Lockdown 2012
Date: April 15, 2012
Location: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tazz
This is the second biggest show of the year for TNA as every match is inside a cage. The double main event is Roode vs. Storm for the title and Lethal Lockdown with Team Bischoff vs. Team Garrett in a match that no one really wants to see, even the big TNA fans. We also have Angle vs. Hardy in what should likely be Angle's great match that he always has here. Let's get to it.
Young/ODB vs. Rosita/Sarita has been added to the show.
The opening video is of Storm getting in a truck and saying that it ends tonight with Roode.
The regular opening video is a history of Beer Money and how they had a lot of success but they were never friends. This has a lot of audio clips from the showdown on Thursday which is a good thing.
Team Garrett has a meeting. Garrett wants to go first to earn his team's respect. Great. MORE Garrett. The team agrees.
Lethal Lockdown
Team Eric: Eric Bischoff, Gunner, Bully Ray, Kazarian, Christopher Daniels
Team Garrett: Garrett Bischoff, AJ Styles, Mr. Anderson, Rob Van Dam, Austin Aries
I was worried this would close the show so this is a nice surprise. This is TNA's WarGames match and if Garrett's team loses, he's out of TNA. If Eric's team loses, he's out and can't use his name in wrestling again. Three minute opening period then two minutes for each one after that and Team Eric has the advantage. Gunner and Garrett start of course and it's power vs. speed.
Garrett tries to avoid the power but after a missile dropkick, Gunner takes over by running him down. Into the corner and Gunner hits a running knee to the head. No pins or submissions until all ten are in remember. He rams Garrett into the steel and Bully Ray is out next for a two minute advantage. Gunner holds him for a running boot to the chest. This is pure dominance for about 90 seconds until Austin Aries is in fourth. The fans were cheering his name so they're giving the people what they want.
Aries EXPLODES on Ray in the corner and gets in some shots on Gunner as well. At about a minute in he runs into a boot and Ray takes over. Garrett stays in the corner where he belongs as Aries, the actually good wrestler, does the work. A missile dropkick puts Ray down and Kazarian, with a nearly shaved head, is in next. The fans chant that he looks stupid and it's a three on one beatdown of Garrett. Gunner chokes Aries as Kaz fires off kicks to the ribs of Garrett.
AJ evens things up as this is in classic WarGames formula already. Kaz tries to meet him coming in but AJ slams the door on his head. Pele takes Gunner down but Ray runs him over. Sweet dropkick takes Ray down and everyone pairs off. Here's Daniels for another advantage. It's 4-3 at the moment and Daniels gives Team Eric the big advantage. Ray pulls off his belt and Garrett takes a whipping.
Anderson is the fourth guy for his team so there's just Eric and RVD to go. It's the heel beatdown again but AJ manages a nice suplex on Ray. Now back to your regularly scheduled beatdown with thirty seconds to go before Eric comes in. Here's Eric in business casual attire. He holds Garrett for a big chop from Ray and Gunner gets in one as well. Eric and Daniels talk trash as the clock counts down.
Here's Van Dam and he cleans house. There hasn't been a lot of that in this match so far. There hasn't been much to commentate on because it's been 17 minutes of punching and kicking so far. That's what these matches usually are so it's not a shock, but it's still not that interesting. Eric hides in the corner and here come the weapons. The match basically resets here as everyone gets a weapon and Team Garrett takes over.
Daniels takes a bunch of weapon shots and Aries stomps away on Ray. Eric gets dragged in by AJ and Austin and the beating commences. Van Dam loads up the Five Star but Gunner crotches him. Ray lawn darts Aries into the cage but Anderson comes back with a swinging neckbreaker to Daniels. Kaz gets the spotlight now as he beats up everyone before focusing on AJ.
Kaz monkey bars across the top of the cage but AJ follows him and kicks him down. He drops an elbow down on Kazarian and RVD hits the Five Star. Ray takes Van Dam down but picks up a chair. YOU DON'T PICK UP A CHAIR IN A ROB VAN DAM MATCH! Van Daminator puts him down but Daniels pops up to take Van Dam out. Daniels goes after Garrett but Garrett hits his falling Diamond Cutter.
He covers Daniels but Eric grabs a kendo stick to pound away on him. Eric insults his own wife by calling Garrett an SOB and beats Garrett half to death. The fans want blood. Eric is the only one up at the moment. Garrett pops up and guitars Eric for the pin at 26:04 to get rid of Eric for I'd say three months or so. That was completely out of nowhere.
Rating: C-. This was probably the worst Lethal Lockdown I can ever remember. There was A LOT of punching and kicking and no big spot at all. Also the whole thing here was supposed to be about Garrett's big comeback but really all he did was pop up after a bunch of kendo stick shots, hit Eric once and pin him. Naturally that probably means more TV time for Garrett because that's what the fans are screaming for in Eric's ears, but that's life in TNA. Getting this out of the way first was a good idea though.
Tag Titles: Motorcity Machineguns vs. Magnus/Samoa Joe
The Guns have generic music to start but their regular theme starts during their walk to the ring. Methinks that was a glitch. You can win by pin, submission or escape for the rest of the matches. Magnus and Shelley start things off. Things speed way up to start and Magnus gets a clothesline for two. Sabin gets a blind tag and a pair of kicks get two. Off to Joe who is too fat for Sabin to run over.
A crucifix into a sunset flip doesn't really work either so let's try a dropkick. That at least slows Joe down and it's off to Shelley. Back to Magnus who gets caught in a pinball series of punches. Magnus comes back and manages a fallaway slam to throw Sabin into Shelley in a cool spot. Back to Joe who pounds Sabin down to give us a face in peril. I think he's in peril to another face but you get the idea.
The champions double team Sabin to keep him in the ring including a big boot to set up a backsplash for two. Magnus hooks a chinlock but Chris comes back with a jawbreaker to get out. A spinning spinebuster puts Sabin right back down and it's off to Joe again. Snap suplex gets two. Sabin grabs a tornado DDT while climbing up Magnus and is able to make the tag. Shelley comes in but even that doesn't wake this crowd up.
