As 2025 came to a close, Samoa Joe was on top of the world, one third of the AEW World Trios Champions and in his second reign as AEW World Champion. One month into 2026, things have changed, as Joe finds himself with no titles, and currently no path back to them thanks to an injury he suffered while training a few weeks ago.
How long said injury will keep Joe out of action seems to be a mystery. When asked about Joe during a Fightful Select Answers Q&A, Sean Ross Sapp revealed that Joe’s timetable for a return is being considered on a week-to-week basis. While that suggests that Joe could be cleared at any time, it was also noted that AEW was choosing to play it cautiously with Joe’s health, leaving the door open for Joe’s absence to be more extended than initially thought.
It seems AEW may have good reason to be cautious, as Joe is currently believed to be in AEW’s concussion protocol. The former World Champion has struggled with concussions in the past; in 2020, Joe suffered two in less than a month, thus forcing him into a commentator role for the rest of the year. Joe wouldn’t resume an in-ring role with WWE until August 22, when he defeated Karrion Kross to win the NXT Championship. He’d subsequently vacate the title after contracting COVID, and never wrestled for WWE again before being released in January 2022.
With Joe’s return timetable unknown and Powerhouse Hobbs having left AEW to join WWE as Royce Keys, The Opps’ leadership has now fallen to HOOK, who announced he would be taking charge of the stable in Joe’s absence on “AEW Collision.” It is unclear whether the group will move forward with just HOOK and Katsuyori Shibata in Joe’s absence, or if the group will look to add another member.
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