This Sunday night TNA Wrestling presents their annual all steel cage pay per view, TNA Lockdown, which will be the first Lockdown under the Hogan/Bischoff era and will be coming to us live from the Family arena in St. Louis, MO! Let’s preview the show, shall we?
Who Will Have Lethal Lockdown’s Man Advantage?: Rob Van Dam vs. James Storm
These two first wages war two weeks ago on IMPACT having what was a very entertaining match. After a loosing effort, Storm shattered a beer bottle over RVD’s skull. This match will open up Lockdown and determine who will have the man advantage in Lethal Lockdown. Should a a very good match, and solid way to set the pace for the evening. Here’s how I would book the ending. I would have Team Flair come out a ringside and distract RVD as he’s standing on top of the cage. RVD switches gear and does a huge Five Start Frog Splash from the top of the cage to the outside taking out Team Flair. His feet would hit the floor and he would be considered the winner via escaping the cage. The beat down would ensue from Team Flair onto RVD but Team Hogan would run out and the fight would be on! Security would separate the men and anticipation would be ignited for Lethal Lockdown later that night!
X Division Championship: Douglas Williams (C) vs. Kaz vs. Shannon Moore
[adinserter block=”1″]As odd as this may sound, I have honestly noticed that the TNA X Division has been improving since Hogan and Bischoff came in. It was in a rut for quite some time and seems to be picked up a bit. Last month at Destination X, Kaz was victorious in the Ladder Match and therefore became the number one contender for the X Division Championship. On that very same night, Doug Williams successfully defended that X Division Championship against Shannon Moore, and humiliated him after the match was over by smearing lipstick all over his face. Shannon returned to IMPACT and ended up challenging Williams for the X Division Championship at Lockdown. Williams granted him this rematch so it became a three way match between Douglas, Moore, and Kaz. The whole storyline here is also that Williams feels he is superior to the rest of the X Division talent because he is a true wrestler while the rest belong in the circus. Simply but effective. This match at Lockdown should be a very good one. Last Monday on IMPACT Kaz and Moore fought to a ten minute time limit which was the best X Division match on free television in quite some time. Should be a very entertaining, classic X Division encounter! I really hope Kaz captures the title. he deserves this more than anyone else in this match. I have a gut feeling that Moore may win the belt which I feel is unfair. He just came to TNA recently and really isn’t that great a wrestler to be perfectly frank with you. I feel Kaz is much better and deserves this title. I would then love to see him go on to feud with Samoa Joe when he returns and really spice up the X Division! Maybe with hardy and RVD as well in the future.
TNA Knockout Championship And Knockout Tag Team Championships: Angelina Love (C) And Tara vs. The Beautiful People (Velvet Sky And Madison Rayne) (C)
There are currently several feuds wrapped into this particular match. Angelina Love is obviously involved in a feud with former Beautiful People teammate Velvet Sky, and has some beef with Madison Rayne as well. Also, there is friction between Love and Tara after Love won Tara’s Knockout Championship in the Lock Box Challenge two weeks ago on IMPACT. After receiving a beating from the Beautiful People last week, Tara ran out and made the save for Love but refused to shake her hand. Can these two co-exist this Sunday when they will be forced to be tag team partners, or will their mutual hatred for the Beautiful People overcompensate for their friction? In this match, if either Tara or Love pin one of the Beautiful People they win the Knockout Tag Team Championships, however if one of the Beautiful People pin either Tara or Love she will become the new TNA Knockout Champion. Should be a decent match, at least better than anything the WWE Divas are doing.
Team 3D (Brother Ray And brother Devon) vs. The Band (Syxx Pac And Scott Hall)
After being screwed out of winning their first time ever street fight with The Band by Bubba The Love Sponge last week on IMPACT, team 3D look for revenge in this grudge tag team match. To be honest, I’m not particularly looking forward to this one. Four veterans in the ring and alone all at the same time is rarely a good thing. Could be at least an alright match so long as Team 3D and Syxx Pac stay away fro Hall. This match could be made a lot more interesting if made into a Tables Match because their Street Fight was a fun match because of the plunder, not the actual wrestling. Make this a Tables Match and all should be alright. Dare I suggest giving Bubba The Love sponge a 3D through a table for the ultimate redemption?!?!
Eric Young vs. “Big Sexy” Kevin Nash
It all started on January fourth when The Band (Hall and Waltman) made their return to TNA. Kevin Nash was unhappy with this claiming that this was another time period and not theirs. Nash soon allied himself with Eric Young and the two fought on behalf on TNA and the new generation. Last month at Destination X Young and Nash faced the Band in a match where if they won they would be rewarded with TNA contracts. After Young took on both members of The Band, he finally made the tag to Nash, who shockingly turned on Young, planting him with a Jackknife Powerbomb. The next night on IMPACT, Nash came out and claimed that what he did to Young was not personal, but rather all business. He offered Young a spot in The Band but Young turned down the offer and went right after Nash! Finally, the last straw was this past Monday night on IMPACT when Young ran out and cleaned house of The Band as they were beating down Team 3D. He announced in dramatic fashion that he would face Nash one on one at Lockdown. The Band will not be able to interfere on Nash’s behalf because both Nash and Young will be all alone, locked inside the 15 foot high steel cage! This is another match I’m not particularly looking forward to. Same goes for just about every other Kevin Nash match. In order for this match to be at least something positive overall, there are two major things this match needs. One is blood, and the other is high spots from Young involving the cage. Unless TNA’s planning on continuing this feud further, I would love to see Young go over. He is worthy of being a big star in TNA. He can talk, has a good look, and can wrestle. This match would do positive things for his reputation.
Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson
This has got to be the single most personal grudge match on the entire card. Ever since Mr. Anderson busted Kurt open at Against All Odds with Kurt’s warrior medal, defeated him, and spit in his face the feud between these two has escalated at stellar speeds and is now at an all time high. After Angle bashed Anderson for his actions and explained the background of the medal and how he got it from a U.S. solider, Anderson has done nothing but disrespect him. The two fought again at Destination X where Angle got revenge by busting Anderson open and defeating him. Anderson refused to give it up and challenged Angle one more time at Lockdown in the rubber match. One victory has already been secured for each man. Who will go out of this rivalry on top? Two weeks ago on IMPACT, these two fought in a classic ladder match where Anderson won the key to the cage door at Lockdown and will truly go in with the advantage. Should be a great, great match much like the past matches between these two have been. It will be sure to tell a great story as well as include great wrestling. Oh, and yes, there most likely will be blood!
Bonus Match: The Motor City Machine Guns vs. Homicide And Brian Kendrick
Not much rhyme nor reason behind this one but it should be a fun little spot feast. Still would rather see that match between MCMG and Generation Me in the first ever Steel Cage Ultimate X Match but oh well. probably will air on the pre show being that pre shows on the road are generally live ones.
Lethal Lockdown: Team Hogan (Rob Van Dam, Jeff Hardy, Abyss, And Jeff Jarrett) vs. Team Flair (Sting, Desmond Wolfe, And Beer Money)
The ongoing power struggle between Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan goes on as their respectful teams wage war in Lethal Lockdown! Wish this wasn’t so much about Flair and Hogan and had more overall focus on the younger talent but at least Hogan and Flair aren’t in the match or going one on one, right? This will be something for TNA to work on. Transitioning the veterans out of the storylines and gradually turning over 95% of the focus on the younger guys. I do like the smaller, individual feuds involved in this match though, although it would have been more fitting had each wrestler been involved in unity fighting for one common cause. Over the course of the past several weeks, Desmond Wolfe and Abyss have fought with one another so there will be friction between them in this match. Also, Sting and Jarrett have been feuding as of late, climaxing last week on IMPACT when the two got into a huge brawl ending with Sting knocking him out with his baseball bat. Jarret wants answers for why the evil side of Sting has come out all of a sudden.
[adinserter block=”2″] Will Jarret’s only way of getting an answer from Sting be from beating it out of him? Finally, Beer Money are currently in a feud with both Hardy and James Storm. Two weeks ago on IMPACT, Storm shattered a beer bottle over the head of RVD after a loosing effort in their match with one another. The last week, Storm blew a vicious fireball into the eyes of Jeff Hardy after Robert Rude suffered defeat from him. Nice to see Beer Money getting a major, main event-like push as well. They surely deserve it. Overall, this should be a very exciting, entertaining Lethal Lockdown match could very well be the best Lethal Lockdown matchup of all time considering the talent involved. Expect interference between Hogan and Flair, as well as a possible angle with Eric Bischoff turning on Hogan. Also, there are rumors of a heel turn from “The Monster” Abyss.
TNA World Heavyweight Championship: “The Phenomenal One” AJ Styles vs. “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero
In the main event of the evening, Pope will finally cash in with his world title shot he won in the Eight Card Stud Tournament back a few months ago at Against All Odds. I feel more of a storyline could have been implemented between these two, however there was a basic formula used to lead up to this match that should work out alright at least. Two months ago, Styles and Flair beat Pope down and injured his ankle. Then Pope went into a feud with Desmond Wolfe while Styles feuded with Abyss. Two weeks ago on IMPACT, AJ attacked Pope and ended up taking him out with a Styles Clash. Then, last week on IMPACT, Pope and AJ ended up fighting one on one after their respective tag partners were taken out but the match ended in less than two minutes after Flair hit Pope in the back of the head with the title belt. They beat down Pope and Team Flair joined them as the show went off the air. Not a great way to go home to Lockdown as far as the world title match is concerned. How is beating down Pope the week before the big match going to honestly get us fans to believe that he actually has a chance of beating AJ and willing the title? It’s not! Poor move here. AJ will most likely retain at Lockdown. If so, I’d love to see Styles go on to feud with RVD over the title. A match between those two would literally be a dream match. Anyway, the match itself here should be great between to of the best wrestlers in main stream wrestling today. Should be a great wrestling match which should also tell a great story. Expect possible involvement of Team Flair/Hogan because AJ is associated with Flair so this is closely related.
Overall, this looks like a very solid event. It has a lot of potential. Especially the X Division three way match, the Lethal Lockdown match, as well as the championship match between AJ and Pope. Other matches seem alright but nothing special. A few too many veterans on the undercard as well. I hope they add in an X Division Escape Match too for a nice spot feast. I’d love to see MCMG vs. Generation Me in the first ever Ultimate X Steel Cage Match, although if this match hasen’t already been announced it’s most likely not going to happen. So all in all, I will have to recommend ordering Lockdown!
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Todd Frizzell is from Columbus Ohio, and has been a huge professional wrestling fanatic for the last ten years. Todd is very interested in all aspects of pro wrestling, including what goes on when the cameras aren’t rolling. Todd is very excited to write about his passion, and will try his best to entertain and provoke the wrestling fans.
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