Samoa Joe is a big, bad dude; whether he's running the show as the Television Champion in Ring of Honor, or giving opponents fits as the TNT Champion in AEW, the self-appointed “King of TV” has been on a roll since returning to the ring as a regular performer – winning 17 of his last 18 matches dating back to his bout against Karrion Kross in NXT.

With 300 combined days as champion over his two title reigns, Joe's career is experiencing a bit of a resurgence in AEW/ROH now that he's fully comfortable working for Tony Khan, with his personality on full display week-in and week-out, but even a king occasionally needs to stack the deck to remain in the black, as about an hour before his scheduled match with Wardlow, the Samoan Submission Machine decided to assault his opponent with a led pipe, bashing up his knee during an interview segment with Renee Paquette and calling the match's future into question as a result.

Taking the ring for the main event of the show, Joe listened as Wardlow's music and graphics hit, but when the former TNT Champion didn't emerge from the back for the bout, he took to the ring and played coy, opting to instead attack the local sports market as any good heel should.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, it is I, your ‘One True King of Television,'” Joe announced to the crowd. “And unfortunately, tonight, it looks like Wardlow is suffering from a little bit of stage fright. And he won’t be out here right now. In fact I made a call, a couple calls in the back, trying to find myself an opponent, we even called up the Denver Broncos and asked if they want to send someone over here, I mean let’s face it, let’s face it, you all have taken enough Ls in this town anyway this year.”

Unfortunately for Joe, he wasn't able to finish his speech, as Wardlow fought through backstage officials and the medical staff to make it into the ring for the ding, ding, ding, but alas, even his most valiant efforts weren't enough to put his foe in check and secure the strap that was rightfully his. Despite his best efforts to fight through the pain, Wardlow's knee injury got worse and worse as the match went on, and in the end, he succumb to a rear-naked choke at the hands  – or should I say forearms – of Joe for the 1-2-3.

If that was the end of the match, it would have surely sent the fans home disappointed but not outright depressed, as Wardlow still gave it his all despite coming out on the wrong side of the count, but Joe wasn't just going to let his former tag team partner leave the Mile High City in one piece. No, after Wardlow came to, he was decked out with the belts and then, while blacked out, had his hair cut off by the “Samoan Submission Machine” in a true act of disrespect that would make Samson blush. Though Darby Allin's music hit shortly thereafter, and he was able to run off the giant, one has to wonder what the future has in store for Wardlow, be it eventual glory over Joe or a new path within AEW.

Joe predicted the outcome of AEW New Year's Smash on the previous Dynamite.

Though Joe's victory may have come as a surprise to some, one person who predicted it perfectly was Samoan himself, as he took time on the previous edition of Dynamite to tell Wardlow to enjoy his time with friends and family while he still could.

“Hello friends, Samoa Joe here, your ROH Television Champion and Undisputed TNT Champion, also universally known as the one ‘True King of Television,' taking a little time out of my busy schedule to wish you all a Happy Holiday,” Joe said. “And in particular, because of the spirit of camaraderie and friendship that comes with the season, Wardlow, I have a special greeting for you. I wish you have the happiest and merriest of holidays, may it be filled with friends, family and people you love and enjoy. Because I think we both know you're definitely not going to be having a happy new year. As a matter of fact, Santa may not bring what you want on December 25th, but come December 28th Wardlow, I'm gonna give you more than you ever asked for. And after I'm done giving you exactly what asked for Wardlow, I'm gonna take from you. Wardlow, have a happy, happy holiday season. But come December 28th, all the holiday cheer ends.”

Did Joe know he was going to demolish Wardlow with a metal pipe before the match began when he cut that very festive promo? Or was that more of a spur-of-the-moment sort of decision, as why would any wrestler waste a perfectly good pipe? It's impossible to know – with Dynamite in the rearview, all fans know is that Joe remains the “King of Television,” and the rest of the AEW and Ring of Honor rosters are his subjects.