Samoa Joe reflects on his infamous promo from TNA Turning Point 2007 and reveals what TNA’s younger Superstars, sometimes known on camera as the Front Line, really had a problem with when it came to older superstars joining the brand.
At TNA Turning Point 2007, Samoa Joe was supposed to team with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall against Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, and Tomko. Scott Hal, who was still dealing with his substance abuse issues at the time, no-showed the event leading to Samoa Joe going out in front of the audience and cutting a promo about the difference between diehards in the promotion and those who are looking to "pad their pentions."
Years later, Samoa Joe is reflecting on this evening during the most recent Kurt Angle Podcast. Joe would say that he was told to say what he said, leading to legitimate backstage tension for a brief period of time with Kevin Nash.
“So that whole thing was really weird. Without getting too much into the backstage, you know, essentially we had a no-show. I have a little bit more of a broader view on things after the fact. He no-showed and really I wasn't upset about that, you know, because really, at that time in TNA, there'd been so much craziness like that, you know, prior to that, that at this point for most of us, We're just like, ‘Alright, well, not even surprised.’ It really sucks to admit, but that was the vibe at the time. So when I went out there, I think the biggest thing that we just felt was that momentum halted because then it wasn't about the pay per view anymore, it was about the controversy or whatever. So I remember before I went out there, somebody had kind of mentioned to me, ‘Say something, just get something going at the end.’ So, I mean, they gave me a mic, and they said, ‘Go start some stuff.’ So, I did. I mean, that's, and then everybody got sensitive about what I got back. I remember me and Kevin got into the back. Kevin was upset. You know, I came back and I was surprised, I was oblivious. I didn't think anybody was mad because I thought everybody would agree, like, 'Hey, we're just trying to salvage a situation here. Make an angle on it.”'
"Kevin's upset, and I Kevin, Kevin's a friend of mine. I know Kevin at the time because I was really struggling with, with Scott, you know, just caring about him, putting him in rehab, pulling him out. He went through it at the time with Scott, you know, as his friend as his brother. I said sorry, Kevin was mad and shoved me and was pissed off about it and I was just like, ‘why?’”
Joe continued, “I apologized to Kevin because I felt terrible about it. Nobody had clued him up. Nobody had communicated in the back, which was a huge problem in TNA. Which is part of why I inevitably left the company was just people not talking to each other and, and you know, I was like, okay, you know, I get it. It was funny and then for years I mean, everybody built this legend like, ‘Oh man, he was shooting here.’ I thought that was like, ‘Nah, man, I was just trying to get the next angle going.’ You gotta understand at this point in TNA, there was a problem with stuff like that. The younger guys, as we were always dubbed, and put into the group, we knew that and we always looked at and we were just like, 'Man, we're just trying to get this off the ground.' We were never mad at guys that came in and were names or big deals. We were mad when you came in and killed all the progress you've made, or like something personal of yours blew up, and they weren't paying attention to the right stuff in the company. You know, they're looking at the car crash instead of all the great work going on in the ring. I think that for us, that was what was the most supremely frustrating thing.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Samoa Joe spoke about his current status in wrestling and goals for his future. Learn more here.
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