Hey everyone – what did you think about tonight’s TNA Lockdown pay-per-view?
Just like last October’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view, I watched tonight’s Lockdown event at my local theater thanks to TNA Entertainment’s partnership with Screenvision. While there were about 40 people in the theater for Bound for Glory, tonight my buddy and I counted 15 fans including ourselves. Just like I said in my column back in October regarding these theater events – this has to be a localized success for iMPACT Wrestling because if those fans are anything like me, they wouldn’t have spent any more than the $15 that it cost to watch the show in the movie theater. So that’s $15 x 15 fans = $225 more that the promotion earned from tonight’s show just by making it available at the local theater.
The show itself was very entertaining. I thought that Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy put on the best match of the night and that – at times – it seemed like Bobby Roode and James Storm were going to put on the best show of the night. The most exciting match for my money was the opening Lethal Lockdown match between Team Garett Bischoff and Team Eric Bischoff, but I can’t take anything away from Storm or Roode because they did an excellent job of closing out the show with a match that had passion, great storytelling, and an intriguing closing sequence. Sure, in my infinite wisdom, I just knew that Storm was going to superkick Roode through the cage door. However, I haven’t seen that type of ending to a cage match in quite a long time and it was entertaining to see the heel win because of a misjudgment by the face. It makes the typical fan eventually get the feeling of, “Well, shit happens.”
The one match outcome that I don’t understand was having Devon get over on Robbie E. Look, eventually I think the folks backstage in iMPACT Wrestling are going to want the Television Championship to get back on Robbie E. if not for any other reason than he has more entertainment value in his right thumb than an old tag team wrestler who yells at a random brother (who no longer is standing next to him, by the way) to “TESTIFY!” to some hooting and hollering that no one cares about.
Can you see my bias here?
I just don’t see any major storylines that could come out of Devon holding the Television Championship. What? Are we going to get D’Angelo Dinero back on the scene again? Haven’t we beaten that feud to death at this point? Is Bully Ray going to challenge for the strap? If so, then wouldn’t that be a step down for Bully since he’s routinely considered (in the fans’ minds at least) as a contender for the World Heavyweight Championship? I just don’t see what any one gets out of a Devon championship run, but I’m a fan of the product so I’m willing to see where this goes.
Oh, and I totally see the Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair interaction leading to a match or a fight between them at some point down the road. And if that doesn’t happen, then I expect to see a match between Sting and Ric Flair at some point down the road – perhaps as early as Slammiversary, but maybe as far away as Bound for Glory. I know that all three of those guys are aging, but I’d actually be interested in watch either one of those matches for my own nostalgic reasons.
Overall, I was very pleased with the show. On a scale of 1 – 10 I’d probably settle on giving it a strong 8. Also, there appeared to be several thousand people in attendance at the show so I’ll be interested in learning what the final attendance number is for Lockdown.
Use the comments section below and remember to put your best foot forward and be respectful. The team at TNAStars.com and I can’t wait to hear from you about tonight’s show. Enjoy!
Good PPV. But the crowd was terrible. Suprisingly, would have been better in the Impact Zone
I thought it was a fantastic PPV, once again one I enjoyed much more than Wrestlemania, despite the huge gap in spectacle and finances.
I completely agree with Jd, the crowd was awful. Awful. They didn’t even wake up until Angle and Hardy started wrestling, which I’m grateful for, because if you don’t get amped up about Angle vs. Hardy in a steel cage, you’re probably actually a mob of zombies. And that’s not good for business.
I truly believe TNA should never go back to Nashville. It was like you had an audience filled with people who had never seen a wrestling show before, and therefore didn’t know what they were watching or how to react. It was in fact worse than the Impact Zone, a sad fact made all the more palpable because the arena was so much larger.
In any event, the Lethal Lockdown match wasn’t quite as exciting as I expected, but it told a great story. I feel strongly that Garrett Bischoff wanted to prove himself and pay his dues just as much as his on-screen persona did. The guy got walloped. His opponents were more than eager to oblige him and make up for the fact that he HADN’T paid his dues wrestling in the indies, and that he was Eric’s son. And man, Eric himself beat the crap out of him with that kendo stick. Garrett’s back was brutally marked up.
And if you don’t enjoy Eric getting smashed on the head with a guitar, go join the zombie mob.
I’ve heard Eric say candidly in interviews that he doesn’t like gimmick matches, and really just appreciates a typical one-on-one match, while acknowledging that events like Lockdown are very popular. So I find it amusing and somewhat ironic his on-screen send off happened in this way.
I disagree about Robbie E. and Devon. I like where Robbie’s going, I even like Robbie T. as his bouncer, because I think it’s great for Big Rob and really works for him. I like The Guest List they have going on, the velvet rope. It’s a little old school and has a lot more longevity to it now that he’s distancing himself from Jersey Shore a little.
But I’m none the less not crazy about the guy. Maybe it’s because I don’t live in Jersey 😉 But I’m a big fan of Devon’s. I think he’s still got a lot of talent, and a lot of charisma, I think the fans love him and he can engage a crowd just as good as anyone. I think he deserves it, and I also think TNA is stocked up on heel champions at the moment.And I don’t think he actually needs a brother to talk to when he says “oh my brother, testify!” It’s an expression! At least, it is now.
I thought Storm vs. Roode was going to be an excellent wrestling match. Instead, it was an excellent, brutal, impressive, personal brawl. I also saw the ending coming, but I relished it. I was skeptical of both these guys back in the Bound for Glory tournament. I was skeptical of Roode as champion, even more so when he turned heel. But not anymore. He’s golden and he just keeps getting better. And the booking is serving him well. It’s hard to hate Roode anymore than everyone does. But every month, that feat is managed, because he holds on to that title in the most dubious ways, and he doesn’t even lie about it or care. He’s just a great heel.
Not better than Bully Ray though! Bully Ray is the Million Dollar Man of TNA right now. No one gets more heat, but he’s not the champ. I’d like to see that change before he retires. Not sure he needs it though.
Okay now that I’ve (once again) written a novel, I’ll shut up and let someone else say something.