Backstage Report: Samoa Joe To Stay With NXT For Now

Partial Source: Pwinsider

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UPDATE: While Samoa Joe has agreed to the previously-reported full-time deal with WWE, the contract is not signed as it is still being written. All terms are agreed to but at this point the contract isn’t officially signed.

Joe will remain on NXT for the next several weeks at the least and will be one of the focal points now that Kevin Owens appears to be moving to the main roster. His new WWE deal prevents him from continuing with Ring of Honor, although it is one of the independent dates that he is being allowed to fulfill his commitment to. Joe will be finishing all of his current indy dates that have already been booked but will no longer be taking any further indy bookings.

ORIGINAL: As noted recently, Samoa Joe has signed a full-time deal with WWE. Joe will still be fulfilling his advertised independent dates.

Ring Of Honor confirmed that Joe will still be working their June 20th television taping in New York City, in what will likely be his final appearance with the promotion.

Also, Joe has been added to the Absolute Intense Wrestling event in Cleveland on 7/10. He is also booked to work the big NXT live events this month in Pittsburgh and Columbus.

It’s also worth mentioning that Joe is not currently booked to appear at the WWE SmackDown television taping tonight. So unless things change, Joe will not be the person to answer Kevin Owens’ “Open Challenge.”

Originally, Joe’s NXT deal reportedly had a clause in it that would allow WWE to sign him to a full-time deal if they chose to. WWE decided to execute that clause this past Thursday after ROH and Destination America announced their new deal. Both Joe and WWE signed an addendum to the original contract that now makes him a full-time WWE performer.

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