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When AJ Styles defends his WWE Championship against Samoa Joe at SummerSlam, both of them will feel like it is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication to their craft. And in the process, the two will rekindle a rivalry that can be traced back to more than a decade.
It was on the back of these two talents that TNA managed to built a formidable #2 wrestling company in North America, before blowing it all away with the infamous signing of Hulk Hogan in 2010.
Yet the rivalry these two shared is fondly remembered by TNA fans, and it's something every wrestling fan should check out at least once.
Here we look back at five of the greatest matches they have had over the years.
#5 AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe vs Christopher Daniels (TNA Against All Odds 2006)
These three together had some of the greatest matches in TNA history. At this point, Samoa Joe was the invincible monster who nobody in TNA seemed to know how to get the best of. Yet he had a history of coming up short whenever these three had had a match together in the past.
This added to the drama of the contest as there was genuine belief that any of the three men could walk out of Against All Odds as the X-Division Champion. And all three men did come within seconds of taking home the title, with the match gaining break neck speed in the final stretch.
For almost 20 minutes, the three men left it all in the ring, trying to win the championship. But ultimately, Joe did manage to retain his title after sending Daniels to the floor and getting the pin on Styles after a devastating Muscle Buster.
#4 Samoa Joe vs AJ Styles (TNA Sacrifice 2005)
Samoa Joe and Styles faced off at TNA Sacrifice in 2005, in the finals of the Super X Cup. This tournament was being held to determine the number 1 contender for the X Division Championship.
Christopher Daniels who had dubbed the tournament as the 'Christopher Daniels Invitational', was on commentary, scouting the next challenger for his X Division Championship.
These were early days in Joe's TNA run, and fans did not know what expect from 'The Samoan Submission Machine' back then.
This match certainly must have given a clear indication of what to expect from Joe in the future as he defeated AJ Styles in a 15 minute classic to lift the Super X Cup and become the number 1 contender to the X-Division Championship.
Daniels' interference at the end of the match to cost Styles the match also laid the foundation for the three-way rivalry that would go down as one of the greatest in wrestling history.
#3 AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe vs Christopher Daniels (TNA Turning Point 2009)
At Turning Point 2009, these three showed they could deliver a classic even after almost half a decade that had passed since their original bout. At this point, all three competitors were in vastly different stages of their careers.
AJ Styles was in the midst of a TNA World Heavyweight Championship run, and Joe's initial dominant phase in the company had come to an end, he was slowly being transformed into a mid card talent - one of the biggest mistakes the company ever made.
Daniels on the other hand was in the last stage of his singles career, and would soon go on to create a successful duo with fellow veteran, Frankie Kazarian.
But for this one night, all three turned back the clock and painted a masterpiece on the canvas. While not as great as their 'original' contest, the match was still one of the best matches of 2009, and the last time these three would have a classic together inside a wrestling ring.
#2 AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe (TNA Turning Point 2005)
This was the first time Joe and Styles faced each other one on one for a championship, and it surely did not disappoint.
For months Joe had been running through the competition in TNA, and it was only a matter of time before the company decided to pin a championship on him. That time came at Turning Point in 2005, as Joe finally lifted the X-Division Championship.
The two TNA icons battled intensely in the early sequence of the match as Styles got his mouth busted open. Then they both would go on to exchange near falls before Joe finally managed to lock in the Coquina Clutch, and Styles passed out to award Joe his first championship in TNA.
Joe would then attack Styles, leading to Christopher Daniels making the save. But all theatrics aside, it was an amazing match that night.
#1 AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe vs Christopher Daniels (TNA Unbreakable 2005)
This is the greatest match in TNA history. Crazily this match almost never happened as it was originally scheduled to be a singles match between Daniels and Joe, but Styles was added to the bout last minute.
On this night all three competitors were on top their game. Daniels played the role of the heel champion who would go to any length to retain his belt, Styles played the babyface who was fueled by revenge as well as his championship aspirations, and Samoa Joe was just the bulldozer who couldn't be stopped.
This match had impressive aerial moves, brawls, technical mat wrestling, and everything in between. It was just the complete match. It was so great that even Dave Meltzer ended up giving it a five star rating, something he is not known to do for companies like TNA.
This was the first time the X-Division Championship was defended on the main event of a pay-per-view, and all three men paid back the trust gloriously. By the time Styles pinned Daniels to become the new X-Division champion, we had witnessed a contest that hasn't still been topped by the promotion.
