Samoa Joe In Concussion Protocol Following Injury

Samoa Joe is currently absent from All Elite Wrestling, with it being announced on the January 28 edition of Dynamite that Joe was on the shelf after suffering a "non-contact injury during training earlier this week."

The nature of Joe's injury has now been revealed, with Fightful Select reporting the former AEW World Champion has been in concussion protocol. It is unclear how long he will be out of action.

Samoa Joe has suffered from concussion issues in the past and he was on the shelf for 18 months from February 2020 until August 2021 due to suffering two concussions in quick succession. Joe was signed to WWE at the time and ended up working as a colour commentator on Monday Night Raw and later as William Regal's NXT enforcer until he returned to the ring at NXT TakeOver 36.

In Samoa Joe's absence, HOOK has been confirmed as the interim leader of The Opps. Prior to the injury, there had been plans in place for Joe to remain involved in the AEW World Title picture, but he has been replaced by Andrade El Idolo.

Samoa Joe has been a part of AEW since 2022 and has been a top star in the promotion ever since. In addition to his two AEW World Title reigns, Joe is a two-time TNT Champion and one-time AEW World Trios Champion with Katsuyori Shibata and Powerhouse Hobbs.