This left WWE short on top stars, especially since popular babyfaces from yesteryear like Steve Austin, The Rock and Mick Foley weren’t full-time performers anymore.

While there were a few good matches in WWE during the 2004 calendar year, they faced stiff competition from other companies. For the second straight year, Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan was the world’s most exciting wrestling promotion.

Their roster was at its deepest, they secured partnerships with other companies that led to interpromotional dream matches, and they still raked in tons of money thanks to their world champion Kenta Kobashi.

There was also a new player entering the game: Ring of Honor (ROH). Billed as the ultimate independent federation aimed at showcasing the best of the best, ROH’s reputation grew by leaps and bounds, especially after featuring one of the best matches of the year.

So which matches from which companies stole the show and became legendary in 2004? Read on…

5. Randy Orton vs. Cactus Jack – No Holds Barred Match – Backlash 2004

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x151y2f

This match is not for the faint of heart. It’s a brutal contest with hardcore moments that make even the strongest person wince. After all, it features Cactus Jack in a match without rules.

Within the first few minutes, viewers are exposed to some really violent images. The sight of Cactus Jack chasing Orton while swinging a barbed wire bat is terrifying. It’s so scary, in fact, that it caused the camera man to fall as he was probably running for his life just like Orton.

It only got more violent from there as Cactus Jack hit Orton with a barbed wire baseball bat in the face many times. Orton’s face became a bloody mess, as did Cactus’s arm from a gash from the barbed wire.

But that wasn’t enough for these two determined wrestlers. As the match progressed, even more dangerous weapons were introduced, including a table wrapped in barbed wire (it’s just as terrifying as it sounds) and thousands of thumbtacks. Luckily for Orton, he was able to avoid getting thrown into the barbed wire table. Unluckily for Orton, the same didn’t happen with the thumbtacks.

In one of the most gruesome scenes of the year, Orton landed hard on a bed of thumbtacks back and hands-first. It took him a long time to get up, and when he did, he still had countless tacks stuck in his back and hands. The pain and adrenaline must’ve been off the charts for him at that point.

While some people might criticize Orton’s wrestling style, you have to admire his dedication and willingness to do crazy things for his craft. There’s an old saying in wrestling about leaving one’s blood, sweat and tears in the ring. Well on this night, both men – but especially Orton – left tons of all three in the ring, especially blood.

4. Kenta Kobashi vs. Yoshihiro Takayama – NOAH, April 25, 2004

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hL1DCrq1Ww

Yoshihiro Takayama is famous for being arguably the biggest damage sponge in Japan. He is known for being able to take an incredible amount of punishment, especially after his legendary fight with MMA star Don Frye. So when the massive (by Japanese standards) Takayama challenged then-world champion Kenta Kobashi, things looked bleak for the champion.

Takayama not only used his size to his advantage, but he also used a great strategy. He attacked both Kobashi’s lariat arm and his legs, making it impossible for Kobashi to use his lariat effectively. It was also extremely difficult for Kobashi to use any of his signature power moves and suplexes to full effect because had almost no leg strength.

But Kobashi was resourceful, if nothing else. He fought incredibly hard and the crowd went nuts as Kobashi fought upwards and tried to overcome the mountain that was Takayama. But since his main moves were useless, Kobashi had to use a move he hadn’t used in years owing to his many, many knee surgeries. People didn’t think he’d have the guts to do it, but he did. Kobashi hit his trademark moonsault from the top rope, which sent the crowd into an absolute frenzy.

I have never heard a Japanese crowd erupt that fast and that loud. That’s how much they loved Kobashi here, for he was the embodiment of Burning Spirit and determination, and overcame insurmountable odds to retain his precious championship.

3. Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk – 60-minute Ironman match – ROH Joe vs. Punk II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZgSI7aLoMM

This 5-star match was once called ‘the best match to ever take place on American soil’ by many fans that watched it. That tells you how well these two wrestlers, who were relatively unknown at the time, performed in this contest.

CM Punk was the local favorite facing then-champion Samoa Joe, who was still undefeated on ROH. They busted out incredible moves on each other, including an interesting take on ‘Old School’ by Punk.

