Former multi-time AEW World Champion Samoa Joe recently lost his AEW World title to MJF in a multi-man match at Worlds End 2025 in Dec. 2025. In a match also involving Adam Page and Swerve Strickland, MJF emerged victorious and secured Joe's World title.
Shortly after, “The Samoan Submission Machine” also lost his AEW World Trios titles to Adam Page, Kevin Knight, and Mike Bailey. Now, reportedly dealing with an injury and sidelined from in-ring action, latest reports emerged on Joe's physical condition.
Last week on AEW Dynamite, it was announced by the commentary team that Joe had sustained a non-contact injury and was sidelined from in-ring action. On the recovery path, Fightful Select recently reported that Joe was currently placed in AEW's “concussion protocol.”However, the report did not provide any other major details on the severity of the injury or an update on his return timeline.
With Joe now gone from televised programming, HOOK took over Joe's faction, The Opps, as their new leader, with just Katsuyori Shibata under him. The former champion's last match dates to the Jan. 21, 2026, match against Mike Bailey on Dynamite.
More details on Samoa Joe's absence and his potential AEW replacement
The Fightful Select report also shared major details on Joe's ongoing absence and his replacement on the roster. The report claims that for months, Joe was “factored in to the top of the card programs,” especially the promotion's top title, the AEW World Championship. However, with him now gone from the picture, plans were adjusted, and Andrade El Idolo was factored into the plans.
As per the reports, All Elite Wrestling was satisfied with Andrade's performance, especially his win over Swerve Strickland. He then followed it up with a win over Kenny Omega. El Idolo is next scheduled to face Adam Page at AEW Grand Slam Australia. Enjoying a successful run, he recently won the GWF World Championship in Germany as well as secured a win over Gabe Kidd at NJPW New Beginning Osaka.
