Top 5 greatest CM Punk rivalries 

#4 CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe

We need another CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe match 🍿 pic.twitter.com/Vyw6YaXp6z

— B/R Wrestling (@BRWrestling) April 18, 2021

As previously mentioned, CM Punk was known worldwide before he ever stepped inside a WWE ring. His time on the independent scene put a greater focus on professional wrestling in smaller promotions.

He has to be considered one of the faces of the first independent wrestling revolution, but Samoa Joe would have to be right next to Punk as one of those faces.

Samoa Joe was so unique and different from most competitors of his size seen in the business before. Despite being more than 275 lbs, Joe was extremely agile and showed a level of athleticism that smaller opponents weren't ready for.

He was also a submission specialist who gained the moniker of "The Samoan Submission Machine".

It's September.#AEW holds "All Out" in Chicago.Headlined by "LAST TIME EVER: CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe."Who says no?

— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) April 15, 2021

This submission expertise made his matches against CM Punk absolute barnburners. The two men put on a critically acclaimed trilogy in 2004 that absolutely took the wrestling world by storm.

In a time where WWE was considered stale, Punk and Joe put on two one-hour draws that are considered some of the best matches of either man's career.

This sets the stage for a final showdown that saw Samoa Joe finally defeat CM Punk in dramatic fashion. The Joe vs. Punk series elevated both men and put their names on the map.

Their classic series helped both get signed to major companies within the next year. Joe signed with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling in June of 2005, while Punk signed with WWE in September of 2005.