TNA Wrestling’s hulking Samoa Joe throws down in the ring against his competitors, but off the clock, it’s all about locker-room pranks.
For years, Samoa Joe has dominated on the TNA Wrest ling stage, facing down some pretty formidable characters. But what he really enjoys is playing practical jokes on his teammates.
There’s been a long history of pranking in wrestling. Is there one you particularly admire?
There’s one, but it’s just because Terry Funk does it. Terry will walk through the entire airport lugging his bag like he’s carrying a million pounds. By the time he’s at the plane, he’s worked up a full sweat. That’s when the flight attendant walks up and says, “Excuse me, sir, may I help you with your bag?” I was with him one time when the girl pulled the
bag up and her hand flew over her head and she nearly landed on her ass. It was as light as a feather.
Have you been pranked?
Yeah, it was a classic: the enormous hotel bill. You go down to the business center and ask for a piece of hotel paper to write a note on. Then you print up a bill with all these fake charges. My buddies put this bill under my door and it’s got, like, $556 in movies. Afterward, I’m yelling at the hotel guy in the lobby, like, “I did not spend this! You guys have shit porn! How would I spend this in one night?!”
What goes down in the TNA
locker room? Some guys have had powdered milk put into their gear. Once you start sweating and moving around, it smells bad and the person wearing it has no idea why.
I like classic ones. Everyone knows the Mentos in Diet Coke trick, but you take a string and lace it through a Mento with a needle and tie it to the top of the bottle, then screw on the cap. Then, when your buddy goes, “I’m thirsty,” you hand him that. When he opens it, it explodes in his face.
What’s this rumor we hear about an iPod taser?
I’m sorry to say, the taser doesn’t work. These are things we come up with when we’re sitting around the locker room. One busted iPod later, you realize it’s not possible. But the disposable-camera one does work. If you get it on the back of
your neck, it leaves a mark.
Have you ever pulled a prank despite being concerned about the person’s reaction?
Well, in Japan I worked with a wrestler, Kohei Sato. To haze wrestlers there, they threw firecrackers in front of them. The promoter told me to stick a firecracker in the guy’s pants. It tore his pants to shreds! He took his cellphone out of his pocket and it was just … smoking.
