Glory
Bound for Glory (2011)
Bound for Glory was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , that took place on October 16, 2011 at the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University in Philadelphia. It was the seventh annual event under the Bound for Glory chronology. Bound...
on October 16.
International Wrestling Association (2009)
Joe debuted in the International Wrestling AssociationInternational Wrestling Association
The International Wrestling Association is a wrestling promotion in Puerto Rico, started in Japan in 1994 by promoter Victor Quiñones. The Hispanic division was created in 1999. The company was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance until 2001, but again became a member in 2007...
at Noche de Campeones, a special event held on February 14, 2009. There he was booked against El Chicano
Carlos Cotto
Carlos Omar Cotto Cruz is an Puerto Rican professional wrestler, also known by his ring names, El Chicano and El Ilegal.-Personal life:...
, the reigning IWA Undisputed World Unified Heavyweight Champion
IWA World Heavyweight Championship
The IWA Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the International Wrestling Association...
. Chicano won the match by pinfall. Prior to the show, Joe spent time with fans in a "Meet and Greet" event.
Personal life
Seanoa was married on July 27, 2007. Seanoa is close friends with fellow wrestlers CM Punk, Homicide, Christopher Daniels, A.J. Styles, and Rob Van Dam. Seanoa has also appeared on Van Dam's internet based reality show RVD TV numerous times.Seanoa avidly trains in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...
, judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
and Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
at LA Boxing in Costa Mesa, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He is often noted as a sparring partner for Team Punishment
Team Punishment
Punishment Training Center is a mixed martial arts training camp founded in 1999 by Tito Ortiz. Also known as Punishment Athletics, the training center is headquartered in Huntington Beach, California, with a training camp located in Big Bear, California....
member Justin McCully
Justin McCully
Justin McCully is an American mixed martial artist who most recently fought in the UFC heavyweight division.He has a professional fight record of ten wins, five losses, and two draws...
and is often in attendance in the locker room for Team Punishment fighters such as Tito Ortiz
Tito Ortiz
Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz is a Mexican-American mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, having held the title from April 14, 2000 to September 26, 2003. Along with fighters like Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, he was one of the sport's early stars...
and Kendall Grove
Kendall Grove
Kendall Kekoa Grove is an American mixed martial artist. He was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 3 on Spike TV.- Early life :...
, with whom he maintains friendships.
Seanoa made brief appearances on the American version of the television show Distraction
Distraction (game show)
Distraction was a game show that aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom from 31 October 2003 to 11 June 2004. Presented by comedian Jimmy Carr, the show involves contestants answering questions, while being distracted in various bizarre, painful and humiliating ways.Carr is aided by...
, participating in the round where wrestlers perform moves on contestants while they answer questions.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
-
- CCS Enzuigiri (Jumping twisting enzuigiri while facing away from the cornered opponent) – Independent circuitIndependent circuitIn professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
; used as a regular move in TNATotal Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact... - Chimera-Plex (German suplex followed into a dragon suplex and finished with an X-Plex) – Independent circuit
- Coquina Clutch (TNA) / The Clutch (TNA) / The Choke (Independent circuit) (Rear naked choke, sometimes transitioned into a suplex)
- Island Driver (Sitout side powerslam, sometimes from the second rope, or an over the shoulder reverse piledriver)
- Muscle Buster, sometimes from the second rope
- CCS Enzuigiri (Jumping twisting enzuigiri while facing away from the cornered opponent) – Independent circuit
- Signature moves
-
- Atomic Drop
- Chop to the back of a seated opponent followed by a football kick to the chest and finished with a jumping knee drop
- Death Valley driver, sometimes from the second rope
- Elbow Suicida (Suicide dive transitioned into a flying forearm smash)
- Facewash
- Inverted atomic drop followed by a running single leg dropkick and finished with a running senton
- Forearm smash to a cornered opponent sometimes followed by a CCS Enzuigiri
- Lariat
- Multiple suplexSuplexA suplex is an offensive move used in professional sport wrestling . The move consists of one wrestler picking up his or her opponent off the ground and then using a large portion of his or her own body weight to drive the opponent down on the mat. Nearly all suplexes have the attacker going down...
