In the summer of 2005, "The Samoan Submission Machine" Samoa Joe made his debut for Total Nonstop Action Impact Wrestling as part of their world renowned X Division. The X Division at that time was arguably the centerpiece of TNA Wrestling, perhaps even more so than their World Heavyweight Championship. The X Division matches and the X Division competitors were known for often stealing the show at TNA events, and there were even X Division Cup tournaments, such as the Super X-Cup for singles wrestlers and the World X-Cup for teams from around the world.

The X Division mostly consisted of smaller but extremely talented wrestlers such as "The Phenomenal" A.J. Styles, "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Frankie Kazarian, "Maverick" Matt Bentley, Jerry Lynn, "The Warrior" Senshi, Sonjay Dutt, Sean "Syxx-Pac" Waltman, and other high-flying and fast-paced wrestlers. This is what made Samoa Joe an intriguing addition to the X Division, as Samoa Joe isn't exactly a small man. Standing at over 6'1" and weighing in at nearly 300 pounds, Samoa Joe shocked the wrestling world with his UNBELIEVABLE speed, agility, flexibility, cardio, and overall physical athleticism. Samoa Joe also possessed a devastating and well-rounded arsenal of moves, which combined various international pro wrestling styles with a vicious array of mixed martial arts-style moves. Samoa Joe was an absolute monster in the TNA X Division.

Samoa Joe's greatest rivals in the X Division were A.J. Styles and Christoper Daniels. The three of them had a legendary series of matches, including a Triple Threat Match at the 2005 TNA Unbreakable pay-per-view event that many people still say is the greatest match in the history of TNA Impact Wrestling. From the summer of 2005 until late 2006, Samoa Joe went on an 18-month undefeated streak where he was never pinned or submitted in the ring. Samoa Joe didn't suffer his first defeat until the legendary Kurt Angle debuted in TNA after leaving World Wrestling Entertainment and forced Joe to submit to the devastating Ankle Lock submission hold, which has also earned Angle victories over the likes of Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, "The Big Red Monster" Kane, John Cena, Randy Orton, and many other well-known wrestling stars.

When Kurt Angle first debuted in TNA, he and Samoa Joe had an intense rivalry over who was the best pure wrestler in the world. Their first few matches in TNA were nothing short of spectacular, and Angle ended up winning their first two out of three matches. But from late 2006 until the April 2008 Lockdown pay-per-view, TNA booked Samoa Joe to lose to Kurt Angle on a weekly and monthly basis, as Kurt was booked the be the heel (villainous) TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Looking back, this was really the downfall of Samoa Joe's career in TNA.

Throughout 2007, TNA went from being a pure wrestling promotion centered around trying to have the best in-ring product on the planet, into being more of a storyline-based wrestling promotion, filled with ridiculous attempts at comedy, such as turning A.J. Styles into the whipping boy for both Kurt Angle and his "Angle Alliance" and Christian Cage and his "Christian Coalition." TNA's storylines in 2007 were outlandish and just plain bizarre, including a very confusing storyline involving "The Sinister Minister" Father James Mitchell, "The Monster" Abyss, Judas Mesias, Raven, "Black Reign" Dustin Rhodes, and Rellik.

Kurt Angle also became a rather pathetic heel character in 2007, and when he wasn't busy cheating to defeat Samoa Joe in matches, TNA often filmed ridiculous backstage segments involving Kurt Angle, Karen Angle, A.J. Styles, and Travis Tomko. This lasted for over a year until April of 2008.

At the 2008 Lockdown pay-per-view, Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle faced off inside the six-sided steel cage in a match that was designed to resemble a mixed martial arts cagefight. The storyline for the match was that if Joe didn't defeat Angle, then Joe would have to retire from wrestling. Samoa Joe was victorious and was finally able to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Angle. But by this point, the damage had already been done.

Samoa Joe went on to have about a six-month TNA World Title reign that was not only UNmemorable, but downright disastrous. Half the time it wasn't even clear if Joe was supposed to be a heel (bad guy) or babyface (good guy). He had a short and unmemorable rivalry with Booker T, who had just jumped to TNA from WWE, as well as a rivalry with "The Icon" Sting, which culminated with Sting defeating Samoa Joe for the TNA World Title at the October 2008 Bound For Glory pay-per-view.

