Samoa Joe set for retirement bout vs Navajo Warrior at IZW

Samoa Joe, the current AEW World Trios Champion, is returning to the independent wrestling scene for the first time in nearly a decade, scheduling a high-profile bout that doubles as a retirement match for Navajo Warrior. The November 8 match at IZW’s Long Live The King event in Phoenix will pit Joe against Navajo Warrior, a marquee moment that brings together a major name from AEW with a veteran grappler whose career spans three decades.

Joe’s appearance marks a notable departure from his recent television focus with AEW, where he has defended the Trios Championship as part of The Opps alongside Katsuyori Shibata and Powerhouse Hobbs. The return to the independents follows his last bouts outside the larger promotions in 2015, just before he signed with WWE’s NXT. The bout has been promoted as a retirement match for Navajo Warrior, a 55-year-old veteran whose in-ring career began in the early 1990s and who has long been a cornerstone of IZW, the Arizona-based promotion he founded. The event is described as the culmination of Navajo Warrior’s retirement tour, a farewell run that has included a series of appearances across the independent circuit.