1. Vs. Christopher Daniels Vs. Samoa Joe - 11/09/2005
This match is often called the greatest match in the history of TNA, and truth be told that somehow manages to feel like an understatement. A three-way X-Division title match, this was actually the main event of a TNA pay-per-view in the autumn of 2005. Going into Unbreakable, Christopher Daniels was the champion, Samoa Joe was the undefeated monster and AJ Styles was the true challenger who had been screwed out of his chance. All the pieces were in place. What follows is 25 minutes of true total non-stop action that is almost impossible to keep up with. Styles and Joe team up on the dastardly heel Daniels to start with, before everything breaks down into traditional three-way fare, albeit with extra bite. There are some fantastic high spots throughout the match, with Styles hitting a stunning springboard Shooting Star Press to the outside. The Spiral Tap also gets an outing in this match, which is a good indicator of a match being a big deal. Near falls come in spades, and Styles eventually gets the win with a pin on Daniels whilst Joe is out of commission. This match is quite simply a must-see for anyone vaguely interested in professional wrestling outside of WWE, not just those looking to educate themselves in the work of AJ Styles. In 2005 TNA truly did put some focus on the X-Division, and there was a feeling that an alternative to WWE was coming together. That didn't turn out so well, but the nostalgia is still enjoyable and this match is always worth a watch. AJ Styles has been putting on great wrestling matches for well over a decade now. These five may stand out as this writer's favourites, but you could put in a whole host of different ones and still find quality. Those unfamiliar with AJ are in for a treat as he makes his first steps into the wild world of World Wrestling Entertainment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U28pyOAMXcI
Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.
