10 Best Wrestling Matches I've Seen Live

Pro Wrestling NOAH star KENTA first appeared in Ring of Honor at Final Battle 2005, defending his GHC Junior Heavyweight Title successfully against Low Ki. 

While KENTA was the hunted and not the hunter in that particular match, he would soon set his sights on Ring of Honor's best.

At the following June's In Your Face event, KENTA won an exhibition three-way match over Bryan Danielson and Samoa Joe, pinning ROH World Champion Danielson and cementing himself as number one contender.

The match was scheduled for the second evening of Ring of Honor's Glory By Honor show, exactly 364 days into Danielson's title reign. As Danielson later detailed in his autobiography, he was suffering from a separated shoulder, but the stakes of the occasion (and the fact that his family was in the audience) meant that he couldn't pull out of the bout.

The two had an amazing pure wrestling bout, with the still-hated Danielson bullying KENTA with tight holds and clever submissions. KENTA fought back with kicks, targeting Danielson's shoulder. 

The early offense gave way to suplexes, and soon, both men were pulling out all the stops. Danielson locked in the Cattle Mutilation, but KENTA got to the ropes and came back with a Go 2 Sleep. Danielson kicked out and KENTA tried to hit the move again, but "The American Dragon" escaped.

He locked on the Cattle Mutilation and KENTA rolled it into a pin, but Danielson hit a Tiger Suplex. Still holding KENTA's arms, Danielson reapplied the Cattle Mutilation one last time and scored the submission.

Sometimes, crowds of 1,000 people feel hotter than stadium crowds, and this was one of those times. Though Danielson was the heel, he had won most of the fans over by the end of the match, showing amazing fortitude through his injury. 

Any fans of Danielson must check this match out, as must any fans of wrestling.