I copied this article from 411 mania Just wanted to hear your thoughts . It’s pretty long though

Samoa Joe Declines TNA Contract Extension
Samoan Submission Machine Offered 3-Year Option, Has Yet to Sign

Take this one as nothing more than a RUMOR at this point (as it hasn’t appeared in any of the major print "dirt sheets" out there just yet)…

But -

If this is true, then it is potentially HUGE news for all parties involved.

For Samoa Joe:

While Joe is certainly a superstar in the independent circuit, the bottom line is that he’s nowhere near the level of international celebrity as a guy like Sting or Angle (despite the fact that Joe’s done more wrestling overseas than BOTH men combined, I’d argue)… and so the chances of a guy at Samoa Joe’s level receiving the same kinda coin that Spike TV/TNA threw at folks like Stinger and our Olympic hero is, well, pretty remote. But if I know Joe like I think I know Joe (which is to say, if what all everybody else says about the guy is true) — then he’s never been one to make decisions purely based on monetary concerns alone (he *did* opt for TNA amidst talk of a WWE developmental deal a few years back, ya’ know)… and so if Joe is indeed dragging his feet on re-signing with TNA, then chances are that there’s a LOT more than money that’s factoring into the guy’s decision-making process at this time.

Regardless –

Even if he *does* end up re-signing with TNA (as Christian Cage did just a few weeks back), the fact that Joe is (rumored to be) hesitant in signing the deal outright should tell us a lot about how the guy feels about TNA (and his future with the company) at this juncture. What this tells us — whether it’s because of money, exposure, push, politics, possibility to explore other alternatives, etc. — is that The Samoan Submission Machine is at something of a crossroads in his career where he has the luxury to consider ALL of the options available before blindly committing himself to three additional years with his current employer. If he *does* re-sign with TNA, the fact that he’s (rumored to be) stalling before doing so is a pretty good indicator that he should be able to get a bit more out of them before committing to a three-year extension… be that more money, more exposure, a sweeter marketing deal, a world title run, or what have you.

As for TNA?

If the rumors of a Joe contract snag are, in fact, true (and again, I’m treating this one as nothing more than a RUMOR at this point) — then TNA, like Joe, is also at something of a crossroads with their company as they too have the ability to determine not only WHICH avenue they will be taking in the coming months/years/etc., but also WHO exactly will be playing the key roles on their roster for those months/years/etc. to come. As we’ve all been hearing for quite some time now, TNA has been busy courting all sorts of television outlets in the hopes to expand their current timeslot to an additional hour of television (or a different night or network of television altogether!), and if they really are serious about moving forward with this prospect — then they’d better sure up the guys they plan to be the fixtures of their main event (at least for the immediate future), because NOTHING is worse for a company’s momentum than launching a new show/timeslot/brand/initiative/etc. only to lose your promotion’s cornerstone performer shortly thereafter.

(Just ask the "new" ECW and Kurt Angle…)

Bottom line for TNA: they just lost a former champ (though not a particularly great one) in Ron Killings. Sting’s made it clear that he wants out in no more than a year’s time. Injuries and addictions have left Angle and Steiner both much older (and more liable) than they once were, and The Dudleys Team 3D has been making sure not to burn any bridges with WWE (as we saw in the wake of the Benoit tragedy, where they could have totally buried their former employers)… so they too might not prove to be long-term investments for the company after all.

Looking solely at the current crop of main-eventers, that leaves them with Christian (who just re-signed), Tomko (who’s likely to stick around as long as Christian does — but who’s still a while off "credible headliner" status), Abyss (who’s apparently paranoid he’ll get the axe any day now), Jarrett, and Samoa Joe. Jarrett, of course, is rumored to be not all that far off from a(NOTHER) run with the world title, which has most certainly gotta’ put a damper on any rising star’s aspirations to shatter the proverbial glass ceiling any time soon. And yes, Jarrett has matured with age and perhaps a world title reign won’t be all that bad a move for the guy in the near future (fans, it seems, have softened on the guy since he took the sabbatical and even moreso since he lost his wife) — but the fact of the matter is that if Double J is *in* the title hunt, then somebody else is likely to be bumped *out* of it.

So –

TNA’s at a crossroads. In their hopes to expand their promotion to new outlets and PPV locales, they can either choose to build their company around *established* stars (like Jarrett, Angle, Sting, Steiner, etc.) or they can put their efforts into building NEW ones (like Christian, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, Chris Harris, etc.). Yes, there’s definitely a balance that can be struck somewhere in the middle of the two camps (where the older stars are used to help build the newer ones) — but if TNA isn’t careful, they run the risk of putting too much faith in a main event that’s either not yet ready to handle the load (the new guys) or in a main event that’s dominated by guys who aren’t likely to be able to handle the load for all that much longer (the older guys).

Either way — it’s crunch time for TNA, and the decision they make regarding Samoa Joe (and how hard they campaign for him to re-sign with the company) should be VERY indicative of exactly which basket the company hopes to put its proverbial "eggs" in for the bulk of the forseeable future.

Now as for WWE?

They’ve got to be chomping at the bit at the prospect of signing a guy like Samoa Joe. First, he’s one of TNA’s most popular performers — and so acquiring him would throw a monkeywrench into the plans of their biggest rival. Second, he’s already (rumored to be) considering his options regardless — and so even if WWE signs him only to bury him in a developmental territory, he’s likely to come cheaper than if he were otherwise sold on staying with TNA and needed big money to change his mind. And third (and perhaps most importantly), Joe is a naturally "big" guy who — if these steroid allegations hit the fan for WWE — would be a PERFECT fit for a main-event picture looking to ease up on the ‘roided up monsters in favor of performers who aren’t as easily singled out as "obviously on some sort of steroid."

Kinda’ like what happened for Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels the LAST time Vinny Mac had to dodge the bullet on a steroid scandal. Think about it, folks — let’s take a second and look at the current crop of WWE main-eventers:

Dave Batista: Crazy muscular and raises all sorts of eyebrows as to drug allegations.

Bobby Lashley: Ditto. Not to mention that all-too-suspicious "liver enzyme" Wellness scare last year.

John Cena: Though not as big as he once was in his bodybuilder days, "Da’ Champ" is in great shape AND he works a crazy schedule — a perfet target for witch-hunters should WWE come under fire for guys who look suspiciously muscular.

But as for those guys who are just one lucky break away from full-on superstardom…

CM Punk? "Drug free and proud," and a crazy-over performer in his own right who’d be more than happy to tell a guy like Bill O’Reilly a thing or two about drug use.

Mr. Kennedy? Sure he might have had a few steroid experiences in the past… but he’s slimmed down and remained pretty darned popular in spite of his less-than-bulging physique.

And Samoa Joe? I’m sorry haters, but ANYBODY who looks at Joe and immediately thinks "that dude’s totally on steroids" simply HAS to be on some sort of drug of their own.

Time will tell how the Samoa Joe situation will shake out… but it is a VERY interesting prospect and a story that, if confirmed, I’m sure will be discussed in greater detail in the weeks to come.

BAD NEWS FOR TNA

GOOD NEWS FOR WWE