The Independent Mid-Card 03.20.07: Joe vs. Styles
Posted by Samuel Berman on 03.20.2007
Even the most familiar of opponents had to meet a first time.
Welcome back to The Independent Mid-Card. Last week we took a break from the often oh-so-serious world of pro wrestling to look at a comedy match. This week, umm, not so much. I had actually originally planned to do a different match this week, starting off another multiple-column special event, but then I watched this match for the first time in a while the other night and just felt like fitting it in. I hope you'll enjoy a return to more spirited competition in this week's IMC.
The Wrestlers:
Samoa Joe – At this point, the big man was the reigning and defending ROH World Champion, right in the thick of his epic period with the belt. He was embroiled in a huge feud with Jay & Mark Briscoe at the time, as his other major goal in Ring of Honor was to wrest the ROH Tag Team Titles from the redneck Delawareans. The night before this match, Joe had taken a rare pinfall loss, when his chosen partner (and title challenger on this night) AJ Styles accidentally hit him with a Discus Lariat, allowing Mark Briscoe to hit a Shooting Star Press and pin the ROH World Champion. Thus, not only was Joe unsuccessful in his bid to win the tag belts, but the seeds of dissension were sown with his next title challenger, proving that one of AJ's trademark maneuvers could lead to Joe's defeat. This is Joe's 10th ROH World Title defense after defeating Xavier for the belt in March of 2003.
AJ Styles – Styles, who had defeated "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson to earn the #1 Contender's Trophy, was positioned as one of Samoa Joe's most dangerous challengers. Though much smaller physically than the champion, Styles, already a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion, was regarded by fans as the kind of competitor who could overcome major size disadvantages and win any bout. Though Mark Briscoe was now scheduled to make a title challenge at Final Battle 2003, the result of this match was still somewhat in doubt, as Styles (along with Christopher Daniels and Jerry Lynn) had yet to be pulled from ROH competition by NWA-TNA.
The Match:
We get abbreviated coverage of both wrestlers' entrances, with AJ entering to I Am and Joe coming to the ring to Faith No More's Another Body Murdered. AJ is announced at 202 pounds, which is lighter than he's announced now, I believe, but looks believable. Also, his mannerisms are notably less cocky than they are today, a nice change of pace actually. Joe is weighing in at 272 pounds, a whole 2 pounds heavier than he would be announced at for most of 2005 and 2006, so make of that what you will. The one strange thing is that here he's still hailing from American Samoa, having yet to "relocate" to Huntington Beach, CA. No streamer treatment yet, but I know that he got a big one at At Our Best in early 2004, so it's possible the tradition developed during this three month period. Or that the Massachusetts crowd just didn't feel like throwing streamers. As an aside, if anyone would like to look up the name of ROH's pre-Bobby Cruise ring announcer, I'd be much obliged. The referee calls for a handshake and gets it, and with that, we're off. Of note: CM Punk is on commentary.
They circle to start, with a big chant for AJ already going. They tentatively grab a knucklelock and Joe gets a pair of elbows to the face and whips AJ to the ropes. Joe knocks AJ down with a shoulderblock, but stops to talk trash and AJ gets his nip-up rana. Joe ducks a spinning sidekick and gets an awkward rana of his own that looked half like he got a rana and half like AJ planted him with a powerbomb. They both sell it like a rana, so I'll give them points for effort. AJ seems surprised that the big man would even try the move, and the announcers both put over Joe being able to go tit-for-tat with the smaller guy. They go into an extended mat reversal sequence that only serves to put over that both guys are pretty evenly matched. AJ grabs the ropes to break up a weak submission attempt and both guys get back to their feet as Joe grants the clean break. The circle and then Joe grabs a knucklelock, segueing into an arm wrench, then a side headlock and then a cravate. Joe snapmares AJ to the mat and then gets a chop to the back and a kick to the chest, but instead of getting a kneedrop, goes for another chop and kick. AJ catches his leg on the kick and takes the champ down and grabs a headlock which he then turns into a crossface.
Joe makes his way to his feet, but AJ reverses a whip to the ropes and they do a leapfrog sequence that ends with AJ planting a dropkick to Joe's face. Joe kicks out at one to demonstrate his resilience. AJ gets a scoop slam and then hits a running kneedrop, also for one. Punk expresses surprise that AJ even got him up for the slam so early, as I have to agree that it seems like a big waste of energy for such little reward. AJ goes for a snap suplex, but can't quite get Joe over and ends up hitting more of a Judo DDT. That ALSO gets one. AJ gets a series of forearms and then goes for the Discus Lariat, but Joe cuts him off with a punch to the face. AJ staggers to the ropes, so Joe comes running with a Yakuza Kick that sends AJ crashing through the ropes to the floor. Joe waits for AJ to recover and then comes running with a flying forearm strike that puts both guys down at ringside. Both guys make their way to their feet, so Joe casually chops AJ so hard that he literally bounces off the ground. Joe grabs a chair from someone in the audience and smilingly sets up for the Ole Kick. Joe chops AJ into the chair and starts the chant, but AJ gets to his feet as Joe comes running. Joe ducks a clothesline and then absolutely pastes his challenger with a superkick. That looked absolutely tremendous, by the way. Joe tries to whip AJ into the guardrail, but Styles just leapfrogs it and then comes back with a running Superman Lariat over the guardrail to put Joe down. AJ picks up the champ and tosses him back in.
