Honor Rises: A Look at Samoa Joe’s ROH World Title Reign
12. Samoa Joe vs. Mark Briscoe (December 27, 2003)
After the defeat of his older brother, Mark Briscoe wanted a shot at Joe and Joe was happy to oblige. Joe destroyed the Briscoe clan, and while the younger of the Briscoe brothers gave Joe a run for his money, the then 18-year-old Mark was unable to overcome Joe, and Joe’s reign continued.
But this night ended up being significant for BJ Whitmer as well. After the main event, CM Punk came out and confronted The Prophecy. While Punk was absolutely a heel, he was a heel with honor. He would keep the Code of Honor, shaking the hand of his opponent before and after the match. He was not a good man, but he was honorable.
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Sometime earlier in the year, someone from The Prophecy attacked Lucy, Punk’s manager, taking her out of Ring of Honor. Punk wanted to know who it was, and BJ Whitmer walked down to the ring, announcing that it was him – thus joining The Prophecy and turning heel in the process. Punk’s feud with The Prophecy began, turning Punk babyface in the process. This turn will have a major role in 2004.
Earlier, it was mentioned that ROH drew 5,300 fans in 2002, with an average attendance of 442. In 2003, ROH more than doubled (and almost tripled) that number with drawing 14,000 with an average attendance of 636. This can be partially attributed to ROH running more shows, but it cannot be denied that Joe’s reign, combined with strong booking of other feuds (CM Punk vs. Raven, Homicide vs. Steve Corino, and others) had led to ROH’s popularity increasing. Joe’s strong reign was a centerpiece of this increase in business.
13. Samoa Joe vs. Balls Mahoney (January 9th, 2004)
Joe continued to bring the ROH World title all over the place, defending the title against the ECW legend, Balls Mahoney in JAPW. In a very hostile environment, Joe stood tall against the Hardcore Chair Swinging Freak, showing himself to be more than capable of taking the title wherever he wanted, defeating Balls after 16 minutes of war. Joe, however, didn’t have a break, and his 2004 continued to intensify as he next faced off against 3 challengers.
14. Samoa Joe vs. BJ Whitmer vs. Dan Maff vs. Low Ki (February 14, 2004)
ROH turned two, with their second anniversary show, entering into their third year of existence. Meanwhile, Joe was one month away from holding the ROH title for an entire year. ROH didn’t make it easy for Joe, having a match with three of the toughest guys in ROH. Whitmer was young, but proven himself to be a killer, especially since he joined the prophecy. Dan Maff was a big man that brought it in any match, and Low Ki was looking to go to war again with Joe.
Joe met all challengers and went to war, managing to win again, proving that he was, without any question, the most dominant champion in ROH history.
15. Samoa Joe vs. Ahmed Chaer (March 5, 2004)
Joe took the title to international wrestling shows again, as he went to Germany yet again and defeated Ahmed Chaer at GSW Fatal Friday II. Samoa Joe proved himself again, further establishing the ROH title as a real World title that meant something. Joe’s frequency of defenses all around the world went a long way towards establishing ROH as a must see company, and making the title matter in a global scale.
Just one week later, Joe defended the title again, and it was no walk in the park, as the champ didn’t take it easy.