Tyson Kidd (TJ Wilson) has not wrestled since 2015 when he suffered a freak and unfortunate injury while taking a muscle buster from Samoa Joe. Kidd has since transitioned to working as a producer for WWE.
Joe had used the muscle buster countless times throughout his career to finish off opponents without incident.
Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on Insight, Joe was asked if he thought he would use the move again after Kidd's injury.
“No, and to this day that probably remains the largest regret in my career that that happened. [Chris: There’s nothing you could have done about it]. But that doesn’t change things for Tyson. Doesn’t change things for a guy who is probably one of the most passionate people in the world of professional wrestling. For a guy who has an amazing mind for it. WWE is fortunate to have him. Because even though he’s not in a physical role within the company, the finishes, his ability to put together matches and be a producer and agent are unparalleled," he said.
Asked if he thought anything was wrong with Kidd when he hit the move, Joe replied, "No, not at all. No, didn’t feel any different. It’s just when I turned around and went for the pin and got back up, the only thing that even hinted that there’s something wrong is when Cesaro looked back up at me. I know when Cesaro is concerned and then I was like, oh my God, I hope everything is okay. Then we got in the back and he went to hospital and everything got checked out. But I mean, the whole circumstances regarding that and everything, it just makes me sick to this day that that guy is not out there being the Tyson Kidd that I know that he is. He’s an amazing human being. He a great understanding of a greater picture and when you talk about guys who who are great finish men, guys who can produce, he’s going to be heralded as one of the dudes there if he isn’t already.”
Joe stopped using the move for a while and thought he may never use it again.
“Well, I didn’t want to," Joe said when asked if there were concerns over using it again. "It was kind of like when I got back into things in NXT. In NXT I used it. When I got to the main roster I didn’t. But it was mainly I tried to avoid doing a bunch or making it a thing. If he’s having a bad day, he looks over and he sees that, I didn’t want to replay the car crash in front of somebody. So I did my best to distance myself from it as much as possible. But that’s why just because this guy’s my co-worker, this guy I respect and I care about. I’m not trying to make him have a sh*tty day over it.”
Kidd has said that he won't wrestle again, but he remains active in wrestling as a producer and trainer.
Elsewhere during the interview, Joe commented on his in-ring future. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
