Samoa Joe announced on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite that he is stepping away from AEW for a few months because Hollywood called. He told The Opps — Katsuyori Shibata, Hook, and Anthony Bowens — to keep things running in his absence and left Hook in charge before embracing him and walking off.
No specific project was announced on the show, but Joe has previously stepped away from AEW to film Peacock’s Twisted Metal series, in which he provides the physical performance for Sweet Tooth. Twisted Metal has been renewed for a third season expected to premiere in 2027.
Joe had only recently returned from concussion protocol, which had kept him out of action from January through April. He wrestled five times total in 2026, most recently losing to Will Ospreay in the Owen Hart Men’s Quarterfinal at Double or Nothing on Sunday.