No Surrender 2008 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion that took place on September 14, 2008 at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. It was the fourth event under the No Surrender name, TNA's first PPV to take place outside the United States, and the ninth event in the 2008 TNA PPV schedule. Nine professional wrestling matches were featured on the event's card, four of which were for championships.
The main event was a Three Ways to Glory match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship with the champion Samoa Joe defending the title against Christian Cage and Kurt Angle. Joe successfully retained the title at the show. A.J. Styles defeated Frank Trigg in a Mixed Martial Arts match also on the show. The TNA World Tag Team Championship was defended by Beer Money, Inc. (James Storm and Robert Roode) against The Latin American Xchange (Hernandez and Homicide). Beer Money, Inc. retained the championship at the event. TNA held a Ladder of Love match for SoCal Val, in which Sonjay Dutt defeated Jay Lethal. The TNA X Division Championship was also defended in a Three Way match by Petey Williams against Sheik Abdul Bashir and Consequences Creed, which Bashir won to become the new champion.
No Surrender is remembered for being the first TNA PPV held outside the United States and for the return of Jeff Jarrett to TNA television. 20,000 was the reported figure of purchasers for the event by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. No Surrender had an attendance of 3,500 people. Jason Clevett of the professional wrestling section of the Canadian Online Explorer rated the show a 3 out of 10, which was lower than the 7 out of 10 given to the 2007 edition by Chris Sokol. In regards to the overall show, Clevett said that "TNA’s pay per view debut in Canada was one of the weakest shows in recent memory, overwhelmed by horrible overbooking by TNA that once again proves that they do not know what their fanbase wants."
In October 2017, with the launch of the Global Wrestling Network, the event became available to stream on demand.
Production Background The fourth installment under the No Surrender name was announced in January 2008 with a September 14 date attached. In July, The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that TNA would hold its first PPV held in Canada with No Surrender in September. The reported location for the event was Oshawa, Ontario, Canada at the General Motors Centre. TNA issued a press release in late-July revealing that No Surrender would be held at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa, Ontario on September 14. Tickets for the show went on-sale on July 25. Early ticket sales for the event were on par with the early sales of TNA's Lockdown PPV event. The General Motors Centre was close to being sold out a few days prior to the show, with only 800 tickets remaining. The arena had a maximum capacity of 5,000 but was configured to have a maximum capacity of 3,500 due to the event layout. Views were positive in TNA towards early ticket sales considering it was TNA's first PPV in Canada. Before any matches were announced, it was suspected that the event would be headlined by a tag team match or a trios bout to set up for a standard match at TNA's next PPV event Bound for Glory IV on October 12. TNA released a poster to promote the show featuring Samoa Joe, while "Soul Crusher" by Operator was the official theme.
Storylines No Surrender featured nine professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.
The main event at No Surrender was a Four Ways to Glory match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, in which the champion Samoa Joe defended the title against three competitors. This match was announced on the August 14 episode of TNA's television program TNA Impact!, with Management Director Jim Cornette stating that three qualification matches would take place to determine the challengers to Joe over the weeks leading to No Surrender. The first qualifying match was on the August 21 episode of Impact!, when Booker T defeated Rhino to take a spot in the match. Kurt Angle defeated Kevin Nash on the August 28 episode of Impact! to qualify for the contest. The final qualifier was Christian Cage, who defeated A.J. Styles on the September 4 episode of Impact!.
TNA held a scripted Mixed Martial Arts match at No Surrender between A.J. Styles and Frank Trigg. This match was the result of a feud between Kurt Angle and Styles. The two had competed against each other at TNA's Slammiversary PPV event on June 8, Victory Road PPV event on July 13, Hard Justice PPV event on August 10, and on several Impact! episodes with Trigg providing commentary for some of the contests and aiding Angle in the feud as they were depicted as on-screen best friends. At one point during the rivalry, Styles mistakenly attacked Trigg on the June 19 episode of Impact!. A couple of months later on the September 4 episode of Impact!, Trigg attacked Styles during his Four Ways to Glory qualifying match with Christian Cage. Trigg hit Styles with a kendo stick and left the ring, which allowed Cage to pin Styles to win the bout. On the September 11 episode of Impact!, Styles challenged Trigg to a bout at No Surrender, which Trigg agreed but only if it was contested under Mixed Martial Arts rules.
