When Punk returned to ROH, he wrestled ROH World Champion Samoa Joe for the championship in a three match series. The first match between the two was held on June 12, 2004 at "World Title Classic" in Dayton, Ohio. The match would end in a 60-minute time limit draw when neither Punk nor Joe were able to pin or cause the other to submit within the time limit given. The second match was supposed to be held on December 4, 2004 but because of Steve Corino being pulled from a match with Joe by Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE, it was rescheduled to be held on October 11, 2004 for October 16 in Punk's hometown of Chicago. At the event titled "Joe vs. Punk II" on October 16, Punk and Joe fought to another 60-minute time limit draw. "Joe vs. Punk II" became Ring of Honor's best-selling DVD at the time and the match between Punk and Joe was also given a five-star rating by Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The series ended after Joe defeated Punk in their third and final match on December 4, 2004 at "All-Star Extravaganza 2" where there was no time limit.