Samoa Joe doesn’t waste too much time thinking about Tony Khan’s social media use.
On the January 6th episode of Collision, FTW Champion Hook called out Samoa Joe, issuing a challenge for the AEW World Championship. The move took many fans by surprise, and AEW received some criticism for having the star issue the challenge despite not having been in the main event scene previously. The two men are set to face off on the January 17th episode of Dynamite.
Meanwhile, on the January 8th edition of Monday Night Raw, it was revealed that Jinder Mahal will be the next challenger to Seth Rollins‘ World Heavyweight Championship just one week after returning to the company and being confronted by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
On January 9th, AEW President Tony Khan took to social media to blast wrestling fans for their “double standard,” wondering why Mahal was granted a title shot when he hasn’t won a match in the past year. The post drew much criticism from both fans and those in the wrestling business, and speaking in a new interview with Marc Raimondi of ESPN, Samoa Joe addressed the situation.
“I don’t know. That had nothing to do with me. I mean, that’s just really a cute little debate. I’m glad everybody’s chimed in on it. But on paper, Hook sounds like the perfect challenger. I mean, he’s 29-1. He’s got the stats, but let’s see if he’s got the heart. And I think that’s what this match is really about.”
“I More Than Welcome This Opening Chapter” – Samoa Joe
In previous interviews, Samoa Joe has discussed wanting to be a standard-bearer as new AEW Champion and bringing fans’ focus back to the in-ring action. Continuing, Joe explained that he has a new standard for
“We’ve set a new standard for who will get the championship shots around here. And it’s gonna bring up a lot of discussion and disagreements. So, I more than welcome this opening chapter. And as for Hook, I mean, he’s a tremendous young athlete. When you look at this guy, you look at a guy with limitless potential. He has the pedigree. We will take him in and find out what he’s made of.”
Samoa Joe previously discussed being willing to take on all top tier opponents, including former IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada. One man who doesn’t seem to be in the AEW World Title hunt is Jon Moxley, who Joe claims doesn’t want to face him.