On the January 29 episode of Impact!,
a short video was shown in which Joe, sporting a new buzzcut hairstyle, tribal facepaint, and much heavier frame stated he would like to introduce the Main Event Mafia to both the "real" Joe and his "nation of violence".
At Destination X, Joe got himself disqualified in his return match against his old rival and Main Event Mafia member Scott Steiner.
That same week on Impact!,
Joe once again got disqualified this time in a match with Sheik Abdul Bashir.
He took him backstage, hung him upside down, and tortured him.

The following week, he competed in a 20-man Six Sides of Steel match, where the last two men standing would be determined the captains of the Lethal Lockdown match at Lockdown.
He entered last and won the match by pinning rival Kurt Angle via the Muscle Buster.
He then later stated backstage that he did not wish to be captain, but would still be part of the team.
His teammates were Jeff Jarrett, A.J. Styles and the returning Daniels.
They faced off against The Main Event Mafia at Lockdown, and won the match.
At this time he also revealed that he was taking orders from a "secret advisor" who he was seen talking to many times backstage although the person's identity was not revealed.
He then feuded with Kevin Nash as his next victim of the Mafia and finally beat his old mentor at Sacrifice.

At Slammiversary, Joe betrayed A.J. Styles and turned on all the fans by helping Kurt Angle win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in the King of the Mountain match, and thus turned heel.
On the June 25 episode of Impact!,
Joe officially joined The Main Event Mafia after having spent the last five months taking them out.
This was revealed by Angle, to be a master plan to fool the TNA Frontline and the attacks were all planned by Joe and the Mafia in advance.
Joe then went on to explain that he joined the Mafia for the money that was invested by Jenna Morasca and for the power and also debuted a new rap themed, entrance music.
Throughout the night, he carried out attacks with the Mafia on Styles and Daniels and the leader of the Mafia, Sting, who was kicked out of the Mafia as leader and once again replaced with Kurt Angle.
At Victory Road, Joe faced Sting in a grudge match.
Late in the match, Taz made his TNA debut and helped Joe beat Sting, thus revealing himself as his new adviser.
At Hard Justice Joe defeated Homicide to win the X Division title for the fourth time.
After winning this title, Joe feuded with his longtime rival Daniels and defeated him at No Surrender.
On the October 8 edition of Impact!
Joe lost the X Division title to Amazing Red after Bobby Lashley interfered in the match.
At Bound for Glory Lashley defeated Joe in a submission match with a referee stoppage.
On the following edition of Impact!
Kurt Angle turned into a fan favorite, thus signaling the end of the Main Event Mafia.
The following month at Turning Point Joe unsuccessfully challenged TNA World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles for the title in a three-way match, also involving Daniels.

At Final Resolution Joe took part in the "Feast or Fired" match and won the briefcase containing a shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
After being off TV for several weeks, Joe returned on the February 4 edition of Impact!,
by attacking A.J. Styles, who had recently turned heel with Ric Flair, and declared that he would be using his "Feast or Fired" briefcase to get a shot at Styles' World Heavyweight Championship at Against All Odds, turning face in the process.
At the pay-per-view Styles retained his title against Joe in a No Disqualification match refereed by Eric Bischoff.
After losing a match against new TNA acquisition Orlando Jordan on the following Impact!,
Joe was abducted by masked men.
On March 29 he resurfaced in a video package on an episode of Impact!.
Joe made his return on the April 19 edition of Impact!
appearing as a surprise member of Team Hogan (Abyss, Jeff Jarrett and Rob Terry) in an eight-man tag team match against Team Flair (Sting, Desmond Wolfe, Robert Roode and James Storm), in which
On the January 29 episode of Impact!, a short video was shown in which Joe, sporting a new buzzcut hairstyle, tribal facepaint, and much heavier frame stated he would like to introduce the Main Event Mafia to both the "real" Joe and his "nation of violence". At Destination X, Joe got himself disqualified in his return match against his old rival and Main Event Mafia member Scott Steiner. That same week on Impact!, Joe once again got disqualified this time in a match with Sheik Abdul Bashir. He took him backstage, hung him upside down, and tortured him.
The following week, he competed in a 20-man Six Sides of Steel match, where the last two men standing would be determined the captains of the Lethal Lockdown match at Lockdown. He entered last and won the match by pinning rival Kurt Angle via the Muscle Buster. He then later stated backstage that he did not wish to be captain, but would still be part of the team. His teammates were Jeff Jarrett, A.J. Styles and the returning Daniels. They faced off against The Main Event Mafia at Lockdown, and won the match. At this time he also revealed that he was taking orders from a "secret advisor" who he was seen talking to many times backstage although the person's identity was not revealed. He then feuded with Kevin Nash as his next victim of the Mafia and finally beat his old mentor at Sacrifice.
At Slammiversary, Joe betrayed A.J. Styles and turned on all the fans by helping Kurt Angle win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in the King of the Mountain match, and thus turned heel. On the June 25 episode of Impact!, Joe officially joined The Main Event Mafia after having spent the last five months taking them out. This was revealed by Angle, to be a master plan to fool the TNA Frontline and the attacks were all planned by Joe and the Mafia in advance. Joe then went on to explain that he joined the Mafia for the money that was invested by Jenna Morasca and for the power and also debuted a new rap themed, entrance music. Throughout the night, he carried out attacks with the Mafia on Styles and Daniels and the leader of the Mafia, Sting, who was kicked out of the Mafia as leader and once again replaced with Kurt Angle. At Victory Road, Joe faced Sting in a grudge match. Late in the match, Taz made his TNA debut and helped Joe beat Sting, thus revealing himself as his new adviser. At Hard Justice Joe defeated Homicide to win the X Division title for the fourth time. After winning this title, Joe feuded with his longtime rival Daniels and defeated him at No Surrender. On the October 8 edition of Impact! Joe lost the X Division title to Amazing Red after Bobby Lashley interfered in the match. At Bound for Glory Lashley defeated Joe in a submission match with a referee stoppage. On the following edition of Impact! Kurt Angle turned into a fan favorite, thus signaling the end of the Main Event Mafia. The following month at Turning Point Joe unsuccessfully challenged TNA World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles for the title in a three-way match, also involving Daniels.
At Final Resolution Joe took part in the "Feast or Fired" match and won the briefcase containing a shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. After being off TV for several weeks, Joe returned on the February 4 edition of Impact!, by attacking A.J. Styles, who had recently turned heel with Ric Flair, and declared that he would be using his "Feast or Fired" briefcase to get a shot at Styles' World Heavyweight Championship at Against All Odds, turning face in the process. At the pay-per-view Styles retained his title against Joe in a No Disqualification match refereed by Eric Bischoff. After losing a match against new TNA acquisition Orlando Jordan on the following Impact!, Joe was abducted by masked men. On March 29 he resurfaced in a video package on an episode of Impact!. Joe made his return on the April 19 edition of Impact! appearing as a surprise member of Team Hogan (Abyss, Jeff Jarrett and Rob Terry) in an eight-man tag team match against Team Flair (Sting, Desmond Wolfe, Robert Roode and James Storm), in which 
Samoa Joe