Samoa Joe wins first championship since leaving WWE; 7-foot-tall giant makes surprise debut
Samoa Joe continued his winning ways in AEW, this time with a title. He defeated Minoru Suzuki for the ROH TV Championship. However, the former WWE star's celebration was cut short as a debuting Satnam Singh attacked him.
Joe made an impact on his AEW debut as he beat Max Caster in the Owen Hart Foundation Men's Tournament Qualifier match. Meanwhile, Suzuki won the ROH TV Title against Rhett Titus on Supercard of Honor XV.
With the bout on this week's Dynamite, Suzuki wrestled his first match in AEW since October. He and Joe went for a series of right-hand punches and chops, getting staggered. The Samoan Submission Machine got the upper hand when he tackled the running Suzuki.
In the end, the NJPW star tried to apply a triangle choke and armbar on Joe. The latter countered with a Muscle Buster for his first title win since leaving WWE on January 6.
#AndNew!!! The new ROH World TV Champion is @SamoaJoe! #AEWDynamite is LIVE on @TBSNetwork right now! https://t.co/d5ZJqKqQgt
Dutt and Lethal quickly interrupted Joe's title win by giving him a present, a middle finger from Black Machismo. The lights went out, and the debuting Singh emerged and viciously attacked the Samoan, ramming him into the steel ladder and squeezing his skull as the heels stood tall at the end.
You can check out the full results of Dynamite here.
When was the last time Samoa Joe won an ROH championship?
With his TV title win earlier, Samoa Joe won his first Ring of Honor title in almost 17 years as he last won the ROH Pure Championship. He defeated Jay Lethal at the Manhattan Mayhem event in New York City on May 7, 2005.
He held the title for three months before losing it to Nigel McGuinness at the Dragon Gate Invasion event on August 27, 2005.
ROH Champion โ
ROH Pure Champion โ
ROH TV Champion โโ ๐
#SamoaJoe #AEWDynamite
2003 2005 https://t.co/9Opj4r4tTP
With Joe's title win and Singh's debut, it will add to another chapter of the storied rivalry between The Samoan Submission Machine and The Black Machismo. It remains to be seen if the latter will eventually challenge for the TV title.
What are your thoughts on Joe's title win and Singh's debut? Sound off in the comments below.