Across his career, Samoa Joe has come face-to-face in the ring with many of the industry’s biggest titans, both in name and stature. Among all of his opponents, however, Joe is able to identify one who stands out above the others: AJ Styles. Speaking at a Monopoly Events panel, Joe reflected on the impact of his TNA rivalry with the recently-retired performer.
“The easy answer to that is probably AJ Styles,” Joe said in response to a fan question about his favorite partner or opponent, leading to applause from the crowd. “[He’s] hopefully enjoying retirement, and feeling good and happy. It’s an easy choice. I mean, I think many performers in this industry, when they speak with the greats they’ve been able to work with, AJ’s name will not be far behind.”
This led to a fan shouting out for another match between the two, with Joe offering a shrug that appeared to show genuine ignorance to Styles’ future plans. Following that, Joe was asked if he has any dream matches left. The AEW star stated that he doesn’t have any personal opponents that he wants to wrestle, but there are people who the fans want to see him face, and he’d be happy to oblige.
“Will Ospreay, as soon as he’s good and healthy,” Joe responded. “I think we’d love to get down and see what it’s all about.”
Both Joe and Ospreay are currently dealing with the aftermath of injuries suffered in the ring. Joe has been out for several months with reports indicating that he was placed in concussion protocol; though his exact status hasn’t been made clear, Joe hinted that he’d be back soon. As for Ospreay, he’s been out since last summer with a neck injury, though AEW has started hyping his return in video packages.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Monopoly Events and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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