Sunday, 22 April 2012

TNA Lockdown 2012 Review (belatedly again!)


Even though it took place almost a week ago, I have now only managed to watch the event last night. Sorry about that, let’s start the review.

TNA Lockdown took place not from the Impact Wrestling Zone for once, but from the Nashville Municpal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. How will the event fare, and how many times will it become the Hulk Hogan Show? Let’s take a look.

The event starts with the Lethal Lockdown match (?) with Team Eric (Eric Bischoff, Bully Ray, Gunner, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian) against Team Garrett (Garrett “Future of the Business” Bischoff, AJ Styles, Rob Van Dam, Mr Anderson and Austin Aries (the best thing in TNA right now)). Apparently, the rules of a Lethal Lockdown match (if you give a fuck) are as follows: Two wrestlers start for the first 3 minutes, after that a wrestler enters in 2 minute intervals, and after the last wrestler enters, the top of the cage comes down with an assortment of weapons. Sounds simple enough; however, no one can gain a pin fall or submission until all the wrestlers are in the cage. I don’t get that but I don’t really care so let’s see how it goes.

The match starts with Garrett against Gunner with Garrett doing his usual array of basic wrestling moves. 
Gunner gets the advantage before Bully Ray enters the fray and they proceed to beat the crap out of Garrett 
then Austin Aries (the best thing in TNA right now) comes in to even the odds. Kazarian (sporting a new 
haircut) comes in and does an impressive gutwrench suplex on Aries. Nothing much really happens over the 
next few minutes as AJ Styles, followed by Christopher Daniels, Mr Anderson, Eric Bischoff and
RVD enter the cage and the top containing the weapons is lowered. They all start beating the
crap out of each other, including a nice spot where RVD almost kicked a steel chair through
Bully’s head. Eric and Garrett are the last two standing (oh, God!) with Eric beating his son
with a kendo stick. Eventually, Garrett gets up, hits his dad with a guitar and gets the win.
The match was ok with some nice spots, however, this is the first time that I saw a Lethal
Lockdown match and I thought it would be better if it didn’t end with one just one fall. As for
the Bischoffs, they really let this match down. Eric cowered for most of the match and Garrett
spent at least half of the match in a heap. The thing that I found amusing was that Mike
Tenay said that Garrett earned the respect of his team mates. Well, if you think getting
respect is spending the half the match in a heap then, yeah, I guess he did. If Garrett wants to
become a wrestler, fine. He just needs to earn it and spend some time down in OVW or the
independent scene to learn his craft instead of taking time away from more talented wrestlers.
Winners: Team Garrett                                                                       Predictions: 1 for 1

Next the Tag Team Championships are on the line as the Motor City Machine Guns
challenge Samoa Joe and Magnus. The match goes back and forth with Samoa and Magnus
eventually wearing Chris Sabin down. Sabin gets a rest bite after hitting Joe with a Tornado
DDT and gets the hot tag to Alex Shelley and the Machine Guns dominate for a bit. Joe hits a
sleeper on Sabin but Shelley hits the Sliced Bread on Magnus, forcing Joe to break up the
pin. Magnus hits a Scoop Slam Piledriver on Shelley followed by Joe dropping Sabin onto
Shelley. Then Joe and Magnus followed that with their snapmare/flying elbow finisher to get
the win. This was a good match which I enjoyed. However, the crowd was quite quiet for this
match.
Winners: Samoa Joe and Magnus                                                       Predictions: 2 for 2

Devon defended his Television Championship against Robbie E. The bodyguard Robbie T
 refused to leave the cage so Devon decided to get him out himself. After that, the match
wasn’t anything special and Devon got the win with a Spinebuster. Afterwards, Robbie T
beat the crap out of Devon.
Winner: Devon                                                                                    Predictions: 3 for 3

The Knockouts Championship was on the line as Velvet Sky finally gets her rematch against
Gail Kim. Gail gets to dominate early before trying to splash Velvet against the turnbuckle
and missing and going into the cage. Velvet gets back into it with a bulldog and Gail tries to
 escape the cage. However, Velvet stops that with a sunset flip into a powerbomb from the
 top turnbuckle which gets a 2 count. Velvet gets into an argument with Gail’s lackey
Madison Rayne. Gail tries to escape the cage and is stopped by Velvet with a roll up.
However, Gail reverses it into another roll up and gets a hold of Velvet’s tights to get the
victory. Like all Knockout matches, I enjoy them a lot more than what the WWE produce
 right now. It was an entertaining contest and I sense a rematch between Gail and Velvet.
Winner: Gail Kim                                                                                Predictions: 4 for 4

Next we have Ric Flair come out? Ok, don’t know why but let’s see where this goes.
After boasting about how awesome he is, he tells everyone that he’s not happy with Hulk
Hogan with the whole Bischoff affair. Hogan comes out (yay, I guess?) and Flair states that
Eric was put into an impossible position by getting involved in the Lethal Lockdown and it
should have been Flair instead. Flair must have a bad memory as, if I remember correctly,
 Eric volunteered to be in the match and I rather have Eric in the match than a 62-year old
legend who shouldn’t be wrestling. Flair gets decked by Hogan then goes on a massive hissy
fit while Hogan looks on. If this leads to a match between the two, I have three words for
that: FUCK. THAT. SHIT.