Sliced Bread is broken up but Sabin powerbombs Joe out of the corner. Magnus is knocked off the top and a top rope double stomp gets two for Shelley. A move I think called the elevated Hero's Welcome gets two on Magnus. Skull and Bones is broken up and Sabin is caught in the Clutch. Sliced Bread hits Magnus and Joe has to break up the choke to make the save. The champions' finisher misses so Sabin hooks up a rear naked choke on Joe. Magnus hits a kind of Michinoku Driver on Shelley and Joe runs out of the corner, dropping Sabin on Shelley. The snapmare/elbow gets the pin on Shelley at 11:19.
Rating: B-. This started really slow but once they stopped the tagging it got a lot more exciting. I definitely agree with the champions retaining here as there's nothing for the Guns to do in this division anymore. Having them as something like Beer Money for the last year they were together would be a much better spot for them which is something they could do now.
Robbie E says he'll get the TV Title back. Why didn't this go after Lethal Lockdown to save the crowd a bit?
TV Title: D-Von vs. Robbie E
D-Von rams Robbie into bigger Rob to start. Robbie takes him down and stomps a lot, followed by a middle rope forearm for two. Time for the chinlock for a bit before Robbie goes to the top rope (yes rope, not corner), only to get crotched. D-Von comes back with a shoulder block and Miz's Reality Check. Corner splash sets up the spinebuster to retain at 3:26.
Rating: D+. I get the idea of filler, but it's still D-Von Freaking Dudley with a title. I could definitely see Ray having a belt at this point as he's elevated his game huge, but D-Von is so average it's unreal. He's huge and has gotten in great shape, but how many other people would be better with the title? In short, no one because it's never defended so it doesn't really matter, which is the much bigger part of the problem.
Robbie T beats down D-Von post match, probably to continue the feud.
Matt Morgan says that he's in wrestling to make money and win titles. Tonight, it's about revenge though and the cage is a prison cell.
Knockouts Title: Gail Kim vs. Velvet Sky
No pigeons again and Tazz is upset. Her outfit is different this week as it's more like a skirt. Madison comes out with Gail. Velvet grabs a fast rollup for two but Gail hits her in the back to take over. Velvet fires off some shots but Gail knocks her back, hitting a missile dropkick for two. More back work in the form of a backbreaker with the bending over the knee by Gail before she moves on to a knee lock, bending it around her own head.
Gail hooks something like a dragon sleeper which is countered by a jawbreaker. She misses a charge in the corner but Velvet is down too. Flying headscissors puts Gail down but she pops up to try and climb out. Velvet follows her up for some knees on the top rope. She looks for In Yo Face but settles for a sunset bomb for two instead. Madison starts yelling at Velvet as Gail tries to escape. Sky notices and tries an O'Connor Roll which is reversed into a rollup by Gail with tights for the pin at 7:27.
Rating: C-. Not the worst match ever but they're not doing anything to help this already bad crowd. Gail keeps the title here, which I can live with because there was very little build for Velvet, but they need someone to breathe some life into this division. Gail and Madison has been played but it didn't get mentioned at all here for the most part.
Here's Flair for some chatting. If anyone can get a crowd fired up it's him. Flair asks if the people know who he is and insults some fans at ringside for not knowing who he is. I think he's drunk. He's ticked off and that's not good for who he's ticked off at, and that would be Hogan. Tonight Hogan ended Eric Bischoff's career and that's not cool. He insults some fat guy in a yellow t-shirt and here's Hulk.
Flair talks over Hulk's music about how Hogan has ticked him off and there's a good Hogan chant, the first solid crowd reaction in about an hour. Hulk asks if he can get in Flair's ring and Flair says that's fine. Ric sounds very drunk. Hulk says if Flair has a grievance, say it now. This is pure filler in case you couldn't tell. Hogan says Flair asked if people knew who he was. He's at Lethal Lockdown (is that match still going?) and here at Lockdown, Eric Bischoff is gone and can't use his name again.
Hogan challenges Flair to a fight right now and that REALLY ticks Flair off. Hulk drills him and makes a funny face at him....and that's it. Seriously, it was one punch. Flair says come back here and takes his tie off. Hogan leaves and Flair yells at Tenay. This has been going on WAY too long and it's not accomplishing anything at all. The fans chant Space Mountain and Flair asks if someone wants to ride it....and that's it.
We recap Crimson vs. Morgan which is pretty much Morgan's feud with Abyss and Hernandez all over again.
Crimson vs. Matt Morgan
Crimson is now billed as “The Undefeated” on his graphic. Crimson goes for the door very quickly but Morgan keeps pulling him back in. Morgan walks into a clothesline for two as momentum shifts. Crimson rams him into the cage as the crowd is a little more awake now. He chokes Morgan on the ropes and a spinebuster gets two.
Crimson sets for what looked like the spear but walks into the discus lariat. Big boot puts Crimson down and it's followed by a nice belly to back suplex. Morgan loads up the Carbon Footprint in the corner but gets tangled in the ropes. Crimson tries a quick escape but they wind up fighting on the top rope. Morgan gets crotched and tied up in the rope, allowing Crimson to climb out for the win at 7:26.
Rating: D. You know, if the time is such a problem tonight, maybe you could have this go a few more minutes and have the TV Title go longer than three minutes. It might keep the issues down a bit more. Anyway, this match was really boring as the feud has been put on hold for the last two weeks. This show is bordering on disaster at this point but there are some big matches to come.
We recap Angle vs. Hardy, which is because of Kurt not liking the way Hardy looks and acts, partially because of Angle's son being a Hardy fan. Angle cheated to win last time at Victory Road.
Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy
Angle said that he and Hardy could match HHH vs. Undertaker here and he's had a great track record at this show so hopefully he continues that here. Hardy's paint is black and white here. There's this, the world title and the Knockout Tag Titles left so the show still has a small chance. Angle's thigh is taped due to a legit injury. Kurt pounds him in the corner to start but Jeff comes back with the legdrop between the legs.
