Backstage reason for Samoa Joe‘s AEW absence revealed.
All In’s pre-show Zero Hour saw The Opps (Katsuyori Shibata, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Samoa Joe) take on the Deathriders ( Wheeler Yuta, Claudio Castagnoli, and Gabe Kidd) for the AEW World Trios Championship.
Although the Opps walked away with the victory, the post-match events stole the spotlight. Joe suffered a brutal beatdown at the hands of his opponents, who executed a Pillmanizer attack that appeared to seriously injure him.
The attack was so intense that the former World Champion had to be stretchered out of the arena, leaving fans stunned.
Initially, many assumed this was simply part of a storyline to escalate the feud between the two factions. However, a new report suggests there may be more to the situation than meets the eye.
Samoa Joe Was Reportedly Scheduled To Be Off TV After AEW All In
According to Fightful Select’s Patreon, backstage sources revealed that the Samoan Submission Machine will be out for some time due to his commitments outside of wrestling.
The Trios Champion was scheduled to be off TV after All In, as he is a part of the promotions for the upcoming season of Twisted Metal.
The Opps faction member plays the role of the popular character of Sweet Tooth in the show, whose new season releases July 31 on Peacock.
The show is based on a video game franchise by Sony Interactive Entertainment, with the Sweet Tooth character being beloved both in the game and the TV series.
There is no official word on the duration of his absence, but it is safe to assume that he, much like his Twisted Metal character, will be returning with a vengeance.