10 Things Most Fans Don't Know About Samoa Joe's ROH Run

There's probably no one more synonymous with the history of Ring of Honor than Samoa Joe. From his very first match at the then up-and-coming independent wrestling promotion in 2002, Joe made an immediate impact on the fans, locker room, and the industry as a whole. He took the promotion to new heights during his long ROH World Championship reign and continued to set the bar of high-quality wrestling, mixed with intriguing character work and storylines after that as well.

It's hard to imagine ROH without Samoa Joe and the many accomplishments he and the company made throughout his tenure, and there are some impressive details during that run that most fans seem to gloss over.

10 Originally Booked to Have Only One Match At ROH

It's hard to believe that the soon-to-be longest reigning ROH World Champion was originally booked to have a one-off match at Ring of Honor, due to the expenses of flying Joe from California to Pennsylvania.

Joe was booked as Christopher Daniels' hired "assassin" to take down Low Ki. After the match, the fans and everyone else backstage were so impressed by Joe's abilities, that they offered him a contract.

9 Longest-Reigning ROH World Champion

Fans of Samoa Joe and ROH may already know that he is the longest-reigning ROH World Champion at 645 days (21 months), but what fans may not know is that this reign was more historic than people realize.

Joe was the longest-reigning world champion in North America since Dan "The Beast" Severn's reign as NWA World Champion at 1,479 days, spanning the years 1995-1999.

8 Had 60-Minute Draws Against CM Punk & Bryan Danielson

samoa joe vs bryan danielson and cm punk

During his time at ROH, Joe had legendary feuds with CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, respectively. One as ROH World champion against Punk, and as a challenger against Danielson.

Both encounters resulted in masterclass wrestling matches, considered to be some of the best in Ring of Honor's history. It's also funny how those encounters resulted in 60-minute time limit draws, a rarity back then.

7 Had First 5-Star ROH Match

CM Punk and Samoa Joe had one of the best rivalries in ROH history. Their trilogy of matches for the ROH World Title elevated both men to be some of the most respected workers in their locker room, but it was their second encounter that received the highest honor.

CM Punk vs Samoa Joe II was held in Chicago, Illinois, in 2004. This match, like their first encounter, also ended in a draw, but it managed to surpass its predecessor, earning a 5-star rating on Wrestling Observer Newsletter, being the first to do so in Ring of Honor history.

6 Lead War Against CZW

In 2006, ROH began a crossover war against rival Philadelphia-based wrestling promotion, CZW (Combat Zone Wrestling). Many ROH talent crossed over to CZW and vice-versa, trying to invade the other's promotions.

The war between both promotions culminated at Death Before Dishonor IV 2006 in a 5-on-5 Cage of Deathmatch, with Joe leading Team ROH. Joe was eliminated after Bryan Danielson betrayed and assaulted him with a chair, beginning a long-term feud that would result in some of the best matches in ROH history.

5 Came Up Short Against Danielson

Coming full circle after his trilogy with CM Punk, Samoa Joe faced Bryan Danielson numerous times, this time as the challenger for the ROH World Title. Both wrestlers have faced each other multiple times before in other promotions, but their bouts for the ROH title proved to be the most iconic.

While his feud with CM Punk resulted in Joe coming out victorious in the end, this time it was Danielson who managed to retain the title, one in a 60-minute draw, and the other in a cage match.

4 Had 29 Title Defenses As ROH World Champion

21 months as champion has to come up with several title defenses. Samoa Joe being the longest-reigning ROH World Champion had defended the title a total of 29 times. Joe was the champion with the most title defenses until Bryan Danielson took up that record with 38 defenses.

3 CM Punk Was Picked Over Samoa Joe By WWE

When CM Punk and Samoa Joe were on their way out of Ring of Honor, chasing brighter lights and greener pastures, Mick Foley, who scouted both, pitched to Vince McMahon to bring them both to WWE, even pitching a storyline involving all three of them to make an immediate impact in the company.

Punk managed to impress the higher-ups and signed with WWE, but Vince didn't want Joe due to his physique, which is ironic considering who Vince prefers to feature in WWE's programming.

2 Bled For The First Time Against Homicide

During one of his many feuds as ROH World Champion, Samoa Joe faced off against the violent Homicide, who tried multiple times to dethrone the Samoan Submission Machine. The Latino wrestling star took Joe to the limit at Generation Next 2004.

For the match, Homicide brought a fork and jabbed Joe in the face, cutting him, the first time Joe bled in Ring of Honor. In the end, Joe managed to fight through and retain the ROH World Title.

1 Had Second 5-Star Match With Kenta Kobashi

Samoa Joe seems to bring out the best of his opponents, as he was also responsible for bringing Ring of Honor their second 5-star match in history via Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

In 2005, Kobashi held a tour of the United States and faced Samoa Joe twice in Ring of Honor. The first was in a one-on-one match at the New Yorker Hotel, with an electrifying crowd to elevate the dream match. Kobashi defeated Joe, but both men took each other to the limit, showing mutual respect afterwards.