Lockdown 2008: Samoa Joe's World-Title Breakthrough Gives TNA One of Its Most Complete Cage Shows

Jay Lethal opened Lockdown 2008 by defending the X Division Championship against Sonjay Dutt, Johnny Devine, Curry Man, Consequences Creed and Shark Boy. The Xscape rules initially permitted elimination by pinfall or submission; only when two wrestlers were left could either escape the cage to win. Devine rolled up Dutt for the first elimination. Creed then pinned Shark Boy after a hammerlock DDT, before Curry Man caught Creed in the Spice Rack. Devine eliminated Curry Man, leaving himself opposite the champion. Lethal had survived a series of athletic near falls without the chance to settle the title in a conventional singles finish.

Devine tried to exploit the switch to escape rules by tying Lethal's wrist to the ropes and attempting to climb to safety. The previously eliminated Dutt intervened from ringside, blocking the cage door and providing Lethal a way to free his wrist. As Devine climbed the exterior, Lethal darted through the opened door and reached the floor first at 10:25. LETHAL ESCAPED TO RETAIN; he did not pin Devine in the last phase. B (7.7) rewards the clearly defined two-stage match and dramatic race, even though Dutt's outside intervention shaped the final move.

The Queen of the Cage brought eight Knockouts into a contest with a championship contender's contract at stake. The opening rule was unusual: the first two women able to enter the elevated cage would then wrestle one another for the prize. Angelina Love climbed inside first, with Roxxi Laveaux following her as the second successful entrant, leaving Traci Brooks, Christy Hemme, Jacqueline Moore, Salinas, Rhaka Khan and Velvet Sky without a chance to compete in the concluding singles phase. That structure explains why the record includes eight participants while the deciding fall involved only two wrestlers.

Love and Roxxi exchanged strikes and quick counters inside the cage, with Love repeatedly trying to create an escape from Roxxi's stronger offense. Roxxi eventually caught Love with her finishing maneuver and pinned ANGELINA LOVE in 5:27, becoming the number-one contender to Awesome Kong's Knockouts Championship. The C+ (6.5) credits a real divisional prize and Roxxi's breakthrough, while the short contest and elimination of six entrants by a climbing rule made the original eight-woman promise feel less substantial than expected. The recorded result is one two-stage match, not a separate battle royal followed by a second official singles bout.

B.G. James and Kip James brought their fractured long-running partnership into Six Sides of Steel for a grudge match that relied more on familiarity than innovation. Kip attacked immediately and drove B.G. against the mesh, then used a sleeper and his familiar Fameasser to keep the older partner from developing a comeback. B.G. escaped the next attempt and countered with jabs and kicks, drawing on the character that had made the pair popular before their feud. The cage prevented a simple exit, but the men's offense rarely used the steel in a way that distinguished the match from an ordinary television singles contest.

Late in the 6:46 encounter, Kip charged across the ring toward his former partner in the corner. B.G. stepped aside, and Kip struck the corner instead, leaving himself exposed to a quick inside cradle. B.G. pinned KIP JAMES by roll-up rather than forcing a submission or escaping the cage. Kip initially helped acknowledge the win, then struck B.G. after the bell, preventing a neat reconciliation. C- (5.6) recognizes a readable personal story but little sustained ring action beyond its sudden finish and post-match betrayal.

The Cuffed in the Cage contest involved six two-man teams: Kaz and Eric Young, the Motor City Machine Guns, LAX, Petey Williams and Scott Steiner, the Rock 'n' Rave Infection, and Black Reign and Rellik. The purpose was not a conventional pinfall. Teams needed to neutralize opponents by handcuffing wrestlers to the cage until only one duo could continue. The event became a logistical test as much as a wrestling contest, with participants repeatedly reaching for cuffs while other teams broke up attempts. Scott Steiner, both Machine Guns and members of LAX were among the wrestlers removed before the closing stretch.

Eric Young abandoned his partner during the match, continuing the fearful character seen before the event. He later returned under his superhero identity Super Eric and helped Kaz complete the last eliminations. The official winner was KAZ AND SUPER ERIC, surviving the cuff-based rules after Rellik and Black Reign were neutralized, not pinning a member of one opposing team. The B- (7.2) credits the crowded spectacle and continuity of Young's return, while the many teams and mechanical eliminations kept it from presenting the wrestling itself with much clarity.

