Samoa Joe: Shift In WWE Scouting Was Mainly Because The Better Independent Wrestlers Are In AEW

Samoa Joe helped break barriers in NXT when he was signed by the company as one of the hottest Independent free agents on the market. 

Joe’s popularity landed him a full-time deal with WWE in May 2015 after he was originally going to continue to take independent dates. WWE would continue to hire the top independent wrestlers in the preceding years including the likes of Adam Cole, Keith Lee, Ricochet, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, and more. 

WWE would begin shifting scouting focus in 2021, looking more at younger talent and college athletes. Joe was part of the recruiting team with WWE in 2021 and while he initially came on to help scout Independent wrestlers, he too had to change his focus. 

Speaking during the ROH Supercard of Honor media scrum, Joe discussed the shift in scouting within WWE. 

“You also have to understand that the major shift was mainly because many of the better independent wrestlers are working for AEW. Let’s be honest here, when we were tapping into a market and looking for new athletes when I was with WWE at the time, well the market is tapped and you try to find a new market. That really was, probably, a lot of the impetuous why they chose to switch directions. If there is not a lot of gold in the well, well you start digging somewhere else,” he said. 

WWE held a three-day tryout during WrestleMania week that was exclusive to current and recently graduated college athletes. 

Joe is now signed with AEW, returning to ROH at Supercard of Honor. You can find highlights from his return by clicking here. 

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