Samoa Joe Praises Modern Wrestlers' Adaptability

Samoa Joe maintains an active career spanning nearly three decades. Following his recent filming for Twisted Metal, he returned to AEW. In February 2025, he formed The Opps faction and began mentoring wrestlers including Hook and Katsuyori Shibata.

Joe discussed the current generation of wrestlers such as Hook and Action Andretti during an appearance on SHAK Wrestling. He identified adaptability and coordination as two areas where today's stars outperform previous generations.

He noted that many modern wrestlers possess strong natural aptitude despite having less physical potential than those from earlier eras. Joe compared the trend to lighter weight classes in MMA, where technical skill and precision are more prominent.

According to Joe, this shift leads to closer contests between technically proficient competitors who can endure significant punishment in lighter weight divisions. In contrast, past wrestling scenes were dominated by heavyweight styles.

Joe identified Brock Lesnar as the opponent who delivered the hardest hits in his career. Throughout his time in the industry, he has also faced numerous technical wrestlers including Bryan Danielson.