text: At Bound for Glory IV in October 2008, Joe lost to Sting, ending his reign as TNA World Heavyweight Champion at 182 days. During the match, Joe suffered an injury after landing back-first on a flight of cement stairs while executing a dropkick; the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stated that subsequently Joe "was never the same [...] His work noticeably slowed down, he gained weight". Writing for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Kyle Johnson stated "Joe’s standing as a main event star in the company entered a downward spiral from 2009 on and never recovered. His TNA World Heavyweight Championship run was almost completely unmemorable, ending at Bound for Glory 2008 in a match where he attempted a dropkick from a press box onto concrete stairs to horrifying effect. Joe was truly never the same after that bump."
  Front Line; Main Event Mafia (2008–2009)
  On the October 30, 2008 episode of Impact, Joe and AJ Styles formed a faction of younger wrestlers called the "Front Line", to oppose the Main Event Mafia of Kurt Angle, Sting, Kevin Nash, Booker T, and Scott Steiner. At Turning Point in November 2008, Nash defeated Joe by cheating. At Final Resolution in December 2008, the Front Line lost to the Main Event Mafia in an eight man tag team match. On the December 18 episode of Impact, Joe and Styles defeated Sting and Nash in a Six Sides of Steel match. Following the match, Joe was attacked by the Main Event Mafia; the attack was billed as having left him with injuries that would sideline him for the rest of the year.