– Busted Open Nation recently interviewed NXT champion Samoa Joe. Joe discussed retaining his longtime name and gimmick in his transition to NXT. Below are some highlights.

Samoa Joe on NXT changing his gimmick or persona: “You just don’t mess with good things, I guess. They decided not to do it with me. It wasn’t something I had to champion much for. I think NXT was transcending it’s status of being a developmental league. I think Hunter, with it being his brainchild, he wanted to add some momentum, and bringing me in was a big part of that and he understood what I brought to the table.”

Samoa Joe on keeping his name in NXT: “Do we want to start moving on day one, or do we want to start moving a couple days down the line after we’ve had to rebrand and had to deal with that rejection from the fans? I saw a lot of weird suggestions for names and it was kind of this weird thing everyone wanted to guess at. At the end of the day, Samoa Joe was who they brought in to NXT.”

Joe on if he was ever concerned about the crowd reaction in NXT: “I was more worried about tripping on the cable and Shockamster-ing on my way out. I wasn’t worried about the reception, I knew it was going to be a special moment.”