Samoa Joe is a pro wrestling veteran in every sense of the word. The Samoan Submission Machine has traveled around the world, winning countless championships in the process. He’s competed in some of the biggest promotions in Japan and North America.
Samoa Joe’s current stint has seen him pull double duty for AEW and ROH. He’s the reigning ROH World Television Champion. When he’s not putting opponents to sleep, he’s busy filming outside projects like Twisted Metal for Peacock.
Despite his busy schedule, Joe never fails to commit one hundred percent to his feuds and matches on AEW television. He’s already had great feuds with some of the most talented performers in Tony Khan’s promotion.
Let’s take a look at the five potential opponents for Samoa Joe in AEW.
Adam Cole could be Samoa Joe’s next target
Adam Cole has experienced the brutality of Samoa Joe firsthand. He still managed to beat him in the Owen Hart Memorial finals at Double or Nothing 2022. If that meeting happens again, and it has to because of Cole’s recent shenanigans, it might not be good for one-half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions.
Cole was responsible for Samoa Joe losing the AEW World Championship match against MJF on the September 20, 2023, episode of Dynamite. He injured himself while running to the aid of his best friend.
AEW might’ve already planned Adam Cole as Samoa Joe’s next opponent after the events of Dynamite: Grand Slam.
PAC
PAC has been out of action with an injury. The first-ever AEW All-Atlantic Champion last wrestled on the July 26th episode of Dynamite, where he picked up the win over Gravity. At the time of the writing, there’s no word on whether the Bastard will return to active in-ring competition in the near future.
PAC is arguably one of the best all-around workers on the AEW roster. He’s had excellent matches against opponents of all shapes and sizes. A feud with Samoa Joe could be a great way for PAC to return to active in-ring competition.
Rush
Rush and Samoa Joe have got the same killer instinct. Plus, they are two of the most intense promos on the AEW roster. They are both former ROH World Champions. The two are similar in so many ways yet so distinct in the path they’ve taken to accomplish their goals in AEW.
A feud with Samoa Joe could pave the way for Rush to return to the main event scene. The La Faccion Ingobernable leader could challenge for Samoa Joe’s ROH World Television Championship to kick off a huge program with the King of Television.
Bryan Danielson
Most fans might know the shared history between Samoa Joe and Bryan Danielson. Both had career-making performances in Ring of Honor. Both traveled the world before making their impact in WWE. However, their paths diverged because of the roster split in 2016. Now fate has brought them once again on a collision (no pun intended) course.
The American Dragon could go after Samoa Joe or vice versa on AEW Collision after the former takes care of Zack Sabre Jr. at WrestleDream on October 1st. Fans who are new to Samoa Joe and Bryan Danielson will be more than thrilled to watch the former rivals tear the house down after all these years.
Samoa Joe vs. Eddie Kingston could be ROH’s next big feud
Eddie Kingston’s rise to the top of ROH is one of the most moving tales of grit and determination in pro wrestling. The Mad King was able to put an end to Claudio Castagnoli’s ROH World Championship reign at AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam on September 20th. He will defend both the ROH and NJPW STRONG Openweight titles against Katsuyori Shibata at WrestleDream.
Samoa Joe has to go through Eddie Kingston in order to get to the top of ROH. This promo battle between these two terrific talkers would be amazing, to say the least. It remains to be seen if the two stars of their respective divisions will cross paths in the near future.
Also read: Eddie Kingston’s 5 Best AEW Matches
