Samoa Joe: AEW Tried To Put Darby Allin On A Level Playing Field, I’ll Make Sure He Stays Down This Time

Samoa Joe is going to make sure Darby Allin stays down for the count this time.

WrestleZone recently spoke with ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe, who will challenge Darby Allin for the TNT Championship on the February 1 episode of AEW Dynamite. Joe won the TNT title at Full Gear, but Allin ended up beating him in Seattle on January 4.

Darby had the hometown crowd behind him the first time, but now Joe will face him in a no holds barred match in Dayton, Ohio. Asked how he’s approaching this match, Joe said Darby needs weapons to be on a level playing field, but he’s ready for anything.

“I think the analysis is spot on. He comes out before the bell even rings, he’s tackling with skateboards and he’s got this little distraction sitting at ringside. It was a ridiculous farce of a match. I think everybody in their heart really knows that. Nobody was looking at that match and saying, ‘hey, this was a fair contest set up between two people.’ But I understand these things. When I accumulate power, it seems that the power structures that be,” Joe explained, “they start to find unusual ways to throw these obstacles in my path. This is nothing different.

“Even going into this match, any day of the week ending in Y, you put Darby Allin in a ring with me in a straight-up, he catches a fade. It’s bad. He’s in the hospital for a while, but you give him his toys and his weapons,” Joe noted, “he becomes a little bit more of a formidable opponent. So, it’s no surprise that all of a sudden this no holds barred stipulation kind of pops up out of nowhere. They just tried to put him on a level playing field, but it’s okay. We’re ready for it.”

Samoa Joe has been referring to Allin as the “little dead boy” and he said it’s an accurate description.

“What else do you call him? He’s a little zombie kid. You keep throwing him down stuff. You keep throwing him off of stuff, keep throwing him here and there, and he keeps standing up and walking forward. I mean, there’s no other way to put it,” Joe said. “A little dead boy. That’s what we’re dealing with out there. I’m going to make sure he stays down next time.”

Samoa Joe proudly represents the Ring Of Honor brand, a company he also worked for between 2002–2008. Joe spoke about some of his fond memories of working for ROH in Dayton, including one of his time-limit draws with CM Punk. Joe said he would love to see Dayton become a staple on the schedule again, noting that the city has been witness to plenty of good moments.

“I would absolutely love it. I think the stats that you kind of pointed out, were very much proof of that. You know, a company like Ring of Honor does not go back to a place ten times unless that area is good for them. They can’t afford to if it’s a disaster, like I said, if you go out there, and it’s a failed endeavor. So, obviously, Dayton’s always been a strong-reach town. There’s history there,” Joe explained. “Aside from [the CM Punk] match, so many groups debuted there or had breakout matches that I think of, Generation Next and stuff like that. It was always a really, really fun town or wild town. The fans always came with a very, very high amount of energy. I think there was one time, too, where the inside venue was flooded. We had to do a tent on the outside and they were still there and going crazy. So, it’s a battle-tested town. I will give it that.”

Asked how long he could see himself being a focal point of both the AEW and ROH brands, Samoa Joe said he doesn’t seem himself slowing down any time soon.

“Till the end of time. Really when you come down to it, the great thing about ROH and AEW is that there’s an influx of the young new hot guys that are coming up the pipe that are ready to make a huge splash on the world stage. That’s kind of the biggest attraction for me is that I’m dealing with guys who are hungry, ready to go and looking to make their own mark in the world. It’s that kind of enthusiasm that makes what I do all that much more fun.”

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