variations- Dragon
- Exploder
- German
- Half nelson
- Head and arm
- Olé Kick (Running arched big boot to the face of an opponent seated on a chair next to a guardrail)
- PowerbombPowerbombA powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a standing headscissors position...
followed into either a prawn hold, a thigh-held single leg Boston crab, an STF or a crossface - Samoan drop
- Samoan Elbow (FeintFeintFeint is a French term that entered English from the discipline of fencing. Feints are maneuvers designed to distract or mislead, done by giving the impression that a certain maneuver will take place, while in fact another, or even none, will...
leg dropLeg dropA leg drop or legdrop refers to an attack used in professional wrestling in which an attacking wrestler will jump and land his leg across a fallen opponent's chest, throat, face or head or in some cases, the groin/lower-abdominal area...
transitioned into an elbow drop to the opponent's chest) - Sidewalk slam
- Snap scoop powerslam followed into either a cover attempt or a crucifix armbar
- STF
- STJoe (One-armed side slam, as a counter to an oncoming opponent)
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Kevin NashKevin NashKevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...
- TazTazzPeter Senerchia is a retired American professional wrestler and current color commentator best known by his ring name Tazz, originally Tazmaniac and later shortened to simply Taz...
- Kevin Nash
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s- "The Samoan Suplex Machine"
- "The Samoan Submission Machine"
- "The Nation of Violence"
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- Samoa Joe's various entrance themes in the past were typically customized to start with the menacing "Godzilla March ThemeGodzilla MarchThe Godzilla March theme is the second official theme to the monster character Godzilla and the series he is apart of, it's one of the most notable songs in the Godzilla franchise. It premiered on the film King Kong vs. Godzilla, the third film in the franchise.The most notable alternated version...
" horn riff, signifying Joe's presence while allowing for different tracks over the years. TNA would end this tradition with their own custom theme, though it starts with a similar riff. - "Another Body MurderedAnother Body Murdered"Another Body Murdered" is a song created as a collaboration between Faith No More and Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. for the soundtrack to the 1993 film Judgment Night. It was released as a single in September 1993, one month before the film's première...
by Faith No MoreFaith No MoreFaith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
and Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. are a hip hop group from Carson, California, composed of the Devoux brothers Paul, Ted, Donald, Roscoe, Danny, and David. Their family is from Samoa. They first began playing music in their father's Baptist church. Before anyone else arrived, they would play P-Funk and experiment...
(ROH) - "Mama Said Knock You Out" by LL Cool JLL Cool JJames Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
(ROH) - "The Champ is Here" by JadakissJadakissJason Phillips , better known as Jadakiss, is an American rapper. He is a member of the group The LOX. Jadakiss is one of the three owners of the imprint known as D-Block. In early 2007, Jadakiss signed to Roc-a-Fella Records / Def Jam Records.-Early life:By the age of 16, Jadakiss was a freestyle...
(ROH) - "Crush You Up" by Dale OliverDale OliverDale Byron Oliver is an American music composer who works for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Formerly a guitarist in BackHawk , Oliver serves mainly as a composer of theme music used in professional wrestling.-Music composer for TNA:Since 2003, Oliver writes, records, and produces music under...
(TNA) - "On Fire" by Dale Oliver (TNA)
- "Nation of Violence" by Dale Oliver (TNA)
- Samoa Joe's various entrance themes in the past were typically customized to start with the menacing "Godzilla March Theme
Championships and accomplishments
- Ballpark Brawl
- Natural Heavyweight Championship (1 time)1
- Extreme Wrestling Federation
- Xtreme 8 Tournament (2006)
- Independent Wrestling Association Mid-SouthIndependent Wrestling Association Mid-SouthIndependent Wrestling Association Mid-South is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky.- History :...