October of 2008 also saw the formation of the Main Event Mafia, which included Kurt Angle, Sting, Booker T, Kevin Nash, and Scott Steiner. The Main Event Mafia absolutely dominated TNA for exactly one year, from October of 2008 until October of 2009. During this time, Joe eventually became a member of the Mafia, along with the help of wrestling legend Taz, who had just signed with TNA after being a ringside commentator in WWE for many years.

Since the end of the Main Event Mafia in October of 2009, Samoa Joe has only been used sparingly on TNA programming. He was virtually unheard of throughout most of 2010 and 2011, and has just recently resurfaced over the past number of months, including a successful but short-lived tag team partnership with Brutus Magnus. Since losing the Tag Team Championship, Joe has once again turned into nothing but a glorified jobber (somebody who always loses) in TNA Wrestling.

Why has Samoa Joe been used so horribly in TNA Wrestling over the past number of years? Why did Joe do so well in TNA from 2005-2006, and then get turned into a jobber? Why is TNA not using "The Samoan Submission Machine" to his full potential?

It's well-documented that Samoa Joe has had issues with TNA management in real life. In fact, there have been reports over the years that Joe has considered quitting TNA Wrestling. But if you look at it, how can you blame Samoa Joe for getting angry with TNA officials? He helped ignite TNA's X Division in 2005 and 2006, and TNA during those years was widely considered to be one of the best, if not the best, wrestling company on the planet. But after TNA signed Kurt Angle, they decided to turn Samoa Joe into Kurt Angle's... for lack of a better term... bitch.

Samoa Joe is one of the most talented and uniquely gifted athletes on TNA's entire roster. He also might be the most legit shoot fighter they have, along with maybe Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, and the recently-signed MMA cagefighter who refers to himself as "King Mo." Throughout 2005 and 2006, wrestling fans were willing to pay their money to see the vicious "Samoan Submission Machine" do some amazing and downright sick things to his opponents inside the ring for the prestigious X Division Championship of the World. During those years, Samoa Joe proved that he very well might have been the best pure wrestler in the world at that time.

It seems a shame for TNA to force Samoa Joe to just waste his time sitting on the sidelines. Samoa Joe probably should have parted ways from TNA a long time ago. He'll always have a place in the Ring of Honor (ROH) Wrestling promotion, and he could also probably find good work around the world in Japan, Mexico, Europe, and all over the globe. If he can get himself back into good enough shape, he could even have a spot as a main eventer in WWE. If C.M. Punk and Daniel Bryan can overcome the politics of WWE, then maybe Samoa Joe could too... as long as he keeps his temper in check.

In any event, it would appear as though TNA Impact Wrestling is no longer the right place for "The Samoan Submission Machine" Samoa Joe. He's barely been used since the Main Event Mafia in 2009, and on the rare occasion that he is used, he is usually forced to be somebody's jobber for the night. Why should Samoa Joe waste his time staying in TNA? What reason does Joe have to stay in TNA? Why should TNA even want Samoa Joe anymore? They barely use him anymore. They don't do anything useful with him. Why not just let him go?

It might be time for Samoa Joe to start exploring other options, if the thought hasn't already crossed his mind. WWE has been looking for a new Heavyweight monster to tear through the ranks. It was originally supposed to be "The Mastodon of Mayhem" Brodus Clay, but then WWE officials decided to turn him into the dancing "Funkasaurus" Brodus Clay. Then it was going to be Lord Tensai, formerly known as Giant Bernard in Japan and also formerly known as Albert and A-Train in WWE. But it appears as though Lord Tensai might not have a very bright future in WWE after all. Right now, it's The Big Show who has risen to the top as the unstoppable big man that WWE was hoping to utilize at this time. But WWE never uses Big Show for very long as a main eventer, and if history is any indication, his time as a main eventer will eventually pass by once again.

Maybe WWE should start taking a look at Samoa Joe, but not the Samoa Joe from the past number of years, but rather the Samoa Joe who dominated TNA's X Division in 2005 and 2006. That version of Samoa Joe was a monster. That version of Samoa Joe was a unique special attraction that was intriguing for the wrestling fans. That version of Samoa Joe was arguably the best and most vicious professional wrestler in the world. That's the Samoa Joe that needs to return to wrestling.

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