They're going very slowly here but it might be a slow build. Jeff whips him into the corner and hits the slingshot dropkick but he's holding his neck. Jeff seems to be ok though and he pounds Angle down in the corner. Kurt slams him into the cage which had a great sound. Snap suplex gets two. Back into the cage as it's pretty clear Kurt is nowhere near 100%. It looks like Jeff is busted a bit but you can't see that well.
Kurt rams him into the cage again and walks around a lot. Oh yeah Jeff is busted. Jeff comes back with a clothesline and both guys are down. Things speed up again and Jeff comes back with some forearms. Whisper in the Wind gets two. Twisting Stunner puts Kurt down and he loads up the Swanton, but Angle runs the corner and hits a GREAT Angle Slam out of the corner for a close two. Kurt goes for the door but Jeff dives for the leg. Angle pounds on his head and goes for the climb over but Jeff pulls him back. Now Jeff goes up and knocks Kurt back, hitting a standing top rope Vader Bomb for two.
Both guys are down again and it's Hardy up first. He goes for the door but Kurt grabs the ankle and puts on the ankle lock. Jeff counters into the ankle lock on Angle (on the good leg) but Kurt rolls out. Twist of Fate puts Angle down and Jeff goes for the corner. Swanton connects but he goes up again and hits a second one which gets two. Kurt pulls him head first into the cage and the Angle Slam gets two. Hardy counters the Slam into one of his own before going all the way to the top of the cage for a super Swanton for the pin at 14:48.
Rating: B+. While it's not as good as Kurt's other matches, this was a HUGE step up over what the rest of this show has been. I don't ever remember my heart being in my throat for a spot more than that Swanton though as I thought he was going to kill himself. Angle's injury slowed this a lot but it was still a very good match and a major help that this show needed.
Knockouts Tag Titles: Eric Young/ODB vs. Rosita/Sarita
Eric and ODB have hockey jerseys on. ODB charges in to jump Sarita and Eric doesn't know what corner to go to. Isn't this where Eric is billed from? It's a comedy match of course with Eric thinking he's referee, which causes ODB to get in trouble. The girls keep trying to seduce Eric as they work over ODB. ODB comes back, spears Sarita and hits the Bam on Rosita for the pin to retain at 4:17.
Rating: D. Was Eric ever legally in? This was a comedy match to bring the crowd down a bit before the main event. There's not much else to say here other than the girls minus ODB looked good and Eric is still not that funny. This served its purpose well enough though so points for that.
The announcers talk about the main event for awhile.
Roode says tonight is a fight, not a wrestling match. He's out for blood and they hate each other. Some idiot fan tried an ECW chant during this.
We recap the main event. It's another excellent package with Roode talking about how he's the champion and he'll do anything to win and Storm talking about how it took ten years to get to this moment.
TNA World Title: James Storm vs. Bobby Roode
Storm drives a truck into the arena. He has something resembling the AMW trenchcoat but it's not quite the same. Storm jumps him on the floor before the bell rings and takes the fight to him. He rams Roode into the cage and drops an elbow from a table. The bell hasn't rung yet and they have over half an hour. Storm blocks a cage shot and they fight up the entrance. All Storm so far.
Storm swings a chair at the cage but misses, allowing Roode to hit a clothesline to the back of the head to drive Storm's head into the steel. Roode gets a beer bottle and Storm is busted. The beer is put on the steps as Roode hammers away. Montgomery Gentry and Storm's wife are here. They go into the cage and there's the bell. Roode is in full control and rams Storm into the cage again.
Roode yells a lot and the crowd is quiet enough that you can hear most of it. Suplex and knee drop get two. That cut is opening more and more. Storm Hulks Up and wins a slugout but a running elbow takes him right back down. Storm gets a boot up in the corner but Roode takes him down with a big clothesline for two. Roode does the cheese grater spot on the cage and the tape on Storm's wrists are all covered in blood.
Roode is still shouting in Storm's face and has Storm's blood on his face. We cut to Storm's wife and she looks as interested as parents when their kid isn't on stage in a third grade school play. Storm comes back with a bunch of punches and clotheslines. Here's the Eye of the Storm but Roode escapes. A catapult sends Roode into the cage and the Eye of the Storm gets two.
James walks into a spinebuster for two. Roode is busted also. Closing Time (Codebreaker/Backstabber combo) gets two. Now Roode gets the cheese grater treatment. Roode ducks a dive and Storm eats cage, allowing Roode to hook the Crossface. Storm manages to roll to the ropes but both guys are spent. They go to the corner and Storm fights out of a superplex but gets his head rammed into the cage.
Roode climbs on Storm to try to get out and he kicks Storm down to the mat. Storm climbs up and gets Roode dangling on the top of the cage. He's back in now and they slug it out on the top rope some more. Storm pulls him down and loads up the Last Call but it hits the referee flush on the jaw.
Roode takes him down and has the door wide open but he wants the beer bottle. He busts it over Storm's head and demands that Hebner come in for the cover but it only gets two. Instead of sprinting out the door, Roode walks into the Last Call but Storm can't follow up. Storm superkicks Roode out the door, AND HE KEEPS THE TITLE at 17:39.
Rating: B. This company amazes me. If there was EVER, I mean EVER, a more perfect setup than this, I'd love to see it because this was as perfect as you could get and they go the other way. On top of that, they do it TONIGHT, with the crowd being as uninterested as they've ever been. The match was great, the ending.....oh dear.
Storm hugs his wife to end the show.
Overall Rating: D+. The first half of this show was dreadful, ranking up there with some of the worst shows I've ever seen. Angle vs. Hardy breathed life into it and the Knockout Tag was as good as it was going to be. The main event was going strong and then they completely deflate the place (ok it was deflated already) with the ending. This was the perfect place to end Roode's reign, but instead they swerve us just like at Bound For Glory. I get the idea of a surprise, but there are times where you go with the obvious. This was one of them.
