From f4wonline.com
Not sure what this means yet, but Samoa Joe was offered a new contract and
turned it down. This may turn into a big story or it may just be a leverage deal.
One thing to consider is that Konnan and Ron Killings both quit and there have been at least a half dozen guys who have asked to get out of their contracts and been turned down.
I know at least a few guys who I am told will not be resigning when their deals come up under any circumstances, but did not hear the same thing yet about Joe. The irony is that the guys who want out the most have contracts that don't expire until 2009.
I believe the TNA plan is to continue to build up the Joe vs. Kurt feud to culminate in a match for the title this fall (meaning, sadly, that D-Von Dudley is not going to win the World Title on Sunday). I would think that if Joe re-signed they'd put the belt on him, but if he doesn't than obviously that's not going to happen.
According to a source in WWE, there is mild interest in him but it's nowhere near a lock that he'd be signed. He's not particularly tall, doesn't have the WWE build, plus he wouldn't be able to do most of his high impact stuff.
One person compared him to Tazz, a guy that people raved about due to his work in ECW, but then when he got called up to WWE and all of his suplexes and such were taken away from him, he was just a short guy that ended up as an announcer within a few years. When Tazz first got called up, in fact, Vince took one look at him and almost ended his in-ring run before it started.
Writer Chris Kreski, who died of cancer a year or so ago at age 42, pushed really hard for him and ended up getting him on TV at least for a period. You also have to consider that they've already got one mad Samoan who realistically may be more over with the WWE crowd than Joe currently is with the TNA crowd due to how Joe has been pushed -- or not pushed -- in the last six months.
I'd hate to see Joe go to WWE and get a stupid gimmick and be forced to work a boring style (which would, in fact, probably be a lot like the TNA main event style he's had to work in several matches recently).
One person did note that, worst case scenario, he could go to WWE and get a stupid gimmick and probably no push, but then when that deal expired if TNA was still around he could go back there and just based on being a former WWE guy (see Tomko) probably get the biggest push of his career. I'm told his current deal expires in a few months, so really they may be building up towards a match that might never take place if he leaves before the PPV is booked.
I would think they would have a plan in place to make sure that didn't happen, even if it's to accelerate storylines so he'd do that last job right before he left if that's what he chooses to do.
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