After squashing Rhyno last night on Raw after delivering yet another stand out and emotional promo and after being voted by the WWE Universe to be Bayley‘s tag partner in the upcoming WWE Mixed Match Challenge, it appears that Samoa Joe is back on the injured shelf following a freak accident during his match with the former ECW World Heavyweight Champion. When the vote was announced and Raw GM Kurt Angle announced that runner-up Elias would instead be Bayley’s partner due to Joe’s injury, many fans voiced their displeasure. Many assumed that the injury was an angle and that the vote was just a meaningless work from the WWE. But on WWE.com, Dr. Chris Amann stated that the injury was very, very real.
“During his match, [Samoa Joe] felt a pop at the bottom of his [right] foot,” explained WWE Senior Ringside Physician Dr. Chris Amann. “We took a look and believe he has a plantar fascia rupture, which is a thick tissue rupture under the foot. We will get an MRI to confirm. Treatment includes a period of immobilization in a boot with crutches and platelet rich plasma injections.”
While the injury does not normally require surgery, it does require the patient to be off their feet and away from heavy lifting for some time. They can return to light work after 4-10 days depending on the severity, but deeper wounds can take upwards of 12 weeks of rehabilitation and rest. If that’s the case, Samoa Joe could not only miss the Royal Rumble but a rumoured program with John Cena following the Rumble, that was teased in Joe’s promo on Raw last night. What’s worse, is that it could hinder future plans if WWE management deems 38-year old Joe injury prone, as he just recently returned from a knee injury sustained in August that kept him out almost two months.
