Samoa Joe's Return Date May Be Set

Samoa Joe has missed nearly all of 2018, but it looks like he's ready to return.

While he could certainly show up at WrestleMania on April 8th, or the following night on RAW, we now know that he will reappear no later that then April 16th episode of RAW in Hartford, CT.

The XL Center, Hartford's selected RAW venue, just put out an advertisement that features Samoa Joe in action. Have a look:

Joe suffered a foot injury in January that cost him the Royal Rumble and has placed his WrestleMania availability in jeopardy. However Joe was backstage at RAW the past two weeks, but the reasons for his presence are still unknown.

While no injury comes at a good time, Joe's setback occurred just as WWE was launching into WrestleMania season. Despite being a "lifer" in the wrestling business, Joe missed what would have been his first Royal Rumble and still may miss his first ever WrestleMania.

Joe opened up on how he's dealt with the injury on Booker T's podcast:

"Anytime you miss one of the "Big 4″ shows or, really, just shows, in general, it's always sad to say. A younger version of me would definitely be stressing out and probably making this situation a lot worse. For me right now, I know what I need to do to get back and be healthy. I understand the timetable and what I need to do to exceed that timetable. I was more accepting of the process because I realize it's unavoidable. Now it's just about concentrating just getting back and being healthy," he said.

Current rumors have Joe rising to be Roman Reign's first challenger for his freshly earned Universal Championship. If Joe does emerge as Reigns' first challenger, it will be the continuation of a feud that started over the Intercontinental Championship earlier this year. But just as Joe set his sight on Reigns, he pulled up lame and we haven't seen him since.

To Joe's credit, when healthy, he's proven the be an exceptional part of WWE's machine. that was never more apparent than in his 2017 summer feud with Brock Lesnar. It's clear that WWE thinks highly of Joe, but now it's only a matter of him staying healthy.