On June 17th, Samoa Joe will renew his rivalry with CM Punk as the two-time AEW World Champion steps back into the ring for the first time in nine months.
The pair competed in an acclaimed rivalry back in 2004 and 2005 while they were with Ring of Honor. Their trilogy of matches was praised across the board with the second — a 60-minute time-limit draw — being awarded five stars by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
On the debut episode of Collision, the pair will come face-to-face once again when Joe teams with Jay White and Juice Robinson to take on Punk and FTR.
Speaking to Justin Barrasso for Sports Illustrated ahead of the show, Joe said that he and Punk will never stop competing to try and have the best match on the card.
“We’ve always competed to have the best match of the night, and that’s what we’re still competing to do,” says Joe. “It was our ambition that brought us together. We were two young gentlemen who believed we were the best in the world and that we could take it to anybody. That was evident in the young versions of both of us, and it’s manifested to where we are today.”
The ROH World Television Champion went on to discuss the controversy that surrounds Punk, commenting that he’s completely unphased by it all.
“I understand the nature of the beast,” says Joe. “It’s not a beast that’s easily tamed, so color me unsurprised. I don’t lie to myself and think that everybody acts the same way. People have their own interpretations of things. So color me unphased.”
“The guy’s my friend. He’s been my friend for years, and I have a lot of respect for him. But I understand the nature of the beast. I know what to expect,”
Samoa Joe Nonplussed By CM Punk Controversy
With regard to the issues between CM Punk and The Elite, Joe said that he thinks everything has been blown out of all proportion, adding that it’s really not that deep.
“This isn’t a divide, it’s an argument between men,” Joe responded. “All those dudes don’t represent the entire genre of their generation. They have their own issues and their own problems. I don’t think it’s that deep. They’re grown-ass men. They have disagreements, they can figure it out or not. That’s between them.”
The first-ever episode of Collision will come live from the United Center in Chicago, the same venue where Punk made his AEW debut.