10 Best Daniel Bryan Vs. Samoa Joe Matches To Watch Before WWE SmackDown

Another tag bout pitted Bryan and Joe against one another, this time for Ring Of Honor. Way back in 2004, famed Japanese superstar Jushin “Thunder” Liger made a rare pilgrimage to the United States to compete for the popular independent promotion. On the second night of his stop - dubbed the Weekend of Thunder - Liger teamed with the then-ROH World Champion Samoa Joe, facing off with Daniel Bryan and an unlikely partner in Low Ki. As a matter of fact, there was far more camaraderie and kinship between Joe and Ki, who found themselves in opposite corners of the ring. And while the always intense rivalry of Joe and Bryan found instances to shine through, for many reasons, the night was all about Jushin Liger.

The ROH faithful in attendance were there to see the former New Japan Jr. Heavyweight Champ compete in an American ring for the first time in years. Clearly on the Japanese star's side - and Joe’s by default - there was pure hatred being spewed toward Low Ki and Bryan. It seemed to motivate the two competitors, however, and sparked them to turn their backs on ROH’s ways of sportsmanship. The American Dragon began roughing up Liger and purposefully attempted to frustrate not just his opponents but also the crowd. From start to finish, the match was contested at a lightning pace, but by the end Jushin Liger’s skill, tenacity, and experience, along with the help of Samoa Joe, was too much for the makeshift team of Bryan and Low Ki. In the end, the masked and horned star triumphed over the future leader of the YES movement with a devastating Liger Bomb to secure the victory.