Samoa Joe On Potential Matches Against CM Punk & Bryan Danielson, Being Open To Scouting Talent For AEW

In a recent interview on AEW Unrestricted, Samoa Joe discussed the legacy of Ring of Honor, potential matches against CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, and much more. You can read his comments below.

Samoa Joe on the legacy of Ring of Honor and former stars finding success in AEW: “I think it’s a testament to the influence that Ring Of Honor has had on the industry. Because I could say that about just about any locker room I could walk into in this day and age. Many of the top performers of this industry found their way through Ring Of Honor. I think that’s why the promotion holds a real special place in my heart. I think for a lot of fans, and for a lot of the performers who spent their time there. It was the first true forum a lot of us had where we could go out there and be the persona and the wrestler that we wanted to be. There’s very few places where that can happen – where you can really have a fanbase and go out there and be the performer you want to be and come into your own. Many of the talents today came through the Ring of Honor ring and were kind of forged there and went on elsewhere to find greatness. It all means a lot to me.”

On potential matches against CM Punk and Bryan Danielson: “I mean, obviously me and Punk have been skirting around this issue for a while, and I think we can get it settled. Danielson, any time I step into the ring with him, we get down. Up and down the roster, when you talk about guys I’ve worked with in Ring of Honor that I’m currently on the roster with now in AEW and Ring of Honor, any one of those guys. It’s wide open.”

On being open to scouting talent in AEW: “Yeah, before in WWE I was heavily involved in the scouting department. Now I kind of keep those eyes open and keep those eyes out there for a different purpose, obviously. You want to have some of the best up and comers coming into your company, and if I can help facilitate that for AEW, I would be more than happy to. I have learned to appreciate it and like it because of men like William Regal, who in the height of their career, took time to give me advice. Just show me a path. It wasn’t, ‘I’ll put in a word for you, I’ll do this.’ It was like, ‘No, here’s a path, and if you choose to follow it, you can find success.’ It’s just something that’s kind of missing in the industry as a whole.

“There’s not a lot of guys who have that experience going back and having an honest discussion about what the industry is like, about what this business really is, and breaking down the numbers. And not just being grandiose, bragging about how you’re awesome, and this is how much you did. Every empire is built with a plan, and the problem is we don’t talk about the plan enough. We just talk about the empire. I’d like to change that. Any time I can offer a word of advice to someone young and up and coming and wants to put themselves in the best possible position to succeed, which I think is vitally important to anybody in our industry, is putting yourself in a position to be successful. Not just waiting for something to break or happen is a big asset bank of our knowledge that isn’t shared enough.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit AEW Unrestricted with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.