The TNA World Tag Team Championship was defended at No Surrender by Beer Money, Inc. (James Storm and Robert Roode) against The Latin American Xchange (Hernandez and Homicide; LAX). On the June 12 episode of Impact!, Roode and Storm teamed to face LAX for the World Tag Team Championship. The match was originally won by Roode and Storm before being restarted due to interference. LAX won the restart to retain the championship. After the bout, Roode and Storm assaulted LAX and their manager Héctor Guerrero. Management Director Jim Cornette scheduled a title defense at Victory Road between LAX and Roode and Storm under "Fan's Revenge" Lumberjack rules on the June 19 episode of Impact!. At Victory Road, LAX defeated the newly renamed Beer Money Incorporated to retain the World Tag Team Championship. On the July 17 episode of Impact!, Roode and Storm began assaulting various wrestlers, crew members, and fans in retaliation for their loss at Victory Road. Later in the program, Roode and Storm once again attacked Guerrero, prompting LAX to come to his rescue. On the July 31 episode of Impact!, Roode and Storm defeated the team of Christian Cage and Rhino for a World Tag Team Championship match at Hard Justice. On the August 7 episode of Impact!, the team of Cage, Rhino, and LAX fought the team of Roode, Storm, and Team 3D in an Eight Man Tag Team match, which the latter lost. After the contest, Roode and Storm slammed Homicide through a glass table, injuring his right eye in the storyline. At Hard Justice, Beer Money, Inc. defeated LAX to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship by pinning Homicide after Roode hit Homicide in his injured eye with a beer bottle. TNA scheduled a rematch between the two teams for the championship to take place at No Surrender.
Another rivalry heading into the show was between Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt, who were fighting over the heart of SoCal Val. The storyline behind this rivalry started on the May 15 episode of Impact!, when Lethal proposed marriage to Val in the storyline. With the two being an on-screen couple, she accepted with the planned wedding segment taking place at Slammiversary. Lethal then asked Dutt to be his bestman on the May 29 episode of Impact!, which he accepted despite him being scripted to show feelings for Val. At Slammiversary, Dutt interrupted the wedding proclaiming his love for Val in the storyline and attacked Lethal, which ended with Dutt unconscious as Jake Roberts placed a snake on top of his body. Dutt then defeated Lethal in a bout at Victory Road. Lethal won a rematch in a Black Tie Brawl and Chain match at Hard Justice over Dutt. Leading up to No Surrender, Dutt attacked Lethal after he was defeated by Sheik Abdul Bashir on the August 14 episode of Impact!. On the September 11 episode of Impact!, TNA promoted a Ladder of Love match at No Surrender with the winner becoming engaged to Val.
The TNA X Division Championship was defended by Petey Williams against Sheik Abdul Bashir and Consequences Creed in a Three Way match at the event. At Hard Justice, Bashir attacked Creed with a steal chair during his bout with Williams, which allowed Williams to force Creed's head into the mat with his signature Canadian Destroyer maneuver to retain the X Division Championship. Creed was given a rematch on the August 21 episode of Impact!, with Bashir once again interfering by attacking Creed, resulting in Creed winning by disqualification and Williams retaining the X Division Championship. This match was later advertised on the card for No Surrender.
Event The event began with Sting announcing that he would be facing the TNA World Heavyweight Champion for the title at Bound for Glory IV. TNA commentator Mike Tenay also announced that due to Hurricane Ike, Booker T could not make it to the event so the original scheduled Four Ways to Glory match was changed to a Three Ways to Glory match. This was not announced to the live audience in attendance.
Miscellaneous No Surrender featured employees other than the wrestlers involved in the matches. Mike Tenay and Don West were the commentators for the telecast. Jeremy Borash and David Penzer were ring announcers for the event. Andrew Thomas, Earl Hebner, Rudy Charles, Mark "Slick" Johnson, and Traci Brooks participated as referees for the encounters. Lauren Thompson and Borash were used as interviewers during the event. Besides employees who appeared in a wrestling role, Raisha Saeed, Johnny Devine, Rhaka Khan, Rhino, Velvet Sky, Cute Kip, Jacqueline, Héctor Guerrero, and Jeff Jarrett all appeared on camera, either in backstage or in ringside segments.
Preliminary matches
The opening encounter of the show was a Six Person Intergender Tag Team match pitting The Prince Justice Brotherhood (Curry Man, Shark Boy, and Super Eric) against The Rock 'n' Rave Infection (Christy Hemme, Jimmy Rave, and Lance Rock), which lasted 7 minutes and 35 seconds. The Prince Justice Brotherhood won the bout when Curry Man pinned Hemme after a Chummer performed by Shark Boy.
TNA held a Falls Count Anywhere match next between Awesome Kong and ODB. Raisha Saeed accompanied Kong to the ring. The competitors fought throughout the crowd and around the ring before Kong won the match by picking up and slamming ODB back-first through a table at 10 minutes and 23 seconds.
The team of Abyss and Matt Morgan fought Team 3D (Brother Devon and Brother Ray) in a Tag Team match at the event. The duration of the contest was 11 minutes and 33 seconds. Johnny Devine interfered in the contest on Team 3D's behalf, attacking Morgan with a steel chair before Abyss performed his signature Shock Treatment maneuver on him. Abyss won the bout for his team by slamming Devon back-first against the mat with his trademark Black Hole Slam maneuver.
The TNA X Division Championship was defended in a Three Way match by Petey Williams against Sheik Abdul Bashir and Consequences Creed next. Williams was accompanied by Rhaka Khan. The finish of the match saw Williams force Creed's head into the mat with his signature Canadian Destroyer maneuver. Bashir, who had been knocked to the ringside area, pulled Williams from the ring and threw him into the guardrail, thus preventing a pin attempt by Williams. Bashir then pinned Creed to win the TNA X Division Championship at 8 minutes and 15 seconds.