Samoa Joe Back In NXT, Don West Diagnosed With Brain Cancer

In news that may shock some, somehow, Samoa Joe is back in NXT and in an intriguing role. In sadder news, however, the former voice of IMPACT, Don West, has been diagnosed with brain cancer.

Samoa Joe Back In NXT

If you seriously didn’t see this one coming, I don’t know what to tell you…but Samoa Joe is back in NXT.

In what might have been one of the worst kept secrets, or best guessed recent rumors, Samoa Joe is once again under contract with WWE.

Samoa Joe, you should recall, was released following WrestleMania. At the time, speculation was that Samoa Joe might have been cleared, or at least was pushing for an in ring return.

As with other Superstars with medical red flags, WWE was not interested in clearing Joe, for what it is worth.

Of course, that is purely speculation. Whatever the reason, WWE opted to send Joe on his way…but he was not gone long.

Clearly, WWE wanted to continue working with Joe, and the feeling was mutual.

Word emerged over the weekend that Samoa Joe was close to coming back to NXT.

After William Regal closed TakeOver with his loaded comments, plenty of fans began putting two and two together.

Some of us may have guessed that Joe would come back to be Regal’s muscle. Others expected Samoa Joe to assume NXT GM duties.

We did not have to wait too long on Tuesday night to find out.

Regal opened the show and played up the emotions weighing on him. As he was about to clear the air, Karrion Kross interrupted.

Kross ran down Regal…until Samoa Joe made his return.

Regal offered Joe the GM spot…which Joe emphatically declined. He instead offered to come back and be William Regal’s enforcer of sorts.

The return does come with some story line rules, of course.

Per Regal, Joe cannot be an active competitor, nor can he get physical-unless he is provoked. So, he has some wiggle room, and you can bet that gets used at some point.

Actually…it got used pretty damn quick…

Assuming Joe is not yet cleared (or, that he may never be cleared), this makes sense. Fans love him, and he has plenty to offer still.

This could be a sign that WWE officials do think Joe can be cleared after more work, not unlike other past and present Superstars (HBK, Kurt Angle, Daniel Bryan and Edge all come to mind).

Regardless of the long term thinking, Samoa Joe is back in NXT, and it’s hard not to be excited. That photo op stare down with the NXT Champion didn’t hurt.

Don West Diagnosed With Brain Cancer

The news for this one isn’t all good. The former voice of IMPACT, Don West has been diagnosed with brain cancer.

Once one of the integral parts of the brand, calling the weekly IMPACT shows, West had left professional wrestling behind.

Most recently, Don West has been working on talk radio in Washington state.

It was through his radio show that Don West announced he was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Due to the brain cancer diagnosis, West will be taking time away from his show to receive treatment.

We all wish him the best as he goes through this challenging time.