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SAMOA JOE'S ROH DEPARTURE COMES AT THE RIGHT TIME, BUT WILL TNA CAPITALIZE ON THEIR GREATEST ASSET?

I just wanted to add my two cents to Samoa Joe's recent departure from Ring of Honor to further pursue his career in TNA and other independents. I know that the knee jerk reaction from most ROH fans is going to be panic followed by heartbreak followed by anger and frustration at TNA. While I can certainly appreciate those feelings, I’m as big a Samoa Joe fan as anyone, I also think that ROH fans should look at this from Joe’s perspective, and also from the perspective of ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky. My feeling is that Samoa Joe is in much the same position that CM Punk found himself in back in the spring and summer of 2005.

What is there in ROH left for Samoa Joe to accomplish? He was the most dominate world heavyweight champion that the company has ever had. He had a phenomenal run with the pure title. Samoa Joe had many memorable matches and feuds with everyone who was anyone in ROH, and many of ROH’s current stars were enhanced if not out-right made by the programs they worked with Samoa Joe.

Joe put Ring of Honor’s heavyweight belt on the map, even making the heavyweight championship into a world heavyweight championship. My feeling is that if it weren’t for Joe’s 21 month ROH heavyweight title reign, ROH wouldn’t be the company that it is today. Joe brought respect and credibility to that belt, and to ROH as well, just by the sheer quality of the title matches he had. Even when Joe finally lost the belt to Austin Aries, he did so in truly grand fashion befitting that of a champion of Joe’s stature. Samoa Joe grasped the concept that so many champions in this day and age fail to understand; that in order for the prestige and dignity of the title to live on after a champion’s reign, than that champion must make sure that his successor is seen as believable in victory and a capable carrier of the belt in the eyes of the fans. Joe accomplished this difficult feat superbly, and as a result of that the ROH world heavyweight championship is seen today, several years after Joe lost the belt, as arguably THE most important belt in professional wrestling for many hardcore wrestling fans, myself included.

In much the same way as Samoa Joe had previously done with the heavyweight belt, when he lost the Pure title it was a more important and prestigious championship than it was when he won it. In addition to putting two ROH titles on the map, Samoa Joe also enhanced the drawing power of many of his fellow wrestlers as a result of the memorable feuds and matches he had with them.

Samoa Joe had so many fantastic matches, title and non, with the likes of CM Punk, “American Dragon” Brian Danielson, Homicide, Low Ki, Christopher Daniels, Jay Lethal, Austin Aries, AJ Styles, Nigel McGuiness, Kenta and many more. Some of these wrestlers had drawing power before their matches with Joe and some didn’t, but all of them can say that their stock was greatly enhanced after working with Samoa Joe. One of the great characteristics of Samoa Joe is that even when he is victorious over a certain wrestler, that wrestler comes out of the match seeming more impressive and viable in the eyes of the fans than he was before the match. And a victory over Samoa Joe means instant slingshot to main event status.

So the question is: after two memorable title runs, and after memorable feuds with every important wrestler in the company, what was left for Samoa Joe to do in Ring of Honor? Sure, just as Gabe Sapolsky said, there is always something for a talent like Samoa Joe to do, but at this point is staying in the company really going to benefit Joe or Ring of Honor?

As connoisseurs of great wrestling we, the hardcore fan, tend to be a little bit selfish with the athletes that we love. We all know that as long as Joe is in ROH we will get to see him have phenomenal matches that will entertain us, but I feel that there are many more things left for Joe to accomplish in this business under the banner of TNA. Undoubtedly making more money there. Beyond that, Joe’s departure will allow other ROH athletes who have flown under the radar for the last few years to rise to main event status. BJ Whitmer and Colt Cabana are two names that come to mind.

In addition to that, once Samoa Joe has been out of the company for a lengthy period of time, it is entirely possible that he could come back fresher than ever. Three years from now there will undoubtedly be a whole slew of new talent on the roster, as well as old talent given a makeover and new position within the storylines. This will give Samoa Joe a fresh crop of wrestlers with which to have yet unseen matches, and new wrestlers to potentially mold into main event stars. Having Joe leave and hopefully come back down the line could potentially be a huge benefit for ROH.

The real issue is that it is now time for TNA to step up to the plate and began booking Joe in a manner befitting an athlete of his enormous ability and potential. I don’t think anyone will deny that TNA has seriously dropped the ball regarding Samoa Joe in recent months. It is now up to the bookers at TNA to start booking Joe as the main event performer that he is. A guy like Samoa Joe is someone that you build a company around. Samoa Joe has the ability to be the franchise of TNA, and in much the same way that he put the ROH heavyweight title on the map back in ’03 and ’04; he could most certainly do the same for the TNA heavyweight championship if given the opportunity.

TNA is full of extremely talented wrestlers, but Joe is more than that. It has often been said during his promos that “Samoa Joe is pro wrestling” and anyone who has seen his work knows this to be true. A Samoa Joe heavyweight title run is just the building block that TNA needs to help them gain equal footing with WWE. The golden goose that TNA has so ardently been searching for with the likes of Sting, Christian Cage, and Kurt Angle, has been right in front of their face all along, and his name is Samoa Joe.

 Now that Joe has committed himself to TNA 100%, they have no reason not to give him the ball and let him run with it! As a matter of fact I feel that TNA have an obligation not only to Samoa Joe, but to his fans, and even themselves to see that the heavyweight strap is put on Joe soon, and that he be given the chance to have the quality title run that his fans know he is capable of.

One need only listen to all the Samoa Joe chants, clearly audible in the Impact Zone, to know that TNA fans are clamoring for Samoa Joe to be crowned champion. I will go on record as saying that if Joe wins the belt not only will it be the best move TNA has made since getting their program on Spike TV, but that they will see a spike in the ratings within a matter of weeks. It’s that simple: Samoa Joe = ratings!

So to all the disappointed ROH fans; I say instead of being saddened and angered by Samoa Joe’s departure from the company let’s instead celebrate what he has done for Ring of Honor, because without Samoa Joe there would be no Ring of Honor. Let’s be happy for Joe that he has taken what he feels is the next step in his career, and cheer him on with chants of “JOE’S GONNA KILL YOU!”  It’s my feeling that if properly booked Samoa Joe could be just the shot in the arm that mainstream pro wrestling needs to be vital and exciting once again.

Hopefully Samoa Joe will lead the way for TNA to finally give WWE some serious and much needed competition. And I also have to believe that the final chapter in the Samoa Joe/ROH saga has yet to be written. I feel sure that Joe and ROH will carry on a lifelong relationship, and that the rare Samoa Joe appearances will be that much more special because of their rarity. So we can all be hopeful that Samoa Joe will help put our beloved sport back on the map with captivating promos and unbelievable matches because as we all know, “Samoa Joe is pro wrestling!”