Samoa Joe Relinquishes WWE NXT Championship Due To Injury
Joe only won the Title a few weeks ago
Sep 13, 2021
Samoa Joe has relinquished the WWE NXT Championship after revealing he needs to step away from the ring for a 'brief but indeterminable' period to deal with injuries.
Joe made his return to wrestling at NXT TakeOver 36 in August, competing in his first match in 18 months and winning a record-setting third NXT Title by defeating Karrion Kross.
The 42-year-old, however, says that the WWE medical team has advised him to take another spell away from the ring, leading to his decision to vacate the NXT Championship.
In a video statement posted to his social media, Joe said: "Recently WWE medical has informed me that, due to certain injuries, they would like to have me step away from the ring for a brief, but indeterminate amount of time.
"I realise that this week we are on the cusp of a new NXT. We are on the brink of a new era in our history, and I realise that era deserves a fighting champion. And that's why it makes a difficult decision very easy to make.
"Effective immediately, I relinquish the NXT Championship. Best of luck to those who will vie for it. My sincerest condolences to whoever wins, because I will be along shortly to recollect what's mine."
At the time of writing, Joe's injury is undisclosed.
WWE had advertised a Fatal-4-Way Match for this Tuesday's NXT to determine the number one contender to the NXT Title, between LA Knight, Pete Dunne, Tommaso Ciampa and Kyle O'Reilly.