- Revolution Strong Style Tournament (2004)
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him #4 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2006 and 2008
- PWI Feud of the Year (2007) vs. Kurt AngleKurt AngleKurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
- PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (2006)
- Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max
- NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (1 time)2 – with Keiji SakodaRyan SakodaRyan Sakoda is a Japanese American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in World Wrestling Entertainment and current work for Ultimate Pro Wrestling as a part-time trainer for the wrestlers, as well as working in the independents as Ryan Sakoda.-Professional wrestling...
- NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (1 time)2 – with Keiji Sakoda
- Pure Wrestling Association
- PWA Pure Wrestling Championship (1 time)
- Ring of HonorRing of HonorRing of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
- ROH Pure ChampionshipROH Pure ChampionshipThe Ring of Honor Pure Championship was a professional wrestling championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor...
(1 time) - ROH World ChampionshipROH World ChampionshipThe Ring of Honor World Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Ring of Honor. The championship has also been through other companies in cooperation with ROH through the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance , the governing body of many independent wrestling...
(1 time)
- ROH Pure Championship
- SoCal Uncensored
- Rookie of the Year (2000)
- Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
- TNA World Heavyweight ChampionshipTNA World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe TNA World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is currently the highest ranked championship in TNA and is primarily defended in TNA's heavyweight division...
(1 time) - TNA World Tag Team ChampionshipTNA World Tag Team ChampionshipThe TNA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily contested within TNA's tag team division. It was created and debuted on May 14, 2007 at the taping of TNA's primary television program,...
(1 time)3 - TNA X Division ChampionshipTNA X Division ChampionshipThe TNA X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily defended in TNA's X Division—a style based on a fast-paced, daredevil type of wrestling...
(4 times) - King of the MountainKing of the Mountain matchThe King of the Mountain match is a professional wrestling match exclusive to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . It consists of five competitors competing for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship or the TNA X Division Championship as of Slammiversary 2009...
(2008King of the Mountain matchThe King of the Mountain match is a professional wrestling match exclusive to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . It consists of five competitors competing for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship or the TNA X Division Championship as of Slammiversary 2009...
) - Super X Cup (2005TNA 2005 Super X Cup TournamentThe 2005 Super X Cup Tournament was a professional wrestling X Cup tournament held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Then X Division Champion Christopher Daniels provided guest commentary for a number of the matches, where he coined the unofficial nickname for the tournament: "The Christopher...
) - Turkey Bowl (2007)
- Triple Crown Champion (1 time)
- Mr. TNA (2006)
- Mr. X Division (2006)
- Feud of the Year (2006–2007)
- Finisher of the Year (2007)
- TNA World Heavyweight Championship
- Twin Wrestling Entertainment
- TWE Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Ultimate Pro Wrestling
- UPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- UPW No Hold Barred Championship (2 times)
- United Independent Wrestling Alliance
- UIWA Tag Team Championship (2 times)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- 5 Star Match (2004) vs. CM Punk at ROH Joe vs. Punk II on October 16
- 5 Star Match (2005) vs. AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels at TNA UnbreakableTNA UnbreakableUnbreakable was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, which took place on September 11, 2005 from the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
on September 11 - 5 Star Match (2005) vs. Kenta Kobashi at ROH Joe vs. Kobashi on October 1
- Best Brawler (2006)
- Match of the Year (2005) vs. Kenta Kobashi, ROH Joe vs. Kobashi, October 1
- Most Outstanding Wrestler (2005)
1After being stripped of the title, Samoa Joe's reign was stricken from the promotion's records and the title returned to Eddie Osbourne, the man Samoa Joe defeated for the title.
2After the title was vacated, Samoa Joe and partner Keiji Sakoda's reign was stricken from the promotion's records.
3After winning the championship, Samoa Joe held the title by himself.
External links
- Samoa Joe at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- TNA Profile
- Online World of Wrestling Profile
- The Whit Online: Ring of Honor legend on his farewell tour by Neil Borenstein