Update On the Status of Samoa Joe in WWE After Vacating NXT Title

As we previously reported, Samoa Joe announced on Twitter yesterday that he was vacating the WWE NXT championship due to an injury. He didn’t specify what the injury was and at this time, it’s unknown when a new NXT champion will be crowned.

During the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that Samoa Joe is still with the company but that when he was hired back earlier this year, it was to be in a backstage role more than an in-ring one. It seems likely that Joe will be wrestling less moving forward as the goal with NXT is to focus on future stars and he is in his 40s. Instead, he will remain for coaching, training and other backstage duties.

411’s Blake Lovell discusses Samoa Joe vacating the WWE NXT title, what’s next for Joe, expectations for Tuesday’s NXT relaunch, and much more.

*Intro
*0:25 Samoa Joe vacates NXT title
*5:43 How will WWE crown a new champion?
*9:22 Building new stars
*16:22 WWE’s approach to increasing NXT viewership