Results
Team Garrett Bischoff b. Team Eric Bischoff – Garrett pinned Eric after a guitar shot
Samoa Joe/Magnus b. Motorcity Machineguns – Middle Rope Elbow to Shelley
D-Von b. Robbie E – Spinebuster
Gail Kim b. Velvet Sky – Rollup with a handful of tights
Crimson b. Matt Morgan – Crimson escaped the cage
Jeff Hardy b. Kurt Angle – Swanton off the top of the cage
ODB/Eric Young b. Sarita/Rosita – The Bam to Rosita
Bobby Roode b. James Storm - Storm superkicked Roode out of the cage
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Date: April 15, 2012
Location: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tazz
This is the second biggest show of the year for TNA as every match is inside a cage. The double main event is Roode vs. Storm for the title and Lethal Lockdown with Team Bischoff vs. Team Garrett in a match that no one really wants to see, even the big TNA fans. We also have Angle vs. Hardy in what should likely be Angle's great match that he always has here. Let's get to it.
Young/ODB vs. Rosita/Sarita has been added to the show.
The opening video is of Storm getting in a truck and saying that it ends tonight with Roode.
The regular opening video is a history of Beer Money and how they had a lot of success but they were never friends. This has a lot of audio clips from the showdown on Thursday which is a good thing.
Team Garrett has a meeting. Garrett wants to go first to earn his team's respect. Great. MORE Garrett. The team agrees.
Lethal Lockdown
Team Eric: Eric Bischoff, Gunner, Bully Ray, Kazarian, Christopher Daniels
Team Garrett: Garrett Bischoff, AJ Styles, Mr. Anderson, Rob Van Dam, Austin Aries
I was worried this would close the show so this is a nice surprise. This is TNA's WarGames match and if Garrett's team loses, he's out of TNA. If Eric's team loses, he's out and can't use his name in wrestling again. Three minute opening period then two minutes for each one after that and Team Eric has the advantage. Gunner and Garrett start of course and it's power vs. speed.
Garrett tries to avoid the power but after a missile dropkick, Gunner takes over by running him down. Into the corner and Gunner hits a running knee to the head. No pins or submissions until all ten are in remember. He rams Garrett into the steel and Bully Ray is out next for a two minute advantage. Gunner holds him for a running boot to the chest. This is pure dominance for about 90 seconds until Austin Aries is in fourth. The fans were cheering his name so they're giving the people what they want.
Aries EXPLODES on Ray in the corner and gets in some shots on Gunner as well. At about a minute in he runs into a boot and Ray takes over. Garrett stays in the corner where he belongs as Aries, the actually good wrestler, does the work. A missile dropkick puts Ray down and Kazarian, with a nearly shaved head, is in next. The fans chant that he looks stupid and it's a three on one beatdown of Garrett. Gunner chokes Aries as Kaz fires off kicks to the ribs of Garrett.
AJ evens things up as this is in classic WarGames formula already. Kaz tries to meet him coming in but AJ slams the door on his head. Pele takes Gunner down but Ray runs him over. Sweet dropkick takes Ray down and everyone pairs off. Here's Daniels for another advantage. It's 4-3 at the moment and Daniels gives Team Eric the big advantage. Ray pulls off his belt and Garrett takes a whipping.
Anderson is the fourth guy for his team so there's just Eric and RVD to go. It's the heel beatdown again but AJ manages a nice suplex on Ray. Now back to your regularly scheduled beatdown with thirty seconds to go before Eric comes in. Here's Eric in business casual attire. He holds Garrett for a big chop from Ray and Gunner gets in one as well. Eric and Daniels talk trash as the clock counts down.
Here's Van Dam and he cleans house. There hasn't been a lot of that in this match so far. There hasn't been much to commentate on because it's been 17 minutes of punching and kicking so far. That's what these matches usually are so it's not a shock, but it's still not that interesting. Eric hides in the corner and here come the weapons. The match basically resets here as everyone gets a weapon and Team Garrett takes over.
Daniels takes a bunch of weapon shots and Aries stomps away on Ray. Eric gets dragged in by AJ and Austin and the beating commences. Van Dam loads up the Five Star but Gunner crotches him. Ray lawn darts Aries into the cage but Anderson comes back with a swinging neckbreaker to Daniels. Kaz gets the spotlight now as he beats up everyone before focusing on AJ.
Kaz monkey bars across the top of the cage but AJ follows him and kicks him down. He drops an elbow down on Kazarian and RVD hits the Five Star. Ray takes Van Dam down but picks up a chair. YOU DON'T PICK UP A CHAIR IN A ROB VAN DAM MATCH! Van Daminator puts him down but Daniels pops up to take Van Dam out. Daniels goes after Garrett but Garrett hits his falling Diamond Cutter.
He covers Daniels but Eric grabs a kendo stick to pound away on him. Eric insults his own wife by calling Garrett an SOB and beats Garrett half to death. The fans want blood. Eric is the only one up at the moment. Garrett pops up and guitars Eric for the pin at 26:04 to get rid of Eric for I'd say three months or so. That was completely out of nowhere.
Rating: C-. This was probably the worst Lethal Lockdown I can ever remember. There was A LOT of punching and kicking and no big spot at all. Also the whole thing here was supposed to be about Garrett's big comeback but really all he did was pop up after a bunch of kendo stick shots, hit Eric once and pin him. Naturally that probably means more TV time for Garrett because that's what the fans are screaming for in Eric's ears, but that's life in TNA. Getting this out of the way first was a good idea though.
Tag Titles: Motorcity Machineguns vs. Magnus/Samoa Joe
The Guns have generic music to start but their regular theme starts during their walk to the ring. Methinks that was a glitch. You can win by pin, submission or escape for the rest of the matches. Magnus and Shelley start things off. Things speed way up to start and Magnus gets a clothesline for two. Sabin gets a blind tag and a pair of kicks get two. Off to Joe who is too fat for Sabin to run over.
A crucifix into a sunset flip doesn't really work either so let's try a dropkick. That at least slows Joe down and it's off to Shelley. Back to Magnus who gets caught in a pinball series of punches. Magnus comes back and manages a fallaway slam to throw Sabin into Shelley in a cool spot. Back to Joe who pounds Sabin down to give us a face in peril. I think he's in peril to another face but you get the idea.
