Ranking CM Punk’s top 5 career opponents
By Morgan Jayne
3. Chris Hero
Most CM Punk vs. Chris Hero matches happened in the IWA-Mid South promotion between 2001 and 2004. While their feud was not a ‘real-life’ storyline feud like the one with Raven and was not televised like the one with Daniel Bryan, the matches between Punk and Hero are still remembered today.
The first singles match between Punk and Hero occurred in IWA-Mid South in February 2001, with Punk picking up the win. Their next singles bout occurred in September and ended in a double pin. Punk then picked up another win, this time by referee decision in October. In December, Punk defeated Hero to win the IWA-Mid South Heavyweight championship. The first singles match between Punk and Hero in 2002 occurred in January and was a best two out of three falls match, which Punk won.
A Tables and Ladders match, one of their most well-known, occurred at the IWA Mid-South House of Hardcore 2nd Anniversary show, with Punk successfully defending his IWA Mid-South Heavyweight championship. The pair had eight matches together in 2002, including five singles matches. In 2003, they only had two matches together; however, one was their best two out of three falls 90-minute time limit match, where Hero defeated Punk to win the IWA-Mid South Championship in February 2003. This match is considered to be an independent wrestling classic.
They saw more battles against one another in 2004, the first occurring in February at the wXw Back To The Roots 3 – When Hero Met Punk show in Germany. It was a 60-minute iron man match, which Hero won, 2:1. In June, Punk and Hero returned to IWA-Mid South, where Punk defeated Hero in a no-time limit match that lasted 61 minutes, 21 seconds. August saw their next singles match at the IWC (International Wrestling Carter) Summer Sizzler show, ending in a 60-minute time-limit draw. Their final singles match occurred in IWA-Mid South in November 2004, where Punk defeated Hero again to win the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight championship.
When Punk was the WWE Champion in 2012, Hero was working in WWE’s developmental system, NXT, under the name Kassius Ohno. On an August NXT episode, Punk teamed with NXT Champion Seth Rollins against Ohno and Cesaro, and Punk and Rollins were victorious.
2. Samoa Joe
The rivalry between CM Punk and Samoa Joe is no stranger to independent wrestling fans, as Punk and Joe had one of the greatest wrestling trilogies of all time in 2004. Their close friendship has been well-documented over the years, and while they never had a blood feud, their matches have stood the test of time.
The first Punk vs. Joe match occurred in August 2003 at ROH’s Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies show, where Joe picked up the win. Joe would pick up another win at PWG’s An Inch Longer Than Average show in November. The first match in their legendary 2004 trilogy occurred at the ROH World Title Classic event in June, and Joe retained his ROH championship in a 60-minute time-limit draw. This match was so good that it inspired the October ROH event titled Joe vs. Punk II. Their second match was even better than the first and is considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, independent wrestling matches ever. It earned a five-star rating from famed wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the first North American match to receive a five-star rating since 1997. Joe retained his Championship once again in another 60-minute time-limit draw.
With neither man managing to secure a victory over the other, the third and final match of their 2004 trilogy occurred in December at the ROH All-Star Extravaganza II show, with Joe finally picking up the victory. Their final singles battle happened at the FWA (Frontier Wrestling Alliance) Internation Showdown event in 2005, with Joe defeating Punk again. The last time they were in the ring together was when Punk unsuccessfully defended his ROH Championship in a four-way elimination match against Joe, Christopher Daniels, and James Gibson, with Gibson picking up the win.
Punk and Joe found themselves in the same wrestling company again in 2022, with both men signed to AEW. While Punk’s current AEW status is up in the air, if he does return, then doing Punk vs. Joe one last time, whether in AEW or the revamped ROH, is something that has to happen.