5 Best Wrestling Matches of 2004

3. Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk – 60-minute Ironman match – ROH Joe vs. Punk II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZgSI7aLoMM

This 5-star match was once called ‘the best match to ever take place on American soil’ by many fans that watched it. That tells you how well these two wrestlers, who were relatively unknown at the time, performed in this contest.

CM Punk was the local favorite facing then-champion Samoa Joe, who was still undefeated on ROH. They busted out incredible moves on each other, including an interesting take on ‘Old School’ by Punk.

Yet no matter how hard they tried, neither man could put the other away long enough for a three-count or a tap-out. From suplexes to the unprotected floor outside the ring to vicious chops and kicks, these two wrestlers tried their hardest to brutalize each other.

Even with so many reversals, exchanges, near-falls, and wrenching submission holds, the referee had no choice but to end the match once the bell had rung. The fans in attendance, desperate to see this epic war continue, began chanting ‘five more minutes’ but to no avail.

Not only did this match serve as a launching pad for both men’s careers, but it also helped put Ring of Honor on the map. It was almost unprecedented for two relatively-obscure wrestlers from a tiny federation to have a match rated 5-stars by the Wrestling Observer. So for them to be praised that highly by wrestling’s most credible journalist was a huge feather in both their caps.