Gail Kim and ODB faced Knockouts Champion Awesome Kong and Raisha Saeed in a cage tag match, giving the challengers another chance to challenge Kong's dominance without requiring a title change. Kong supplied the most imposing attacks, tossing the smaller opponents into the mesh and breaking up attempted offense with her power. Kim used counters and quick strikes, while ODB repeatedly attempted to get the better of Saeed so the match could be fought away from the champion. The cage limited easy outside interference and made tagging or saving covers especially important.

Kong seemed positioned to finish the contest when she overpowered Kim, but the smaller pair recovered after Saeed became legal. Kim created room, and ODB climbed the ropes for a splash on Saeed. ODB PINNED RAISHA SAEED following the top-rope splash at 8:28, giving Kim and ODB the victory without Kong herself being pinned. The C+ (6.8) credits the deserved teamwork and outcome for the babyface pair, while the relatively brief running time kept the rivalry from reaching the level of the event's most consequential cage matches.

Booker T and Sharmell teamed against Robert Roode and Payton Banks in a cage match that developed from Roode's deeply personal feud with the married pair. The booking finally placed Sharmell and Banks opposite one another as official participants rather than having either woman settle the rivalry only through ringside involvement. Booker and Roode supplied the heavier attacks, often shoving each other into the cage, while Sharmell and Banks traded strikes and attempted opportunistic pins. The short match placed more emphasis on the emotional payoff than on the structure of a prolonged tag contest.

Roode lost the tactical advantage when he argued with Banks late in the contest. Banks accidentally slapped Roode, and Sharmell seized the opening to trap BANKS in a quick roll-up for the three-count at 7:37. SHARMELL PINNED BANKS, not Booker over Roode. Roode berated Banks after the match and abandoned her, extending the feud's dysfunction despite losing the cage confrontation. C (6.1) reflects the successful character resolution for Sharmell and Booker with limited match depth; the genuine surprise was the team's breakdown rather than a particularly innovative cage finish.

Lethal Lockdown pitted Christian Cage, Rhino, Kevin Nash, Matt Morgan and Sting against the team of A.J. Styles, Tomko, James Storm and Team 3D. Cage expected to start against captain Tomko, but Styles instead attacked from behind and became the early opponent, a tactical feint before the staggered entries. Once the other participants arrived, the contest changed from a sequence of two-on-one attacks into a full-scale faction brawl. The roof was lowered with weapons available, and Styles climbed above the cage to fight Cage beside a ladder and a table. Other wrestlers traded kendo-stick shots, dives, double chokeslams and finishing attempts as the action spilled across multiple levels.

Storm interfered above the cage by knocking over the ladder on which Cage and Styles were fighting, sending both into the roof structure. Back inside, Storm smashed a beer bottle over Matt Morgan's head, but the distraction created a lane for Rhino. RHINO PINNED JAMES STORM after the Gore to win for Team Cage. Contemporary runtimes differ by several seconds around 26 and a half minutes, but the winning fall and full five-on-five team identities are clear. The A- (8.8) values the sprawling spectacle and meaningful faction payoff without pretending the simultaneous weapon battles could always be followed with ease.

Samoa Joe put his TNA career at stake against Kurt Angle's World Heavyweight Championship, giving the Lockdown main event a rare result that could not be hidden behind a countout. Their Six Sides of Steel title match took an unusually deliberate opening: Angle wore taped feet and worked through takedowns, kicks and submission counters that resembled a mixed martial arts contest. Joe answered with chokes and a heavy lariat, but Angle repeatedly attacked the challenger's leg and trapped him in a figure-four and Ankle Lock. Their exchanges grew more recognizably professional-wrestling-oriented as both escaped near submissions and returned to pinfall attempts.

Angle hit an Olympic Slam for a near fall and went back to the ankle, while Joe rolled through and threatened a rear-naked choke. Angle survived a series of submissions by reaching the ropes, and Joe ultimately created enough distance to strike with a kick and lift the champion into his Muscle Buster. JOE PINNED ANGLE after the Muscle Buster to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in roughly seventeen and a half minutes, preserving his career and changing the titleholder. The A (9.3) recognizes the logical mix of striking and holds followed by an unmistakable championship payoff; the restrained finish was stronger than an interference-heavy escape would have been.