Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe is undoubtedly one of the greatest rivalries in TNA history, and quite possibly the one that put the company on the map for years to come. Speaking on “The Kurt Angle Show,” Angle discussed how Joe was used in Impact Wrestling, as well as in WWE.
Reflecting on being the one to end Joe’s 18-month undefeated streak in TNA at the promotion’s first pay-per-view, Angle suggested that The Samoan Submission Machine could unfortunately never quite regain that lost part of his aura following the loss. He said,
“Joe, he got utilized properly in TNA at the beginning. Until he lost his undefeated streak against me, his value dropped dramatically. They’ve never really picked back up and brought Joe back to the level he was when he was undefeated.”
Angle further suggested that WWE never utilized Samoa Joe to his full potential, and that he deserved to be the WWE Champion. He said,
“I think that WWE could have done more with him. They did do some, they did a lot, but I know they could have done more. He was that talented. I’m not sure if it had to do with his look. I love his look. I think that everybody should be different; big, tall, short, wide. Doesn’t matter. I don’t know if it had to do with his look, but Samoa Joe was so talented. He deserved to be a WWE Champion, he really did. Probably and that’s not me blowing smoke, that’s me being honest.”
Angle further shared that his chemistry with Samoa Joe remains unparalleled, not just in the ring, but in how they thought about wrestling. Angle said,
Joe and I had the best chemistry. We always threw our two cents worth in, and we were always agreeable. I mean, if there was an idea that Joe liked, I liked it, too. If there’s an idea that I liked, Joe liked it, too. We were more compatible than any other wrestlers, even more than AJ Styles and myself. Joe and I, it was almost like we were Frick and Frack like we were related. You know, like we were twins because we thought the same way. We both had the same ideas, the same concepts.”
While Samoa Joe had been off AEW television since losing the TNT Championship to Wardlow at AEW Revolution, he recently made his return on the premiere episode of AEW Collision and is slated to be the top heel on the Collision roster. He recently reignited his feud with another one of his epic rivals in CM Punk, and the two men will face one another in the semi-finals of the Owen Hart Cup Tournament on next week’s show.
Joe simultaneously also holds the ROH World Television Championship and is a regular feature and perhaps the biggest name in Ring of Honor.