Back in, AJ goes for the Styles Clash, but Joe goes dead weight on him. AJ pounds away at the back and then powerbombs Joe for two. Everyone (including the crowd, both announcers and yours truly) is shocked that AJ could get Joe up for a powerbomb at all. Of note: AJ rolled through a little bit too much on the follow-through and Joe's shoulders actually weren't down for a few moments after the powerbomb, delaying the cover and possibly costing AJ the title win. AJ gets Joe to his feet and clotheslines him against the ropes, but Joe blocks and Irish whip and AJ gets a pair of forearm strikes. AJ comes running off the ropes, but gets planted with the STJoe. Joe strikes AJ into the corner and then gets the Facewash. The fans want to see that one again.
AJ strikes away ineffectively as Joe lifts him to his feet, so the champ casually hits a forearm strike and then gets a beautiful legsweep that sends AJ crashing face-first into the mat. That was a really simple but fantastic counter move by Joe. Joe gets a cocky cover for two. Joe gets a powerbomb of his own (a "receipt" as called by Punk) for two, and then he transitions into an STF on the kick out. AJ's feet are near the ropes, but he can't see. Joe switches to a crossface, allowing AJ to get his feet on the ropes. That's a pretty notable strategic error on Joe's part. Joe gets a couple of knee strikes while AJ makes his way to his feet and then the two exchange chops and forearms until Joe goes to the eyes, an uncharacteristic move for him. Joe grabs a side waistlock and looks for a suplex, but AJ elbows out and comes running off the ropes. Joe avoids a clothesline and counters into his rolling cradle, rolling AJ all the way around the ring counter-clockwise for two. I miss that move, but I can see why Joe moved it out of his active arsenal.
Joe gets some weak kicks to just toy with AJ while he's down. AJ makes his way to his feet and Joe gets some forearms strikes and a spinning back chop, but gets caught with the Pele Kick when he comes off the ropes. Both guys are down, but make their way to their feet and AJ gets his Springboard Moonsault DDT for a close two count. AJ gets some stiff kicks to the face and then a hip strike that give Joe a glazed over look and sends the big man to the canvas in a heap. AJ gets a kick to the ribs and then picks up Joe, hitting him with a backbreaker that does as much damage to AJ's knee as it does to Joe's back. You have to question the intelligence of that particular move. AJ grabs a Mutalock (bridging Indian deathlock) for a bit, but Joe goes to the eyes again to break. AJ strikes away at Joe's back, but gets caught with an enziguiri when he sends Joe off the ropes and now both guys are down.
Joe and AJ fight to their knees and exchange strikes while kneeling and then while making their way to their feet. They get a long chop exchange sequence until AJ ducks a big palm strike and gets a jumping front enziguiri right to Joe's jaw. Both guys are down again and the ref begins to count. Neither guy even moves until 5, but they get to their feet around the 8 count. AJ forearms Joe into the corner and then puts him on top. AJ tries to follow for a superplex, but Joe strikes him off. Joe gets a big slap and a kick to the face while perched on top, but AJ blocks a Tornado DDT and pulls Joe off the turnbuckle into a powerbomb. AJ holds on, and before the ref can begin to count he hoists Joe back up and hooks the arms, hitting the Styles Clash. He slowly rolls the champion over and gets one…two…THR…NO! Joe kicks out of the Styles Clash as the crowd goes absolutely berserk.
AJ picks Joe up and gets a chop and a forearm to the face before going for the Springboard Moonsault DDT again. This time, Joe catches him mid-move and plants him with the Island Driver for two. Joe gets a long series of knee strikes to the face, but AJ bounces off the ropes and just turns Joe inside out with a Discus Lariat (the same move that had helped lead to his defeat the night before). AJ slowly climbs to the top, but Joe cuts him off and hooks him up for the Musclebuster. Joe hit the move and then turns AJ over into the choke. AJ struggles for the ropes, but Joe locks the move in extra tight and wrenches back so AJ is bent backwards at an almost ninety-degree angle. AJ is out and the ref calls for the bell at 16:42 as Joe makes another successful title defense. Joe celebrates with the belt as we cut out. No footage of the theoretical handshake is shown.
