Pro wrestling’s biggest stars of the previous generation seem to be hanging up one after the other, John Cena, AJ Styles and Adam “Edge” Copeland, who recently announced that 2027 will be his last year of active in-ring competition.
Samoa Joe made a name for himself in TNA, where he often had a heated rivalry with Styleshas since become a staple in AEW. But with all retirements in mind, Joe was asked about his thoughts on retirement and his approach to his career at this stage during a recent interview.SHAK Wrestling“.
“Really just, playing fun games for the fans (is my priority), you know? he said “Listen, what’s my time frame? Kind of still… Not quite a failure, but I will say this. I want to leave as many good memories as I can while I (still) have the chance.
Outside of professional wrestling, the acting bug has also bitten Joey, mainly with a role as the physical character “Sweet Tooth” in the TV series Twisted Metal and several video game roles such as 2025’s Like a Dragon. Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii” and the upcoming “Deadlock”. But, even with these doors open to him, he still plans to continue giving back to the wrestling industry.
“It sounds very honest and all that, but you know actually I’ve had this amazing journey that’s really not fraught with a lot of pain and despair,” he explained, also declaring how much he’s loved traveling throughout his career. “There are a lot of places that love you as long as you have the best of intentions, and yeah, I’d like to throw back a little bit before I’m done and hopefully leave the professional wrestling industry a better place than I found it.”
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “SHAK Wrestling” and credit ah/t Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
