All Elite Wrestling - Ricky Havlik

Samoa Joe Names Unsung Legend As His Wrestling Hero

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI | By Joe Baiamonte | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 12:45 PM ET

When professional wrestlers are asked to name their idols and inspirations, a lot of the same names, understandably, come up; Bret Hart, Eddie Guerrero, Ric Flair, Steve Austin, The Rock, Shawn Michaels etc, etc.

But for Samoa Joe, his wrestling hero is a much more under-appreciated name among modern fans.

The former AEW Champion was appearing on the 'F Y'all' podcast when he was asked about who his wrestling hero was, and his choice was probably not who anyone was expecting, but it's one that makes a lot of sense when you consider how Joe presents himself on television.

Bad News Inspires Samoa Joe

"Another guy who I don't give a shout-out to enough and I really should is 'Bad News Allen'. When you talk about attitude, when you talk about somebody who, for the first time you saw genuine disdain, like he was just disgusted with whoever was standing in front of him. He was very much that guy."Samoa Joe

Allen, also known as Bad News Brown in WWE, competed professionally in judo when he was younger before moving into the world of professional wrestling, working with Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling and then New Japan Pro Wrestling, before appearing in WWE in the late 1980s.

Real name Allen Coage, 'Bad News' won the bronze medal in judo in the heavyweight class at the 1976 summer olympics. He died, aged 63, of a heart attack in 2007, just less than a decade after he had retired from pro wrestling.

Samoa Joe Shouts Out Another Underrated Legend

But Allen was not the only star of yesteryear that drew praise from Samoa Joe. Another Hall of Fame level star who thrived throughout the '80s and still remains an influential figure in the modern era received his flowers from the former NXT and WWE United States champion.

Arn Anderson, who became most famous for his time in the Four Horsemen alongside the likes of Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, JJ Dillon, Ole Anderson, Barry Windham and Lex Luger, was singled out by Joe as a key influence on his career, noting that Anderson was a much better promo than people ever give him credit for.

Joe surmised that this was probably a result of Anderson being positioned alongside Ric Flair for so much of his career, who has long been known as one of the most bombastic and memorable talkers the business has ever seen.

Joe's no nonsense approach to pro wrestling, and the disdain he often shows for his opponents, makes even more sense when you consider the talents that he has looked up to during his career. And they don't come much more no nonsense than Bad News and The Enforcer.