Samoa Joe will defend the AEW World Title against FTW Champion HOOK this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite.
In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Joe discussed his upcoming title defense against the young wrestler, his mission as the face of AEW, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On his title defense against Hook: “I’m very much looking forward to it. This typifies what I want to see during my reign–I want these first-time matchups with something at stake. HOOK is quite the dynamic little athlete, and he’s been doing his best to make his case. His record speaks for itself, and we’re going to find out if he’s the truth or not.”
On how HOOK exemplifies the attitude of his father Taz: “I had very limited exposure to Taz on the west coast, but when I did see him, it was almost like I felt a kinship. That no-nonsense attitude, destroy-at-all-costs, that’s who he was. That’s who I am. Now it’s exemplified in an athlete like HOOK, so let’s get in the ring and go.”
On voicing King Shark in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League: “I’m going to bring along the savageness of King Shark. It’s going to be best displayed in the evisceration of HOOK in front of millions of people around the world.”
On his new AEW title belt: “That was done on my behalf, and it is a wonderful piece of gold from the Khan family. It’s not going anywhere for a long time, so we’re letting everyone know who the champion is. It’s my championship belt under my reign, so it needed to reflect my values. The belt was very fancy looking before. My belt belongs among kings and queens, not looking like it’s going to be paraded around the Hamptons on the weekend.”
On former AEW Champion Jon Moxley pursuing NJPW’s top title: “Moxley doing that, it doesn’t surprise me at all. If I were Mox, I’d look to take someone else’s belt, too. He wants to fight any other champion in the world but me. There was thought behind what he did. Let’s not deny that. And that gets back to the wonder of AEW: it’s a worldwide marketplace. You can compete against champions from around the world, not just hidden in your own pocket dimension where no one else can get it. If Mox wants to parade that belt around the real world’s champion, I’d be more than happy to give him a better perspective on where his championship reign really stands.”
On his mission as AEW champion: “My mission is to shift the focus back to the greatest thing in AEW, and that’s the wrestling. If not, there are going to be consequences. For far too long, consequences haven’t been around. That’s going to change on AEW television.”
AEW Dynamite will be held tonight (January 17) at the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, South Carolina.
