Samoa Joes legendary walk-away movewhere he casually steps aside as opponents launch themselves off the ropeshas become one of the most iconic visuals in wrestling. But according to Joe himself, it all started as a total joke.
In a new interview with Chris Van Vliet on Insight, Joe peeled back the curtain on how the now-famous spot came to be. Well, it started out as a gag, he said. It was a house show gag where Id work Christopher Daniels, and at some point I would call a cross body or something and Id walk away from it.
It didnt stop there. Joe revealed Daniels took it in strideliterally and verbally. Chris, to his credit, every time I did it, as hes diving, hes like, You son of a bitch, you dirty bastard. He would always curse some little phrase at me as he fell to his doom.
What started as an inside joke quickly became a locker room favorite. I remember I did it to him, and then him and AJ began requesting it on people, Joe added. Like, Oh, you gotta get him with the walk away today. Come on, dude, itll be hilarious. So then it became kind of a bit when I started showing up on TV.
Now, its practically a rite of passage for opponents to launch themselves at Joeonly to crash and burn when he calmly steps aside. From small house show gag to big-time televised moment, the move lives on as one of Joes signature no-sell classics.
Whats your favorite Samoa Joe moment? Is the walk-away spot his best troll job ever? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
