“Samoa” Joe Seanoa is no longer a man on an island.
A singles performer throughout his six-plus years in Impact Wrestling, Seanoa has branched into the tag-team ranks.
He and new partner Nick “Magnus” Aldis are challenging Matt Morgan and Tommy “Crimson” Mercer for Impact’s tag-team title Sunday on the Against All Odds pay-per-view show emanating from Orlando, Fla.
“There’s definitely a good symbiotic relationship with me and him,” Seanoa said of Magnus during a Tuesday telephone interview. “He shows up wanting to go 120 miles per hour. He’s got intelligent ideas and he’s ready to go.
“When you work with someone like that who’s so hungry in wanting to succeed and putting on the best show possible, it’s really refreshing and contagious. It helps my game.”
Not that Seanoa needed any boost from an in-ring standpoint. His trademark rough-and-tumble athleticism that belies a six-foot-two, 300-pound frame has helped him forge a successful 12-year grappling career.
Seanoa, though, had fallen back into the pack after a strong run from 2006 to 2008 highlighted by a six-month stint as Impact heavyweight champion. Much of that slide wasn’t his fault as much as poor storyline ideas from scriptwriters and headline spots being given to ex-WWE stars that had joined Impact.
Asked how difficult it was remaining patient and motivated, Seanoa chuckled and said, “It’s an acquired skill, I’ll definitely say that.”
“At the end of the day, I could groan and take my frustrations out on the world and complain about every little thing that was going wrong with me,” Seanoa said.
“But ultimately, I’m responsible for my own fate and destiny.
“I’m wasting my time complaining instead of doing things on my end to try and fix it.
“My job as a pro wrestler is to entertain the fans. That should be my primary concern, not trying to justify how things could be better for myself.”
Seanoa was involved in two of the greatest bouts in Impact history — a 2005 three-way match against A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels and his 2008 Impact world-title victory over Kurt Angle. But when asked for his career highlight, Seanoa said he still hasn’t wrestled “the perfect match.”
“I go back and pick apart 20 million things after my matches looking at things I would change or could have done better,” Seanoa said. “I’m never satisfied with anything.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be satisfied enough to say a match was 100 perfect.”
He is striving to form a perfect tag team with Magnus, although the Orange County, Calif., native admits the duo is in need of a nickname.
“It’s a tough fit,” a laughing Seanoa said.
“We’re apples and oranges.
“He’s a suave-looking British gentleman. I’m a crazy, wild, rugged Samoan. Maybe (Impact) should have a naming contest.”
No matter what the pair are ultimately called or how long they remain together, Seanoa isn’t done trying to build his own name as one of grappling’s top stars.
“I think I’m very much at the midway point of my career,” said Seanoa, who turns 33 in March. “There’s definitely a lot more accolades I would love to achieve.
“I feel pretty positive about that moving forward and what the future holds.
“As far as the past few years, there have been rocky points at times.
“At the same time, I defy anybody to find a wrestling career that was picture-perfect all the way through. It’s a marathon, not a race, and I’m willing to complete it.”
Bobby Roode vs. Jeff Hardy vs. James Stom vs. Bully Ray for the Impact heavyweight title and Styles vs. Frankie Kazarian headline Against All Odds. For more information, visit www.impactwrestling.com.
Alex Marvez writes a syndicated pro-wrestling column for Scripps Howard News Service. He can be reached at alex1marv@aol.com or followed via Twitter at http://twitter.com/alexmarvez