This article contains a potential major spoiler regarding the June 15th episode of NXT.
A new report from PWInsider has noted that Samoa Joe is backstage for tonight’s NXT taping.
Speculation began swirling on June 11th that Samoa Joe could be in line for a shocking return to NXT. It was reported by Fightful Select that numerous talents and staff had heard that some within NXT were looking to bring back the former champion. A return to the black and gold brand would reportedly be for a “wrestling role.”
This was followed by a conflicting report which hinted that a Samoa Joe return could be linked to William Regal’s comments at the end of TakeOver: In Your House. As the show went off the air the NXT General Manager said that it might be time for a change.
The report by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio explained that any new role would be as a non-wrestler.
“So, I think that’s the cue for Samoa Joe. I don’t know that 100%. I was told today that Samoa Joe was gonna be in a Regal-like role, then all of a sudden Regal’s talking like he’s stepping down, so maybe the Regal-like role is Regal’s role. But if he’s leaving, based on what I was told, Samoa Joe was definitely the favorite to be the new Commissioner. But Joe is in, and he’s in as a non-wrestler, so I think that tells you that he’s not cleared.”
“He’s taken a job in NXT and he’s doing something there, and he may be the new authority figure on television, or he may not be. But he’s gonna be behind the scenes.”
Samoa Joe signed with WWE back in 2015 after hugely successful stints in TNA/IMPACT and ROH.
Joe initially joined NXT, going on to win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and the NXT Championship. The star debuted on RAW in early 2017, but failed to hit the heights that many had expected.
The former TNA World Champion won the WWE United States Championship on two occasions, before transitioning into an announcing role after a series of injuries.
On April 15th Samoa Joe was released by WWE alongside the likes of Peyton Royce and Mickie James. In the months prior Joe had been performing as an announcer on Monday Night RAW. The former NXT Champion hasn’t competed inside the ring since February 2020.