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#10: Kings of Wrestling vs American Wolves (Tag Title Classic II)
Unlike most of the rest of the matches on this list, this one got on the list based on match quality alone, and I felt that if I was going to list the best matches in a company that is so well known for its quality tag division, it only made sense to include what I thought was the best tag match in company history. The two teams had purposely been kept apart for all of 2010, but finally crossed paths on the second to last show of the year in an instant classic that went nearly the full 45 minute time limit. Both teams have amazing chemistry and teamwork, as well as an ability to pull dramatic shifts in the momentum of a match basically at will, and when I made the trip up to Massachusetts to see it live, I was exhausted by the end because of the way they kept you on the edge of your seat. You got the impression that they were going to go the full time limit as the final minutes on the clock wound down, but Chris Hero destroyed Eddie Edwards with a series of rolling elbow to pin him clean just as it began to come down to the wire. It was a phenomenal match with a clean finish, and it helped make Eddie look like a warrior because of how much it took to finally put him down, while continuing to make the Kings of Wrestling look like unbeatable champions.
#9: El Generico vs Kevin Steen (Final Battle 2010)
When Steen and Generico first came to ROH, they were a very successful team that never appeared to be on the same page, and I think a lot of people expected them to feud with one another long before they actually did. When they stuck together for a few more years, it came as a huge shock when they finally pulled the trigger on the Steen heel turn, and by this time the fans had gotten so emotionally invested in the both of them that it became one of the biggest storylines of 2010, and possibly the most emotional blood feud in ROH history. You had Steen, the guy Generico once looked up to and took direction from, dumping Generico so he wouldn't hold him back in his quest for the ROH World Title, and along the way he did everything he could to crush Generico's spirit and drive him from ROH, right down to stealing his mask and, with it, his entire identity.
This took Generico to a darker place than he had ever been, as he became a silent, morose, black clad figure who only slightly resembled the lovable character he once was. After an entire year of fighting one another, with Colt Cabana and Steve Corino finding their way into the mix, they blew the feud off in the main event of Final Battle 2010 in a non-sanctioned Fight Without Honor that pitted Generico's mask against Steen's career. Both men fought like their lives and careers depended on it, and in the end Generico smashed Steen over the head with a chair and drove him from ROH...for the time being.
#8: Do Fixer vs Blood Generation (Supercard Of Honor)
Even though Ring of Honor and Dragon Gate ended up ending their relationship on bad terms, their appearance on the first real Wrestlemania weekend tour, and this match in particular, helped put those shows on the map and made Wrestlemania weekend a major part of the ROH calendar each year. This was the first match ever in ROH that got the fans chanting "please don't stop" at the action, and it got them invited back for two more years of Wrestlemania weekends. Even after the split, ROH felt the need to have some exciting foreign talent on the show and brought in several lucha guys to work the Wrestlemania weekend in Texas. Even though it did lead to Dragon Gate gaining enough name value that they opened up their own US promotion to compete with ROH, the partnership was a fairly major part of ROH for several years and you can pretty much trace the demand back to this one match.
#7: Cage of Death - Team ROH vs Team CZW (Death Before Dishonor IV)
While Dragon Gate wrestlers would appear on ROH shows and have a friendly rivalry with their wrestlers, the CZW feud was the complete opposite side of the coin. Starting with what was planned to be a one-off appearance by Chris Hero to challenge Bryan Danielson on the first show of 2006, it soon ballooned into a full on invasion as CZW wrestlers would storm ROH events, attack ROH wrestlers, and continually get kicked out of the building while drawing the line in the sand.
Not only was it an interpromotional feud, but also a clash of two different philosophies of what professional wrestling should be, as you had the technical wrestling that was the hallmark of ROH clashing with the hardcore violence that was central to CZW. The best part was that, at least on the ROH side, the storyline drew such an immense amount of interest that attendance at ROH shows in Philly practically doubled for the six months the feud ran, building to this big blowoff where ROH would challenge CZW in their own gimmick match. Even more amazingly, CZW agreed to let ROH beat them in their Cage of Death when Homicide came to the rescue and kicked off his own storyline for the rest of 2006 as he prepared to take one last crack at winning the ROH World Title. Unfortunately, for as successful as the CZW feud was, live attendance in Philadelphia never again reached the heights it did during this time period.
#6: Bryan Danielson vs KENTA (Glory By Honor V Night Two)
I admit that this made the list partly because it's my personal favorite match in ROH history, but the truth is that it was an excellent match that they spent all year building to, and was specifically chosen to headline what was then ROH's biggest show ever when they made their debut in the Manhattan Center in New York City, which has since become their main venue for big shows. The odds were heavily against Danielson going in because not only had KENTA already beaten him twice in non-title situations, but Danielson had legitimately suffered torn ligaments in his chest and shoulder only weeks before this match and it was possible that he'd lose here just to get the title off him so he could recover. Instead, Danielson and KENTA had what I considered the Match of the Year for 2006, and was Danielson's toughest test during his entire title reign as he literally had to throw all his biggest guns at KENTA to finally beat him and hand KENTA his first loss in ROH. You'd be hard pressed to find a better match than this, and headlining such a huge show for the company only amplified its importance.
