Former AEW World Champion Samoa Joe recently made his return to the independent scene by competing at IZW Long Live The King. For the match, Joe arrived to “Mama Said Knock You Out” by LL Cool J, the theme he used during his time on the independents.
Joe defeated The Navajo Warrior with the coquino clutch, forcing the referee to stop the match. This match served as Navajo Warrior’s retirement match.
Joe was a force to be reckoned with on the independent scene for years. In 2015, he signed with WWE NXT and moved to the main roster two years later. After his WWE run came to an end, Joe signed with AEW, where he remains to this day.
Before this match, Joe’s previous independent match had been in August 2015 at a PWE event in Scotland. With Joe set to challenge AEW Men’s World Champion ‘Hangman’ Adam Page at Full Gear, it remains to be seen if Joe can win the gold for the second time in his career.