The Analysis:
Though the match went almost seventeen minutes, I can barely express how quickly it seemed to go. It's always a positive when a match feels shorter than it actually is, as it's usually an indication that the wrestlers are working with a minimum of stalling and a maximum of action. In this case, both Joe and AJ used smart transitions like forearms and chops to keep the action going even while continuing to sell the impact of each other's more powerful moves. A good example was when they went into a strike exchange while kneeling after Joe had hit an enziguiri to put both men on the mat.
One spot that stuck out to me was the legsweep Joe executed shortly after hitting the Facewash in the corner. As simple a move as it was, the sheer impact with which AJ hit the mat turned it into a great bit of transition work. Also of note is Joe's selling of the Styles Clash. Even though he amazingly kicked out of the maneuver, he spent the next several moments lying on the mat writhing in pain.
Some viewers may complain that the match didn't have enough psychology, but the story being told was that both guys were going all out to hit as many strikes and power moves as they could to try to put their opponent away. The strategy obviously benefited Joe more than AJ, who seemed to wear himself out going for the early body slam and especially the powerbomb. In hitting the powerbomb so early in the match, AJ did some damage, but certainly used more of his energy than was advisable in the opening minutes of the contest. A smarter strategy might have been for AJ to utilize his superior speed and flying ability, rather than try to exchange forearms with a competitor of Joe's size and durability.
All in all, this match is not quite on the level of the later matches between these two (especially their 2005 work in TNA), but is a fun and brisk sprint of a match. In particular, watching some of Joe's 2003 title defenses (especially this one and his contest with Paul London at Death Before Dishonor) is a nice change of pace for current ROH viewers, as they are stylistically the antithesis of Bryan Danielson's longer, more methodic ROH World Title matches.
The Aftermath:
Samoa Joe would go on to make a total of 29 successful defenses of the ROH World Title before losing the belt to Austin Aries at Final Battle 2004. Along the way, he would defend the belt against each of the Briscoe Brothers (including a bloodbath Steel Cage Match against Jay in early 2004) as well as take part in the fabled trilogy with CM Punk. The one thing Joe was unable to do was win the ROH Tag Team Titles (later the ROH World Tag Team Titles), losing bids with a variety of partners over the years, including Jerry Lynn, Jay Lethal, Matt Sydal and BJ Whitmer. He would go on to win the ROH Pure Title in May of 2005, becoming one of only two men in history to hold both ROH singles titles before the Pure Title was folded midway through 2006. He recently ended his tenure in ROH as arguably the company's top star and most enduring icon. He continues his work for TNA as one of the top contenders to that company's World Title.
AJ Styles would win the short-lived Pure Wrestling Title in ROH in early 2004 before being pulled from ROH competition by NWA-TNA. Though he had immense success in that promotion, winning the NWA World Heavyweight Title, the X-Division Title and the NWA World Tag Team Titles all on multiple occasions, he would not return to active ROH competition for nearly a year, and even then it was in a surprising loss in a one-night-only appearance against former protégé Jimmy Rave. In the summer of 2005, Styles returned to Ring of Honor on a semi-permanent basis, competing for the company until August of 2006, where he lost a presumed farewell match against none other than Samoa Joe.
The Final Word:
For newer ROH viewers, Samoa Joe's ROH World Title reign seems like a thing of the past, especially when the title has since belonged to six other competitors. In truth, Joe's time with the belt remains a crucial part of Ring of Honor's development, and includes a number of matches that though not quite "forgotten classics", are certainly worth taking the time to seek out and watch. In addition to this match and the aforementioned defenses against Paul London and Jay Briscoe, I would highly recommend checking out Joe's defense against Low Ki, Dan Maff & BJ Whitmer in a Four Corners Survival at the ROH 2nd Anniversary Show.
If you'd like to check out this week's match, you can get ROH War of the Wire at rohwrestling.com. The event if famous for (and named for, obviously) the main event which pits "The Notorious 187" Homicide against his hated rival Steve Corino in a No-Ropes Barbed Wire Match. I want to go on record, though, as cautioning everyone that the main event is not for everyone and is incredibly graphic and violent. Even the most hardened of viewers may be disturbed by level of violence contained therein. Consider yourself warned.
While here at 411, please check out some of my colleagues' work. Ari's Column of Honor and Stu's Friendly Competition are musts, as is the Friendly Competition Special Edition which takes an in-depth look at Wrestling Society X. Also, check out Bayani's most recent Truth B Told and Gamble's Just S'pose, both of which I particularly enjoyed this week. Also, if you checked out my most recent Box in the Attic, that'd be fantastic. It looks at the first WWF Draft, which is like vaguely topical with Wrestlemania around the corner and this year's draft inevitably to follow. Ok, so it's less "topical" than "bizarrely early", but just go with it. Finally, there are no ROH shows this weekend, but there should be a Roundtable Preview for next weekend's huge Detroit shows up at some point next week.
I'm back next Tuesday, so until then, go with Gators, Ducks, Jayhawks, Bruins, Trojans, Hoyas, Vols and Aggies. Have a good one, everybody.
