During last night's NXT TakeOver: In Your House, William Regal strongly hinted that big changes are coming to NXT. The Englishman hinted that with so many brawls happening in and around the arena, someone else is needed to take charge of the brand before it falls into utter chaos.
Well, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, former NXT and United States Champion Samoa Joe has signed a new deal with WWE and is set to join NXT in a commissioner role.
"I think that’s the cue for Samoa Joe. I don’t know that 100%. I was told today that Samoa Joe is in a Regal-like role and all of a sudden Regal is talking like he’s stepping down so maybe the Regal-like role is Regal’s role," he explained. "But if he’s leaving, based on what I was told, Samoa Joe is definitely the favourite to be the new commissioner. Joe is in and he’s in as a non-wrestler so I think that tells you that he’s not cleared."
Unfortunately, it does seem like Joe's in-ring career may be over due to his history of concussions. Many fans had hoped The Destroyer might return to challenge Karrion Kross, but as Meltzer explains, "Even [if he went] to another company, if he’s not medically cleared. It's just what it is. He’s taking a job in NXT and he’s doing something there and he may be the new authority figure on television or may not be but he’s gonna be behind the scenes."
Joe was released by WWE on April 15 just days after calling WrestleMania due to the company's budget cuts. He hasn't been seen in the ring for some time and actually suffered a concussion during a commercial shoot for the company in early 2020. It makes sense why he would return to NXT in a role like this, and chances are WWE is happy because they'll now be paying him less money.
Keep checking back here for updates as we have them.