AEW and ROH superstar Samoa Joe sends brutal warning to CM Punk ahead of Collision clash and opens up on WWE departure
SAMOA JOE has warned legendary rival CM Punk he will fail against him… just like he does “every time”.
The ROH World Television Champion and Punk are set to reignite their heated feud on Saturday when they meet at AEW Collision in the semi-finals of the Owen Hart Cup.
Pressure is on the self-proclaimed Best in the World as he will take on Joe – a man he has never beaten throughout his celebrated 24-year career in the fighting business.
And the Ring of Honor superstar insists the nine-time world champion’s losing streak will be extended and he will expose him on his way to the final.
Samoa Joe told SunSport: “I don’t see it working out much differently. Let’s be honest here. This guy’s never beaten me, probably never will. When it comes to anything that involved us being in a one-on-one scenario, he’s come up short every time.
“You sit there and call yourself the Best in the World but you’ve never beaten me. So I don’t know if that makes me. I think at this point he needs somebody like me, he needs a victory. He needs to be in the ring with Samoa Joe right now.
“Because he’s got to show the world what he’s about and he knows that I’m gonna put it on him to that level where if he’s gonna compete with me, then maybe he is everything he says. But, he’s going to come up short.”
When WWE were moving on from the Attitude Era and The Rock as well as Stone Cold Steve Austin to the Ruthless Aggression Era with John Cena, Randy Orton and Batista, Joe and Punk were laying the groundwork for pro wrestling’s New Era.
Samoa Joe and CM Punk set the independent scene alight in 2004 with stunning fights at ROH, which birthed today’s biggest stars like Bryan Danielson, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Adam Cole and more.
The two rivals have come a long way as they turned from indy darlings to established legends with Joe becoming the face of TNA before an exciting WWE stint, while Punk became a WWE great.
Joe added: “We were legends back then. Y’all just didn’t realise it. You’re just late to the party. Let’s be real honest, we knew we were changing the world back then when we were doing it.
“The influences of Ring of Honor can be felt throughout the industry. And the fingerprints are everywhere. That’s just the fact, you look at the top superstars today and the majority of them found themselves in Ring of Honor one time.
“That’s not by accident. It was a place where many careers were forged and came into fruition and became what they are today so it’s no different now.”
Samoa Joe returned to ROH last year in April shortly after the company was bought by AEW president Tony Khan and immediately hit the ground running as he won the ROH World TV title just 12 days after his debut.
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This came after the ex-US Champion was let go by WWE twice, once in April 2021 when he worked as SmackDown’s colour commentator before his NXT return in June of that year and ultimate departure six months later.
The TNA legend joined WWE in 2015 and went on to dominate NXT before moving to the main roster two years later where he shone bright against the likes of Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns and Styles.
The two-time world champion’s dismissal enraged the WWE Universe with fans and legends – such as Kurt Angle – claiming he was underutilised by Vince McMahon’s promotion.
However, the 44-year-old holds no grudge as he insists he got “plenty of opportunities” in WWE.
Joe said: “I had plenty of opportunities. Anywhere is rife with opportunity. Getting in the door is an opportunity. I don’t scale opportunity the same as other people. You work with what is presented in front of you, that’s your opportunity.
“It was a very, very fun time. I was able to go through and be a part of WWE in a very unique way under some unique circumstances and contracts and something very different than I think a lot of people experience when they sign with a company like WWE.
“So for me it was a very unique and a fun experience. We got to do a lot of good things and entertain a lot of fans.”
And Samoa Joe hints he hasn’t shut any doors as he has “business everywhere”.
Joe added: “I have business everywhere. I got business in AEW, I got business wherever I’m at, wherever you find Samoa Joe you’re gonna find business. So that’s just the best way to sum that up. And right now I’m in AEW and that’s where our business is.”
But right now, Samoa Joe is focused on one thing – and that is absolute domination, starting with CM Punk at Collision.
Joe said: “Anybody can get it. I’ll tell you right now my dream matches, whoever wants to stand in front of me will get their a*s beat.
“I dream about that every night, beating people’s a*s. What I dream about when I have a match is whipping people’s a*s. So anybody want to come in front of me and come get this then come get it. And trust me, it’ll be a dream for me because I will beat you up and still [be] ROH World Television Champion.”