20 Greatest TNA Matches Ever

10. Kurt Angle Vs. Samoa Joe (LockDown 2008)

Kurt Angle Samoa Joe 2006
ImpactWrestling.com

Some professional wrestlers just work well together, something that can undoubtedly be said of Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle. As soon as the pair converged on TNA and were on the same roster, wrestling fans demanded to see them work. They would do so, many times, and it's one of their later efforts that's explored here.

LockDown 2008 wasn't the first time Joe and Angle faced off, but it must be considered one of the more unique occasions. The tacked on stipulation that Joe would have to retire if he lost was admittedly unnecessary, the match had enough going for it to begin with, but everything else worked.

There was a distinct MMA flavour to proceedings, and that sparked interest. UFC was a hot product on the pay-per-view market, and Angle vs. Joe looked to mimic that kind of simple strengths vs. weaknesses atmosphere real fighting could offer.

Some more traditional wrestling fans weren't too keen on this idea, but it did shake things up. The pair had wrestled numerous times by this juncture, so they likely needed something to change the established formula.

Besides, the conclusion (a Joe TNA Heavyweight Title win) was brilliant.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.