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

In 2006, the intense rivalry between Daniel Bryan and Samoa Joe was rekindled in Ring Of Honor in unlikely fashion. It was a landmark year for ROH that saw an ongoing promotional feud between the red-hot indie kingpin and its absolute antithesis in the nearby Combat Zone Wrestling. In July of that year, the ongoing war between the companies came to a head at ROH’s Death Before Dishonor IV in a CZW staple known as the Cage of Death match. While Joe and Bryan again found themselves on a team with other company stalwarts, their hatred quickly boiled over mere minutes into the match. Daniel Bryan sneak-attacked Joe before leaving the ring and abandoning his promotion’s team. What followed was a trilogy of epic encounters, starting just the following month.

The hatred and competition between these men would continue beyond their 5 August matchup, but it unknowingly peaked at the aptly-named Fight of the Century. Unlike their first encounter back in 2004, however, this match saw Daniel Bryan defend the ROH World title against Samoa Joe. And much like their first one-on-one fight, it was an incredible and exciting affair. Strikes, submissions, and devastating slams abound, the match climaxed in a flurry of offense as the time limit wore down. While Bryan attempted to end the contest with his patented stiff elbow strikes, he quickly realized they weren’t enough and transitioned into a crossface chickenwing. Samoa Joe, however, continued to battle back and was able to escape the submission before applying one of his own. With a tight and excruciating STF locked on the champ, it seemed that Joe had victory in his grasp and was about to regain the ROH title since he lost it at the end of 2004.

However, it was not to be, as Daniel Bryan was able to withstand the pain and hold out until the time limit expired. Sixty minutes had passed and while there was no clear winner, Daniel Bryan was able to leave with the belt still around his waist.