The champions double team Sabin to keep him in the ring including a big boot to set up a backsplash for two. Magnus hooks a chinlock but Chris comes back with a jawbreaker to get out. A spinning spinebuster puts Sabin right back down and it's off to Joe again. Snap suplex gets two. Sabin grabs a tornado DDT while climbing up Magnus and is able to make the tag. Shelley comes in but even that doesn't wake this crowd up.
Sliced Bread is broken up but Sabin powerbombs Joe out of the corner. Magnus is knocked off the top and a top rope double stomp gets two for Shelley. A move I think called the elevated Hero's Welcome gets two on Magnus. Skull and Bones is broken up and Sabin is caught in the Clutch. Sliced Bread hits Magnus and Joe has to break up the choke to make the save. The champions' finisher misses so Sabin hooks up a rear naked choke on Joe. Magnus hits a kind of Michinoku Driver on Shelley and Joe runs out of the corner, dropping Sabin on Shelley. The snapmare/elbow gets the pin on Shelley at 11:19.
Rating: B-. This started really slow but once they stopped the tagging it got a lot more exciting. I definitely agree with the champions retaining here as there's nothing for the Guns to do in this division anymore. Having them as something like Beer Money for the last year they were together would be a much better spot for them which is something they could do now.
Robbie E says he'll get the TV Title back. Why didn't this go after Lethal Lockdown to save the crowd a bit?
TV Title: D-Von vs. Robbie E
D-Von rams Robbie into bigger Rob to start. Robbie takes him down and stomps a lot, followed by a middle rope forearm for two. Time for the chinlock for a bit before Robbie goes to the top rope (yes rope, not corner), only to get crotched. D-Von comes back with a shoulder block and Miz's Reality Check. Corner splash sets up the spinebuster to retain at 3:26.
Rating: D+. I get the idea of filler, but it's still D-Von Freaking Dudley with a title. I could definitely see Ray having a belt at this point as he's elevated his game huge, but D-Von is so average it's unreal. He's huge and has gotten in great shape, but how many other people would be better with the title? In short, no one because it's never defended so it doesn't really matter, which is the much bigger part of the problem.
Robbie T beats down D-Von post match, probably to continue the feud.
Matt Morgan says that he's in wrestling to make money and win titles. Tonight, it's about revenge though and the cage is a prison cell.
Knockouts Title: Gail Kim vs. Velvet Sky
No pigeons again and Tazz is upset. Her outfit is different this week as it's more like a skirt. Madison comes out with Gail. Velvet grabs a fast rollup for two but Gail hits her in the back to take over. Velvet fires off some shots but Gail knocks her back, hitting a missile dropkick for two. More back work in the form of a backbreaker with the bending over the knee by Gail before she moves on to a knee lock, bending it around her own head.
Gail hooks something like a dragon sleeper which is countered by a jawbreaker. She misses a charge in the corner but Velvet is down too. Flying headscissors puts Gail down but she pops up to try and climb out. Velvet follows her up for some knees on the top rope. She looks for In Yo Face but settles for a sunset bomb for two instead. Madison starts yelling at Velvet as Gail tries to escape. Sky notices and tries an O'Connor Roll which is reversed into a rollup by Gail with tights for the pin at 7:27.
Rating: C-. Not the worst match ever but they're not doing anything to help this already bad crowd. Gail keeps the title here, which I can live with because there was very little build for Velvet, but they need someone to breathe some life into this division. Gail and Madison has been played but it didn't get mentioned at all here for the most part.
Here's Flair for some chatting. If anyone can get a crowd fired up it's him. Flair asks if the people know who he is and insults some fans at ringside for not knowing who he is. I think he's drunk. He's ticked off and that's not good for who he's ticked off at, and that would be Hogan. Tonight Hogan ended Eric Bischoff's career and that's not cool. He insults some fat guy in a yellow t-shirt and here's Hulk.
Flair talks over Hulk's music about how Hogan has ticked him off and there's a good Hogan chant, the first solid crowd reaction in about an hour. Hulk asks if he can get in Flair's ring and Flair says that's fine. Ric sounds very drunk. Hulk says if Flair has a grievance, say it now. This is pure filler in case you couldn't tell. Hogan says Flair asked if people knew who he was. He's at Lethal Lockdown (is that match still going?) and here at Lockdown, Eric Bischoff is gone and can't use his name again.
Hogan challenges Flair to a fight right now and that REALLY ticks Flair off. Hulk drills him and makes a funny face at him....and that's it. Seriously, it was one punch. Flair says come back here and takes his tie off. Hogan leaves and Flair yells at Tenay. This has been going on WAY too long and it's not accomplishing anything at all. The fans chant Space Mountain and Flair asks if someone wants to ride it....and that's it.
We recap Crimson vs. Morgan which is pretty much Morgan's feud with Abyss and Hernandez all over again.
Crimson vs. Matt Morgan
Crimson is now billed as “The Undefeated” on his graphic. Crimson goes for the door very quickly but Morgan keeps pulling him back in. Morgan walks into a clothesline for two as momentum shifts. Crimson rams him into the cage as the crowd is a little more awake now. He chokes Morgan on the ropes and a spinebuster gets two.
Crimson sets for what looked like the spear but walks into the discus lariat. Big boot puts Crimson down and it's followed by a nice belly to back suplex. Morgan loads up the Carbon Footprint in the corner but gets tangled in the ropes. Crimson tries a quick escape but they wind up fighting on the top rope. Morgan gets crotched and tied up in the rope, allowing Crimson to climb out for the win at 7:26.
Rating: D. You know, if the time is such a problem tonight, maybe you could have this go a few more minutes and have the TV Title go longer than three minutes. It might keep the issues down a bit more. Anyway, this match was really boring as the feud has been put on hold for the last two weeks. This show is bordering on disaster at this point but there are some big matches to come.
We recap Angle vs. Hardy, which is because of Kurt not liking the way Hardy looks and acts, partially because of Angle's son being a Hardy fan. Angle cheated to win last time at Victory Road.
Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy
Angle said that he and Hardy could match HHH vs. Undertaker here and he's had a great track record at this show so hopefully he continues that here. Hardy's paint is black and white here. There's this, the world title and the Knockout Tag Titles left so the show still has a small chance. Angle's thigh is taped due to a legit injury. Kurt pounds him in the corner to start but Jeff comes back with the legdrop between the legs.
They're going very slowly here but it might be a slow build. Jeff whips him into the corner and hits the slingshot dropkick but he's holding his neck. Jeff seems to be ok though and he pounds Angle down in the corner. Kurt slams him into the cage which had a great sound. Snap suplex gets two. Back into the cage as it's pretty clear Kurt is nowhere near 100%. It looks like Jeff is busted a bit but you can't see that well.
Kurt rams him into the cage again and walks around a lot. Oh yeah Jeff is busted. Jeff comes back with a clothesline and both guys are down. Things speed up again and Jeff comes back with some forearms. Whisper in the Wind gets two. Twisting Stunner puts Kurt down and he loads up the Swanton, but Angle runs the corner and hits a GREAT Angle Slam out of the corner for a close two. Kurt goes for the door but Jeff dives for the leg. Angle pounds on his head and goes for the climb over but Jeff pulls him back. Now Jeff goes up and knocks Kurt back, hitting a standing top rope Vader Bomb for two.
Both guys are down again and it's Hardy up first. He goes for the door but Kurt grabs the ankle and puts on the ankle lock. Jeff counters into the ankle lock on Angle (on the good leg) but Kurt rolls out. Twist of Fate puts Angle down and Jeff goes for the corner. Swanton connects but he goes up again and hits a second one which gets two. Kurt pulls him head first into the cage and the Angle Slam gets two. Hardy counters the Slam into one of his own before going all the way to the top of the cage for a super Swanton for the pin at 14:48.
Rating: B+. While it's not as good as Kurt's other matches, this was a HUGE step up over what the rest of this show has been. I don't ever remember my heart being in my throat for a spot more than that Swanton though as I thought he was going to kill himself. Angle's injury slowed this a lot but it was still a very good match and a major help that this show needed.
Knockouts Tag Titles: Eric Young/ODB vs. Rosita/Sarita
Eric and ODB have hockey jerseys on. ODB charges in to jump Sarita and Eric doesn't know what corner to go to. Isn't this where Eric is billed from? It's a comedy match of course with Eric thinking he's referee, which causes ODB to get in trouble. The girls keep trying to seduce Eric as they work over ODB. ODB comes back, spears Sarita and hits the Bam on Rosita for the pin to retain at 4:17.
Rating: D. Was Eric ever legally in? This was a comedy match to bring the crowd down a bit before the main event. There's not much else to say here other than the girls minus ODB looked good and Eric is still not that funny. This served its purpose well enough though so points for that.
The announcers talk about the main event for awhile.
Roode says tonight is a fight, not a wrestling match. He's out for blood and they hate each other. Some idiot fan tried an ECW chant during this.
We recap the main event. It's another excellent package with Roode talking about how he's the champion and he'll do anything to win and Storm talking about how it took ten years to get to this moment.
TNA World Title: James Storm vs. Bobby Roode
Storm drives a truck into the arena. He has something resembling the AMW trenchcoat but it's not quite the same. Storm jumps him on the floor before the bell rings and takes the fight to him. He rams Roode into the cage and drops an elbow from a table. The bell hasn't rung yet and they have over half an hour. Storm blocks a cage shot and they fight up the entrance. All Storm so far.
Storm swings a chair at the cage but misses, allowing Roode to hit a clothesline to the back of the head to drive Storm's head into the steel. Roode gets a beer bottle and Storm is busted. The beer is put on the steps as Roode hammers away. Montgomery Gentry and Storm's wife are here. They go into the cage and there's the bell. Roode is in full control and rams Storm into the cage again.
Roode yells a lot and the crowd is quiet enough that you can hear most of it. Suplex and knee drop get two. That cut is opening more and more. Storm Hulks Up and wins a slugout but a running elbow takes him right back down. Storm gets a boot up in the corner but Roode takes him down with a big clothesline for two. Roode does the cheese grater spot on the cage and the tape on Storm's wrists are all covered in blood.
Roode is still shouting in Storm's face and has Storm's blood on his face. We cut to Storm's wife and she looks as interested as parents when their kid isn't on stage in a third grade school play. Storm comes back with a bunch of punches and clotheslines. Here's the Eye of the Storm but Roode escapes. A catapult sends Roode into the cage and the Eye of the Storm gets two.
James walks into a spinebuster for two. Roode is busted also. Closing Time (Codebreaker/Backstabber combo) gets two. Now Roode gets the cheese grater treatment. Roode ducks a dive and Storm eats cage, allowing Roode to hook the Crossface. Storm manages to roll to the ropes but both guys are spent. They go to the corner and Storm fights out of a superplex but gets his head rammed into the cage.
Roode climbs on Storm to try to get out and he kicks Storm down to the mat. Storm climbs up and gets Roode dangling on the top of the cage. He's back in now and they slug it out on the top rope some more. Storm pulls him down and loads up the Last Call but it hits the referee flush on the jaw.
Roode takes him down and has the door wide open but he wants the beer bottle. He busts it over Storm's head and demands that Hebner come in for the cover but it only gets two. Instead of sprinting out the door, Roode walks into the Last Call but Storm can't follow up. Storm superkicks Roode out the door, AND HE KEEPS THE TITLE at 17:39.
Rating: B. This company amazes me. If there was EVER, I mean EVER, a more perfect setup than this, I'd love to see it because this was as perfect as you could get and they go the other way. On top of that, they do it TONIGHT, with the crowd being as uninterested as they've ever been. The match was great, the ending.....oh dear.
Storm hugs his wife to end the show.
Overall Rating: D+. The first half of this show was dreadful, ranking up there with some of the worst shows I've ever seen. Angle vs. Hardy breathed life into it and the Knockout Tag was as good as it was going to be. The main event was going strong and then they completely deflate the place (ok it was deflated already) with the ending. This was the perfect place to end Roode's reign, but instead they swerve us just like at Bound For Glory. I get the idea of a surprise, but there are times where you go with the obvious. This was one of them.
