Samoa Joe on How Wrestling Used Spectacle Before Taylor Swift

In an interview with In The Zone (via Fightful), Samoa Joe compared the spectacle of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour to pro wrestling, which he said used that style of production first.

He said: “I feel like what a lot of Swifties are experiencing, her music is great, but the production and spectacle, we’ve been doing it for years. Any pro wrestling fan who goes to that concert will recognize a lot of the same tactics we use to get the crowd hyped up. A lot of the mannerisms and things we do in the ring inevitably flow over into pop culture and the regular world. You see athletes and various other celebrities kind of mimicking things we do. I’m very proud of that and always will be. It’s a big part of why pro wrestling is part of Americana. It’s something ingrained in our culture, it’s fun, everyone likes to turn their brain off and suspend disbelief and have a good time. That’s definitely what we provide.“