10 Best TNA Feuds Ever
2. Samoa Joe vs. The X-Division
The longtime king of ROH exploded into the Impact Zone with extreme malice in 2005. More aggressive and hot-tempered than ever, the fiery Samoa Joe was introduced as a monstrous menace for TNA's popular X-Division to tangle with.
Where the big man had upheld the respect of ROH's Code of Honour with pride, he spat on the X-Division and everything it stood for. Beating Christopher Daniels to a bloody pulp, Joe's actions were so disturbing that even Daniels' nemesis at the time, AJ Styles, was appalled.
Sadly for Styles, the moral high ground proved a bit useless at Turning Point '05 where 'The Samoan Submission Machine' demolished 'The Phenomenal One' for the X-Division Championship.
Samoa Joe was a major signing at the time for TNA. The hottest prospect on the US indies, the ROH ace chose the Impact Zone over both WWE and New Japan. By introducing the stiff brawler to the typically cruiserweight-populated, high-flying X-Division, TNA were able to present Joe as a larger-than-life sadistic brute.
For Christopher Daniels, his part in representing the division allowed him to showcase his sympathetic charisma as an underdog babyface. A vast departure from his heel work, Daniels quickly garnered fan support in the face of overwhelming odds against his stronger, crueller foe.
The combination of wild, high octane in-ring wars (look no further than the Joe vs. Styles vs. Daniels classic from Unbreakable '05) and a straightforward, hard-hitting storyline made iMPACT must-see TV for wrestling fans at the time.