Results
Team Garrett Bischoff b. Team Eric Bischoff – Garrett pinned Eric after a guitar shot
Samoa Joe/Magnus b. Motorcity Machineguns – Middle Rope Elbow to Shelley
D-Von b. Robbie E – Spinebuster
Gail Kim b. Velvet Sky – Rollup with a handful of tights
Crimson b. Matt Morgan – Crimson escaped the cage
Jeff Hardy b. Kurt Angle – Swanton off the top of the cage
ODB/Eric Young b. Sarita/Rosita – The Bam to Rosita
Bobby Roode b. James Storm - Storm superkicked Roode out of the cage
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Pretty average PPV overall. Not many memorable moments, which seems to be a norm for TNA lately. However, I would not be surprised if Angle has a broken rib or two off that swanton, but it did look a lot worse the first time.
ReplyDeleteIs it sad that I called the ref bump and finishing sequence in the main event? I thought only the WWE jobbed their guys in their hometowns...
I really wish Scott Steiner would do reviews of TNA PPVs. Because his thoughts on Lethal Lockdown and the main event are going to be epic.
ReplyDeleteI defend TNA more than most, but the finish to the main event is unfathomably bad. Both guys go out there, bust their asses first on Impact to sell this show and then inside the cage, and they get rewarded with THAT finish?
ReplyDeleteWhat a stupid, ass-backwards, Jim Crockett-level BS finish. The crowd sucked until the main anyway, but way to kill that market, TNA. To quote Randy Orton: "Stupid, stupid, stupid."
I can't wait for Scotty to skewer this booking.
ReplyDeleteThat Swanton was crazy insane though. The helluva it was, it was picture perfect, but it definitely did appear like it broke Kurt Angle's ribcage. Color me amazed.
ReplyDeleteRest of the stuff, ho hum. I liked the main event and I was on Team Storm all the way. Even said "Oh No" when he Last Called out of the cage. Tough break. Wouldn't mind seein' a rematch.
Really though, the ending makes sense if you look at the company from a macro view. This company is pretty much the spiritual descendent of WCW and JCP. Neither of those organizations were ever able to provide satisfying conclusions to most of their biggest feuds. They always found a way to draw Flair's and Hogan's feuds with various main event guys out far beyond the point when people still cared, fucked up a sure thing in Lex Luger, destroyed the general mystique of Goldberg, screwed up one of the biggest main events in wrestling history with the Hogan/Sting Starrcade match, didn't know when to pull the plug on the nWo, and so on. The only legitimate face reign with the WCW or JCP World Title came with Hogan in the mid '90s. Even Sting's first run was marred by inconsistent booking
ReplyDeleteBut back to TNA. This is the same company which had Jeff Jarrett doing his best Ric Flair impression for the first four to five years of the company's existence. They never listened to their audience, instead screwing over guys like Raven and Rhyno, so Jarrett could continue to play Flair. TNA is incapable of booking main event faces effectively because they only know how to book heels. Look at the company's World Title history. It's always lengthy heel reigns (Jarrett, Christian, Angle) broken up by short face reigns (Raven, AJ, Sting), or lengthy reigns where a guy begins as a face and then turns heel at some point during the course of his reign (Joe, AJ). I'm amazed we as wrestling fans keep coming back because it's pretty clear this is how the company has always been, how it currently operates, and how it intends to proceed forever.
It operates on the logic that, "The money is in the chase." But it doesn't understand that chase can't be infinite, that at some point it must end. It's a bunch of carnies thinking they can still bilk the marks out of a few more dollars by running the same thing again and again and again because if it was hot last month, and it's still warm now, then obviously it will continue to burn for a few more months.
Mick Foley didn't think it was such a bad finish 30 years ago...
ReplyDeleteSince this is a TNA thread, I'll put this here: http://www.cagesideseats.com/2012/4/14/2949161/tna-news-eric-bischoff-and-dixie-carter-meet-with-spike-tv-executives I kind of feel sorry for Dixie having to work with Eric after he stabbed her in the back but maybe she should know to lookout for him by now. What do you guys think?
ReplyDeleteActually Foley DID hate that type of finish according to his first book but it was the splash off the cage that saved the whole experience for him.
ReplyDeleteAnybody who disagrees with Scott Steiner at this point has got to be drunk on Hogan's Kool-Aid. Tonight alone proved that Steiner is completely 100% spot-on.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like TNA is even heading in JCP's direction where they're in so much debt from years of horrible booking and lameass Dusty Rhodes fuck finishes that the network that airs their programming will end up having to buy the company just to keep the show on the air.
Overall, I have a feeling Spike TV will end up buying TNA by the end of the year and then things will get even worse as WCW's own history has proven.
Holy shit man that was a spot on post. Really though even if you didn't like Mania 28 all the matches had the faces going over save Kane and Laurenitis which is what is SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN on the big shows.
ReplyDeleteSo Dixie Carter is the dumb broad in real life that she plays on television?
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know why Christopher Daniels has never gotten a shot with the TNA title or a run in the WWE? He's not too small or too vanilla and only recently have I realize just how solid he is in the ring. Is it his age?
ReplyDeleteNo one orders the PPV, so the title change will happen on Impact.
ReplyDeleteGuaranteed.
Apparently! I wonder how long before Spike throws up their hands, gives them all the boot and brings in Heyman, Cornette, Sapolsky, or some combo of the three to run things?
ReplyDeleteYou're quite right, that was one of the biggest distinctions between WCW and the WWF. To this day, the WWE rarely gives extended reigns to heels. There's nothing wrong the WCW/NWA/TNA approach, but it can lead to a tendency to never finish the chase.
ReplyDeleteSupposedly the WWE just does not like Chris Danials. He's tried several times to get the WWE to give him a chance but they keep rejecting him point-blank.
ReplyDeleteWhich is OK, since God knows how the WWE would screw up Chris Daniels.....
It's because he looks like a penis.
ReplyDeleteAnd you got the splash off the cage from Hardy!
