Samoa Joe fully intends to get back in the ring in the wake of his release from WWE, according to reports.

The former NXT Champion and two-time United States Champion was cut by the company for the second time in less than a year. Joe received his marching orders on Wednesday; the news did not break until the following day.

Related: Samoa Joe Shares Statement Following His WWE Release

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In their statement, WWE said backstage staff had been released, which suggests they no longer considered the California native to be a wrestler and a source claimed to be shocked he was even cleared to wrestle last year. Joe had been coaching prospects at the performance center and was at the recent tryouts with William Regal, who was also released this week.

The 42-year-old previously claimed there was lots of concern about his injury backstage and the possibility of him never wrestling again. While he has never said what it was exactly, the overriding belief points to concussion problems.

It's Not Quite Over Yet

Despite all of the concerns, Fightful is reporting that people within WWE expect Joe to get back in the ring after the expiration of his non-compete (H/T WrestlingNews.co).

Samoa Joe with the NXT Title

“It was a much worse type of injury than I think I had dealt with before. It scared me," he admitted to Corey graves on the After the Bell podcast last August. "It scared a lot of people that care about me too. They were very, very concerned. It became very easy to make that the focus as far as what I wanted to do, and when I wanted to come back.

"It inevitably all hinged on that, just making sure I was alright, and making sure I was feeling good. When I came back to the ring, I didn’t want to come back in a 70% capacity. I wanted to make sure I can come back and give the best I could to the fans.”

Joe's NXT return did not last very long and his name ceased to be mentioned after the NXT Championship was stripped from him. His release presents him with another chance to prove he can still get it done as a wrestler.