Early Career

Nuufolau Joel Seanoa was born in Orange County, California, on March 17, 1979. He competed in Judo as a child and played football for Ocean View High School. Shortly after graduating, Seanoa began training at the UIWA West Coast Dojo. He made his debut in December 1999 and adopted the ring name Samoa Joe.

From there, Joe began competing across the independent circuit in promotions such as PWG, MLW, IWA Mid-South, and UWF. He also started making a name for himself overseas by competing in the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Zero-One.

Where Samoa Joe found his biggest rivals and most devoted fans, however, was in Ring of Honor. Joe’s hard-hitting style made him incredibly popular among the ROH faithful and propelled him to become the ROH Champion.

TNA Tenure

Samoa Joe signed with TNA in June 2005 and made his debut later that month at the company’s annual Slammiversary PPV. He captured the X Division Championship for the first of five times that December. He later won the TNA World Tag Team Championship by himself.

Samoa Joe’s career continued on its upward trajectory for the next few years; in 2006, he was named PWI’s Most Popular Wrestler of the Year. In April 2008, Joe defeated Kurt Angle to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and thus became the third TNA Triple Crown Champion in company history.

In February 2015, Samoa Joe announced his departure from TNA following the expiration of his contract. This marked the end of his decade-long run with the promotion.

Samoa Joe Comes To NXT

Given his status as an underground indie darling, the thought of Samoa Joe signing with WWE wasn’t a likely possibility in fans’ minds. However, those fans were in for a great surprise on May 20, 2015, when Samoa Joe appeared during the main event of NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable. He made his in-ring debut on June 10 and defeated Scott Dawson (AKA Dax Harwood).

Samoa Joe quickly established himself as one of the most dominant competitors on the NXT roster. His brutality and no-nonsense attitude enabled him to become a two-time NXT Champion by the time his first run in NXT was over.

Samoa Joe In WWE

Samoa Joe made his main roster debut on the January 30, 2017 episode of Raw by ambushing Seth Rollins. His promo skills and unique charisma quickly made him a fan favorite among the WWE universe. On March 5, 2019, Samoa Joe won the WWE United States Championship, marking his first title win on the main roster.

After sustaining a head injury in early 2020, Samoa Joe took a step back from in-ring competition and began working as a color commentator for Raw. After a year on commentary, Samoa Joe was released from WWE. He was rehired just two months later, however, and returned to NXT. Joe enjoyed one last reign as NXT Champion before being released once again on January 6, 2022.

All Elite Wrestling

Samoa Joe made his surprise return to Ring of Honor (now owned by AEW) at Supercard of Honor XV on April 1, 2022. Soon after, he defeated Minoru Suzuki to become the ROH World Television Champion. He also captured the TNT Championship at Full Gear 2022, making him a double champion under the AEW umbrella. However, on November 10, 2023, Joe vacated his ROH World Television Championship in favor of a bigger prize.

At Worlds End on December 30, 2023, Samoa Joe defeated MJF to become the AEW World Champion, marking the beginning of an exciting new era for both AEW and the hardened veteran.