Samoa Joe: Ranking His 5 Best Matches Outside WWE

3) Samoa Joe vs Kurt Angle – TNA World Heavyweight Championship – TNA Lockdown 2008

Kurt Angle arrived in TNA in 2006 with great fanfare, having just left WWE under some bad circumstances. It wasn’t long before he was in the world title picture, a scene he dominated for many years coming in the company. During this time, Joe and Angle would meet many times in the ring. While TNA missed the boat on putting the title on Joe early on, as he was one of the hottest acts in the company, they eventually gave him a major main event push, leading to this match where Angle and Joe faced off one more time.

In 2008, Joe and Angle met in a steal cage match and produced one of the best matches in TNA history, as they worked a very realistic, MMA inspired style. This PPV was one of the most successful shows in TNA history, and proved that Samoa Joe is a legitimate draw in pro wrestling. Unfortunately, TNA didn’t really capitalize on the new star they made, and it wasn’t long before Joe was back in the TNA midcard, where he remained for most of his run in TNA. While making the occasional move to the main event, sadly Joe was essentially misused and under pushed in TNA for years.