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Honor Rises: A Look at Samoa Joe’s ROH World Title Reign

By Josiah MacDonald

R-Truth & Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe & Andrade. he competitors from the United States Title Fatal 4-Way Match at WWE Fastlane pair off for a tag team battle that ends in chaos. Photo Credit: WWE.com
R-Truth & Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe & Andrade. he competitors from the United States Title Fatal 4-Way Match at WWE Fastlane pair off for a tag team battle that ends in chaos. Photo Credit: WWE.com /
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16. Samoa Joe vs. Jay Briscoe (Steel Cage Match) (March 13, 2004)

Jay Briscoe had another chance at Joe here. After both Jay and Mark lost their first matches against Joe, Jay Briscoe showed flashes of being a legit main event star and worked his way back to a title match with Joe. This time, Briscoe wanted no escape. Joe agreed. Samoa Joe and Jay went to war. Blood was spilled, and Joe was put to the test. It seemed like the young Briscoe would finally be able to defeat the monster, but Briscoe fell just short and Joe was able to walk out with his title. Jay Briscoe, however, made his mark, and it was clear that the time would be coming where he would be a champion in ROH, it was only a matter of when.

17. Samoa Joe vs. Homicide (April 23, 2004)

This will remain one of the most memorable matches in ROH history for how it ended. Joe and Homcide went to war. Homicde and Joe were both fan favourites, so the fans were delighted to see them after a bit of turmoil behind the scenes that saw the ownership of ROH change leaving the future of the company in question. Joe and Homicide hit hard, as Homicide gave everything he had to try and beat Joe, but Joe kept kicking out. Homicide then lived up to his name, and did something that started a blood feud in ROH. Homicide threw a fireball at Joe, burning his face, and leading to a DQ that saw Joe retain his title. Joe kept his title, but Homicide won the battle. At least for now.

18. Samoa Joe vs. Matt Stryker (April 24, 2004)

If you look at the date on this one, you’ll realize that this was one day after the previous defense. Joe came out with a bandage on his face, indicating the burns that Homicide inflicted the night before. Joe was weakened and damaged, but that didn’t stop him from fighting. This match went for 19:16 seconds, with Joe almost tasting defeat against a challenger that shouldn’t have been able to take him that far. However, Joe would not give up and ultimately overcame and defeated the young Stryker (not to be confused with Matt Striker, wrestler with WWE, and commentator that seems to drag down every broadcast he’s on).

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