Yet no matter how hard they tried, neither man could put the other away long enough for a three-count or a tap-out. From suplexes to the unprotected floor outside the ring to vicious chops and kicks, these two wrestlers tried their hardest to brutalize each other.

Even with so many reversals, exchanges, near-falls, and wrenching submission holds, the referee had no choice but to end the match once the bell had rung. The fans in attendance, desperate to see this epic war continue, began chanting ‘five more minutes’ but to no avail.

Not only did this match serve as a launching pad for both men’s careers, but it also helped put Ring of Honor on the map. It was almost unprecedented for two relatively-obscure wrestlers from a tiny federation to have a match rated 5-stars by the Wrestling Observer. So for them to be praised that highly by wrestling’s most credible journalist was a huge feather in both their caps.

2. Chris Benoit vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania XX

Benoit, Triple H & Shawn Michaels wrestled a classic, dramatic match with lots of believable near-falls and submissions. The match started with Benoit as the sole babyface and the fans booing both Michaels and Triple H, but by the end the fans had warmed up to Michaels as well.Not only is this one of the best wrestling matches of the year, but it was also one of the most emotional and historical moments ever. It signaled that smaller wrestlers could make it and could overcome the odds, which is one of the best recurring themes in wrestling history.

But this match was all about Benoit. He showed his technical prowess by holding his own against Shawn Michaels, a man often lauded as WWE’s greatest in-ring performer ever. He also brawled well with Triple H, and endured a ton of punishment, including a vicious double suplex into the announcer’s table.

Benoit appeared to have a counter for everything, which made the fans cheer wildly for him whenever he started gaining momentum. That continued until the end, when Triple H tapped out to Benoit’s Crippler Crossface.

It’s hard to tell what’s more powerful: Benoit appearing to cry as the referee hands him his newly-won title, JR screaming how Benoit finally achieved the biggest prize after coming so close so many times, or the sight of Benoit and Eddy Guerrero embracing in the middle of the ring, two friends with world titles on their respective shoulders.

This match is awesome because of how well put-together it is. It doesn’t feel cluttered or disorganized, the break-ups make sense, and all three wrestlers look great as credible threats to each other. It’s a must-see for any fan of WWE’s.

1. Kenta Kobashi vs. Jun Akiyama - NOAH Depart, July 10, 2004

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJHqvmqrdf4&t=1270s

There is 12 years of bitter rivalry behind this match. Akiyama’s first match was against Kobashi. He was Kobashi’s partner for a time in All Japan, and the two of them had critically-acclaimed matches together. They were even stablemates in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

But most importantly, Akiyama was initially pegged to be to NOAH what John Cena is to WWE: its ace and central figure, the person around whom the promotion could be built. Yet somehow, that didn’t work out, and the spot of ace went to Kobashi, a man who, in Akiyama’s eyes, was too old and unfit to carry the company forward.

So when Akiyama finally got his shot at Kobashi’s GHC Heavyweight Championship, it was going to be a war.

As expected of the match labelled the Match of the Year in 2004 by both the Wrestling Observer and Tokyo Sports, this match had everything: pure babyface fire from both wrestlers, tests of strength, amazing chain wrestling and technical reversals, savage strike exchanges, an excited crowd, and some of the most vicious moves ever seen inside a wrestling ring.

Not only did Kobashi and Akiyama hit all of their strongest moves inside the ring, but they also hit them outside of it as well. Kobashi hit Akiyama with a vertical suplex from the ring apron to the floor, and then later, Akiyama HIT KOBASHI WITH AN EXPLODER SUPLEX FROM THE TOP ROPE ONTO THE FLOOR! It’s easily the most vicious move of the year in 2004, yet somehow Kobashi survived that move unscathed. He is the ultimate ironman in professional wrestling, seemingly impervious to pain.

Akiyama was tough as well, surviving a wide array of dangerous moves from Kobashi, including one of the most vicious-looking Brainbusters ever unleashed in a wrestling ring. Yet even after surviving such crazy moves, both men kept kicking out at two.

Watching this match will make you think, ‘How were they able to kick out of this? They must be superhuman.’ Yet these two managed to put on such a phenomenal performance while also getting 58,000 people in the Tokyo Dome to lose their minds. Nothing in either NOAH itself or in any other promotion came close to this brutal, dramatic and spectacular wrestling match.

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