Samoa Joe will return to the independent scene in the month of November

IZW will host a match between Navajo Warrior and the former AEW champion on November 8th.

Joe had his last match on the independent circuit over 10 years ago.

Samoa Joe
Photo Credit: AEW.com
Sebastián Maseda
Sebastián Maseda
Published 08/25/2025

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Since signing with WWE, Samoa Joe has remained absent from the independent scene. His last match was a tag team street fight at the AIW Absolution X event. Fortunately for many fans of the indie scene, the former TNA, ROH, or AEW World Champion has confirmed his return date.

Samoa Joe will be competing on Saturday, November 8th, at Impact Zone Wrestling. The company has confirmed Joe's presence at the event Long Live the King, which will take place at Bull Shooters in Phoenix, Arizona. His opponent will be Navajo Warrior.

Warrior is known in the independent scene for founding IZW. Besides being a competitor, he also had a wrestling career. He appeared in some WWE dark matches in the 90s and 00s under the name Sahwn Dakota. In addition to making a name for himself in the North American independent scene, he even appeared in Japanese promotions.

For the 55-year-old wrestler, the match against Samoa Joe will mark the end of a farewell tour to an extensive career.

Meanwhile, Joe is currently the AEW Trios Champion alongside Powerhouse Hobbs and Katsuyori Shibata. Despite being off television after All In to film the series Twisted Metal, he returned a couple of weeks ago. In his last appearance, he and his team retained their title at Forbidden Door's Zero Hour.