Right, let’s get back to the wrestling. The next match was between Crimson and Matt Morgan in what I think will be a very physical match. The best bit about this contest as this does actually need a steel cage to contain these two. Crimson tries to escape the cage at every opportunity but is stopped by Morgan who then sends Cimson flying into the cage. With Crimson down, Morgan was practically out of the cage but decides to beat the crap out of Crimson some more (in terms of my predictions, thank God!) Crimson seizes the second chance given to Morgan by dominating the match for a little while. Morgan hits Crimson with a massive clothesline and starts to make a comeback. Morgan misses with a big boot and this gives the opportunity for Crimson to climb up the cage. Morgan tries to stop him but is kicked off the cage onto the top rope, landing and trapping his leg between the middle and the bottom rope. Crimson gives Morgan a goodbye kiss and climbs over the cage to get the win and stay undefeated. This was a decent match and I hope that Crimson will use the fact that he has been undefeated for over a year to get a title opportunity.
Winner: Crimson                                                                                 Predictions: 5 for 5

The next match has the potential to be the match of the night as Kurt Angle takes on Jeff Hardy. Angle used the cage as a weapon as he kept on throwing Hardy into it, busting him open. The match goes back and forth and Hardy tries to climb up the cage. However, Angle stops him and does an Angle Slam from the top rope giving Angle a 2 count. Hardy tries again to climb the cage and Angle tries to stop him. Hardy pushes him off and then does a splash to get a 2 count. Hardy decides to go out of the cage door and Angle hits the Ankle Lock, which Hardy counters into his own Ankle Lock. Hardy then hits the Twist of Fate followed by two Swanton Bombs. However, Angle still kicks out (what is this, Wrestlemania?)  Angle hits an Angle Slam only Hardy to kick out at 2. Angle tries another Angle Slam but it’s reversed into an Angle Slam by Hardy. Hardy then hits a Swanton Bomb from the top of the cage to finally get the win. Even though there were some spots that I expected, like the Swanton from the top of the cage, I really enjoyed this match. I loved the reversals that Hardy did and this could potentially be a contender for LDW Match of the Year (no, I’m serious), especially since Angle is carrying a leg injury.
Winner: Jeff Hardy                                                                              Predictions: 6 for 6

The penultimate match is for the Knockouts Tag Team Championship as the newly married ODB and Eric Young (?) defend their titles against Sarita and Rosita. We get the usual shit here with it basically becoming ODB vs Sarita and Rosita in a handicap match. ODB dominates to begin with then Rosita and Sarita starts to dominate and flirt with Young, prompting Young to look away. Rosita and Sarita focus too much on flirting with Young, giving ODB the chance to make a comeback and hit Rosita with the Bam to get the win.
Winners: ODB and Eric Young                                                          Predictions: 7 for 7
                                                                                                            (fucking hell!)

The main event is for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship as home town boy James Storm challenges his former friend and Beer Money partner Bobby Roode. Right, I’ve got all my predictions right so far. All I need is for Storm to win and I will be a very happy man. Roode decides to take his time getting into the cage so Storm goes “Fuck that!” and attacks him outside the cage. Storm is completely dominant and spits beer into Roode’s eyes. Roode starts to get the upper hand and busts Storm open after getting his head rammed into the cage. Roode rolls Storm into the cage, the match officially starts five minutes after it actually did, and Roode continues to beat the crap out of Storm. Storm does a comeback and busts Roode open after getting sent into the cage. Storm hits the Eye of the Storm to get a 2 count and Roode hits the Double A Spinebuster to get a 2 count. Storm then hits a Codebreaker followed by a Backstabber to only get a 2 count. The match goes back and forth and Roode hits a Crossface. Later on, Roode climbs up the cage and almost gets over before Storm stops him and drags Roode back in. They then alternate bashing each other’s head into the cgae while on the top rope. Roode falls off, giving Storm the opportunity to climb out. However, he then decides to hit Roode to do a top rope Codebreaker instead followed by a Last Call, in which Roode pulls referee Brian Hebner in the way to take the hit. Roode starts to go out of the cage door then gets Senior Referee Earl Hebner to grab him a beer bottle (er...why would the referee do that?)  Roode smashes the beer bottle over Storm, wasting good beer in the process, and makes the pin with Earl counting. However, Storm kicks out, shocking Roode who then gets a Last Call from Storm. Storm hits the Last Call again. However, Roode was by the cage door at the time and he gets kicked out of the cage, onto the floor and gets the win. Storm, you dumb fuck! Thanks to you, I don’t get what every person who predicts wrestling PPVs wants, a prefect prediction. I was so close. Argh!! Ah well, never mind. Obviously, Storm is gutted over what happened and gets consoled by his family,
Winner: Bobby Roode                                                                         Predictions: 7 for 8

I quite enjoyed Lockdown. Some of the wrestling was really good and I thought the match between Hardy and Angle was one of the best matches of the year so far. There were a couple of matches that I didn’t really care for and I thought the Bischoffs undeservedly took the spotlight for the Lethal Lockdown match.

As for the end of the Roode/Storm match, I’m torn about that. I’m getting pissed off with every TNA PPV ending in a dusty finish as I think that it is making Roode look like a weak Champion. However, I’m slightly ok with the finish as it shows that you need luck to stay the Champion and Storm let his emotion get the best of him, otherwise he would have won the match ages ago. Overall, a good PPV from TNA.

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