#5: Austin Aries vs CM Punk (Death Before Dishonor III)
Anyone who watched the Summer of Punk angle last year in WWE has probably heard that it was largely lifted from when Punk did essentially the same angle in ROH back in 2005. While that's true and ROH had its own Summer of Punk, there were some differences, and they all traced back to this match. Though it was never explicitly stated anywhere that he was, Punk was widely expected to be finishing up with ROH at this show and, in doing so, put over Aries on his way out the door. Instead, Punk beat Aries to win the ROH World Title, causing a huge celebration among the fans in attendance, and then immediately afterward turned on those same fans by saying that he didn't care about them, and only used their support to get what he wanted, the ROH World Title, and now that he had it, he'd be walking out the door and taking it with him to WWE.
This kicked off a tremendous angle where everyone assumed this was just going to be a short swerve and he'd drop the title in his first defense, but he instead kept retaining the title time after time, often via dubious means, but would somehow be forced to return for the next show to defend again. It was a great idea because it kept the fans interested in showing up since they were sure that he'd HAVE to drop the title in his next match, but as soon as they finally caught on and realized Punk wasn't going to be just a transitional swerve champion, he dropped the title to James Gibson, put over his buddy Colt Cabana, and rode off into the sunset.
Incidentally, I've got the Summer of Punk DVD set that ROH recently released, and I'm planning on having a review up no later than next week where you can read my recap of the Aries match and everything else in the two months that followed.
#4: Samoa Joe vs Kenta Kobashi (Joe vs Kobashi)
While ROH had brought in the occasional legend or Japanese wrestler over its then-three and a half year history, getting ahold of Kobashi was a H-U-G-E deal for ROH because, not only was he such a megastar in Japan that his name value alone would sell tickets and DVDs, but it helped legitimize ROH in the eyes of Japanese fans. That legitimacy helped open the doors for other NOAH stars like Naomichi Marufuji, KENTA, Takeshi Morishima, and even Mitsuharu Misawa himself to appear in ROH in the future, and it enabled ROH to run shows of its own in Japan as well. With someone of Kobashi's caliber coming in, there was nobody else they could possibly match him up with than their own top star Samoa Joe, who was big and tough enough that he could believably go in there and go toe to toe with Kobashi. And believe me, toe to toe they did go, with Kobashi pummeling Joe so hard he left marks on his chest that were still visible the next day. Kobashi of course went over in the end, but this match has since taken on legendary status to ROH fans, even though its importance goes far beyond just the match itself.
#3:Samoa Joe vs CM Punk (World Title Classic)
This feud had to make it on here, but in trying to choose which one made the cut (since I didn't want to include the entire series), I chose this one for several reasons. First, it was a great match that went to the one hour time limit in an era when that was unheard of. Secondly, it was the catalyst that led to the second and third matches in the series. Third, it made Samoa Joe and CM Punk bigger names to people outside the ROH bubble because they were hearing so much about this amazing match. Fourth, ROH had just come off of the Feinstein scandal and a lot of people were dubious about the company's prospects for survival, and this match helped reinvigorate interest and confidence in the company and gave the message that they were still alive and kicking. That instinct for survival helped set the tone for several other down times in the company where people were predicting the end and expected ROH to go out of business, only for it to survive time and time again.
#2: Davey Richards vs Eddie Edwards (Best In The World)
This match had to go on here, and I expect people will disagree with me putting it this high up, but the reality is that not only was it a blowaway match and easily the best of the series, but one that was vitally important for establishing what ROH would be in the Sinclair Broadcasting Era. A lot of people were really worried about what kinds of changes we'd see when Sinclair bought ROH, but Davey and Eddie had possibly the stiffest and most competitive match in ROH history, literally beating each other unconscious. It concluded Davey's long quest for the ROH World Title and established him as the flagbearer for ROH under the Sinclair regime, and even after all the successes of past matches and events, this match had to hit on all cylinders to be a success, and it did.
#1 Low Ki vs Christopher Daniels vs Bryan Danielson (The Era Of Honor Begins)
This three way match, which main evented the first ever ROH event in 2002, tops the list for the same reason Davey vs Eddie sits at #2. While I don't personally feel this was the best match in ROH history (not even close), it was still an excellent, excellent match that had to deliver to establish ROH in fans' mind as the new home of real professional wrestling. Even though Eddie Guerrero vs Super Crazy was probably the match a lot of fans showed up to see, the three way went on after them because it was more important to ROH to build their own stars who would be their to lead the way when Eddie and Super Crazy were gone instead of relying on them to draw the fans. There were so many people raving about this match after it happened that it's taken on almost mythical proportions in independent wrestling circles, and if this match didn't deliver, it's possible that Joe vs Kobashi, Davey vs Eddie, Cage of Death, and everything else would have never had a chance of happening. Luckily, it did deliver, and it helped ROH live to a full ten years and counting.
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I've got a few more of these list-based columns to go this week, so thanks for reading and check back tomorrow as I rank the ROH World Champions!
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