ReplyDeleteThat being said, 'Nucks down 3-0, is everyone in Vancouver panicking.
ReplyDeleteI sure as hell didn't see BOTH the Canucks and Penguins facing elimination.
Just watched the show. Boy oh boy. I'll talk about the good stuff first.
ReplyDeleteLethal Lockdown: I enjoyed it. It moved fast, and never overstayed it's welcome. The booking made sense with Garrett getting his ass kicked the entire match while Eric came out last and hid. The finish with him pinning Eric made sense too. ***
MCMG vs. Joe & Magnus: Dead crowd but these guys still delivered a good match with solid tag formula and it was enjoyable. ***
I skipped the next three matches due to it being late and it sounds like I didn't miss much. Fast-forwarding through the Morgan match, he hasn't improved AT ALL.
Jeff Hardy vs. Kurt Angle: Kurt's injury obviously hurt this match but it was still a very good match. It's got nothing on his past Lockdown matches, but c'mon, the guy had one good leg. ***1/2
James Storm vs. Bobby Roode TNA Title: This was the reason I bought the show pretty much. It had been built up damn near perfect with Roode turning on Storm and weaseling his way into keeping the title for months, each time finding a way to hold on to the title. But in Nashville Storm would get his revenge and Roode would have nowhere to run and he would finally lose the title. I thought the match was great up til the finish. It had intensity and I enjoyed the hell out of it. ***3/4 and with a better finish I would have liked it even more. I don't know where they will go with this, but all the stars aligned for Storm to win the title tonight and for whatever reason they decided against it.
Heyman and Cornette working together? Can't see it.
ReplyDeleteJim Ross and Paul Heyman is the combo I would go after. JR probably wouldn't join TNA for just an announcing gig but he might jump if they give him the talent relations job and sharing the book with Heyman.
ReplyDeleteThe ending of the main event personified exactly why I never invest myself too much into the TNA product anymore. Ridiculous stuff, TNA when it really REALLY counts always blow it.
ReplyDeleteSo I take it AJ Styles will win the title from Roode on this week's Impact, then Storm will turn heel during his title match with Styles in two weeks to win the title himself.
ReplyDeleteSettling a blood feud like Roode/Storm in a cage is a good idea. Having every match on the card preceding it also being a cage match is a bad idea. TNA: Even when we're right, we're wrong!
ReplyDeleteDaniels was part of WWF's Funkin Dojo training camp in 1998, which included such stars as Edge and Kurt Angle. You can even see him in the background (with a full head of hair!) of the segment in "Beyond the Mat" where Mike Modest is wrestling his tryout match at RAW. For whatever reason, Daniels was one of the students in that class who did not earn a contract from WWF, but they did decide to keep Shawn Stasiak and Tiger Ali Singh. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteDaniels' only official appearance on WWF TV was actually under a Conquistadors match during that angle with Edge & Christian.
Being a Predators fan becomes more and more fun...
ReplyDeleteI just figured out a big problem with TNA. When they book a swerve finish like that, NONE of the heat gets transferred to the HEEL, but all the heat goes to the COMPANY ITSELF. The company never makes any money because the company's BOOKING is looked at as the true heel, instead of the performers. Don't know if this has been brought up before, but I thought it would be a good discussion. And you know it's true because I used CAPS.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Leafs fan (sigh...please don't start on me) but I'm rooting for the Preds this summer. You gotta love hard-working teams who put it on the line every game.
ReplyDeleteI like USING ALL CAPS as well. Must have been from reading all those CRZ recaps back in the day.
ReplyDeleteBut as for TNA, the sad thing is the finish to the main wasn't even bad, it was pretty clever. The problem is they completely screwed over the crowd wanting to see the hometown guy get the title. There was NO REASON not to give the title to Storm here. If they were paranoid he wouldn't draw as champ just get the title off him at the next PPV or even the next IMPACT taping. Sheesh.
Oh yeah apparently there was a technical issue that caused EVERY THEATER in the US simulcasting the PPV to not work which forced the company to give refunds to everyone who bought a ticket. This company must have some sort of hex on it.
ReplyDeleteJesus fuck someone kill this retarded company already. They actually managed to build a good blood feud with Storm & Roode that essentially promised resolution at this show, then they swerve it yet again. Unbelievable...unbefuckinglievable. Also amazing that Eric's son is getting pushed despite so many well documented failures of nepotism like Greg Gange, Erik Watts, Brian Christopher. It's an industry of complete idiots.
ReplyDeleteTNA is like a dog that chases it's own tail.
ReplyDeleteAJ Styles (face) chases Kurt Angle (heel). AJ wins title, turns heel the next month.Then all that RVD nonsense happened.
Jeff Hardy (face) chases the title, turns heel after winning it.
Mr. Anderson (face) chases Jeff Hardy (heel). Anderson wins the title, loses back to Hardy. Sting beats Hardy, but then Mr. Anderson wins the title after turning heel and joining Immortal.
Sting wins the title, but is quickly beaten by Kurt Angle, who has now turned heel.
Angle gets beat by James Storm, but Storm gets beaten by Bobby Roode, who turns....get this....he turns HEEL!
So yeah, basically, the babyface NEVER gets over in TNA.
And you know it's true cuz I used CAPS!
Thank GOD Velvet didn't go over. She has been totally exposed as a singles wrestler. Tessmacher has taken her spot. She needs to reinvent herself or just resign herself to the fact that she's nothing but a tag team wrestler while the Angelina Loves and Madison Raynes do all the heavy work for her.
ReplyDeleteI actually had no problem with the finish. They actually booked themselves inbto a corner as Roode has been the best heel champ they've had in GOD only knows how long. The ending kept Storm strong.
ReplyDeleteMan, TNA absolutely refuses to reward their die-hard fans who tune in for an entire storyline. For an outsider who watches on a future DVD compilation (for $15 tops), the matches are solid and maybe the main event works. But being invested in real-time absolutely sucks for their fans.
ReplyDeleteCornette's an outdated carnie who doesn't understand it's not 1985 anymore.
ReplyDelete