WWE superstar Samoa Joe to stop wrestling due to injury, gives up NXT title

Samoa Joe's return to the ring was short-lived as the latest injury has forced the wrestler to take some time off the ring. The wrestler himself confirmed the news regarding the same through a video on Twitter. The Samoan Submission Machine made his comeback last month at NXT TakeOver 36 and went on to win the NXT title. The loss of Samoa Joe is a major setback for the NXT brand who will now have to find another superstar who will take the Samoa Joe NXT title and become the next face of the black and gold brand. 

In a video statement on Twitter, Samoa Joe said: ‘Hello. I’m NXT Champion Samoa Joe. Upon my recent return, my goals were very simple. I sought to ensure respect and integrity due to both NXT and its championship. I sought to ensure that everybody understood that the needs of one individual will never outstrip the sum of the brand. Today, I find myself having to stand on those principles".

He further said ‘Recently, WWE medical has informed me that due to certain injuries, they’d like to have me step away from the ring for a brief – yet still indeterminate – amount of time. I realise that this week we are on the cusp of a new NXT. We are on the brink of a new era in our history. And I realise that that era deserves a fighting champion. That’s why it makes this difficult decision very easy to make. Effective immediately, I relinquish the NXT Championship. Best of luck to those who will vie for it. My sincerest condolences to whoever wins, because I will be along shortly to recollect what is mine.’

Samoa Joe injuries and comeback

After his release from WWE earlier this year, Samoa Joe made his return to NXT where he would go on to become the brand’s first-ever three-time champion. The wrestler is no alien to the injuries earlier Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet had reported that Samoa Joe injured himself during a WWE commercial shoot, which kept him out of the ring for some time. Samoa Joe made his debut on the main roster in 2017 and missed the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania in 2018 after suffering a foot injury that kept him out for more than three months. Joe had suffered a broken thumb that caused him to miss nearly four months until his return in December.

Image: WWE / Twitter