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JONAH Reacts To WWE’s Overhaul Of NXT, Talks Possible Match With Samoa Joe, More

During a recent appearance on Jon Alba’s AdFreeShows podcast, JONAH commented on his reaction to WWE rebranding NXT, possibly facing Samoa Joe, and more. You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:

On how his NXT run impacted his career: “I think the first year was very nerve-racking. You go there and you don’t know what to expect and they peel away at things and you feel like maybe I don’t know what I’m doing. Then I sort of hit a stride and the coaches, producers, Triple H, all started to believe in me and my vision and all that does is boost your confidence. When you have guys that are believing in what you’re doing and then all your ideas are getting a yes and things are working, you start to realize what works for you, what works for a broader audience as well. Now that I am able to bring that to NJPW and hope that I can help influence New Japan Wrestling in an even bigger audience than what it has.”

On his reaction to WWE’s overhaul of NXT: “For me, it’s a little conflicting, of course. My time with NXT, I would never bag on because I was treated really well and I had great times with Hunter and the previous administration. Now, it seems like pretty much everyone I worked with is gone. They’re not there anymore, so it’s a little bit disheartening. Hearing things like they’re not actively seeking independent wrestlers anymore, they’re looking for athletes is also disheartening. I also want to be a beacon of light to go, ‘Hey, you can go elsewhere. You can go to NJPW, you can go to IMPACT Wrestling, AEW, there’s a lot more now that there wasn’t before.’ I think the biggest thing for me is passion. When I was there, there were athletes that came through that were not passionate about wrestling at all and they were just collecting a paycheck. But then there are some athletes that do come in and genuinely love pro wrestling and those guys of course are going to be the ones that stand out along with the indie wrestlers that have done it their whole lives. You can’t teach passion. That’s the biggest thing for me. They don’t have a love for pro wrestling, I don’t care if they’re 6-foot-8. It doesn’t matter. If they don’t have a love for it, it’s not going to work.”

On a potential match with Samoa Joe: “Selfishly, I want that match. There was a time when I thought I was going to be on a Raw or SmackDown and thought it could happen, then he came down to NXT and there were teases of me and him possibly happening. Then I got released and now he’s been released. I hope that he continues to wrestle. For the fans, there’s so many dream matches that people want to see in all of the companies outside of WWE.”

(h/t – 411 Wrestling)

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