When TNA Wrestling made the decision to cut down on their monthly Sunday pay per views it meant that the company would have to do more to attract wrestling fans on the PPVs they do offer. February saw no shows and instead were given a hot crowd in Britain for their entertainment. On March 10, the company rides into San Antonio, Texas to fill one quarter of the Alamodome to present Lockdown. They may only fill one quarter of a massive stadium but according to TNA President Dixie Carter, it will be the biggest US attended show in TNA history.
TNA is riding the PPV on the back of the Aces and Eights storyline, which I discussed a bit of here. I noticed that some readers felt it was just another article attacking TNA but to be a bit open, I spend more time watching TNA when it airs than any other wrestling promotion. I don’t really champion one promotion over another like it’s my sports team of choice but TNA is much easier to catch on my schedule. Despite my hopes for Aces and Eights to end (adding D’Lo Brown as Vice-President does nothing to spark the storyline), things could take an interesting turn at Lockdown to build toward the next PPV in June, TNA Slammiversary XI. It was just announced that the Slammiversary PPV will take place in Boston, MA.
Time to run down the card.
Joey Ryan vs. Joseph Park
This was thrown together at the last minute on Impact this past Thursday and will probably be the opener to the show. After watching Joseph Park at the Fillmore in Detroit for a TNA house show I must say the character does a great job at bringing laughs and snickers to the product. Park has done a great job filling in the hefty role that Eric Young used to fill every week as a babyface comedy act you want to watch. Joey Ryan has been missing in action as of late and it’s good to see him back. He’s a solid wrestler, a solid character and has oodles of potential. Yes I just wrote oodles. Should be an entertaining yet short bout. I’ll give it to Park.
Robbie E vs. Robbie T
I’m a big fan of Robbie E. Rob Eckos is one of those guys nobody considered to have much potential (for fans with long memories, he was the guy Edge beat up in a Ric Flair costume several years back) but through hard work and a commitment to his gimmick, he’s really one of those guys you tune in for. It annoys me when people proclaim him a Zack Ryder ripoff when Ryder was never ripping off Jersey Shore but the “My New Haircut” Youtube fad and Robbie E has been a Jersey Guido since the mid 2000s. What I really loved about the house show at the Fillmore is that they actually brought up the Impact angles to the house show with Robbie T. I know the company really wants Rob Terry to one day be their Dave Batista but it is just not happening. I hope this break up leads to Rockstar Spud becoming Robbie T’s new tag partner. Robbie T will win.
X Division Championship
Zema Ion vs. Christian York vs. Kenny King (c)
King becoming X Champion was a bit of a surprise but it’s well deserved. It’s quite interesting that Rob Van Dam is left off the card and the babyface duties in the triple threat are left to Christian York. York and RVD should be a babyface tag team and not stinking up the X Division. Anyway, I do like Zema Ion and if Robbie E ever needs a new partner, he should be the choice. Another solid character act. Kenny King should have a long run with the X Title and more importantly, TNA needs to find some strong babyface X Division wrestlers to work against him. King has the talent and charisma to be a break out star in TNA and they should handle him as smart as they handled Austin Aries. I expect King to retain.
Knockouts Championship
Gail Kim vs. Velvet Sky (c)
Kudos to Gail Kim for carrying the Knockouts Divison for several months now. She’s easily the best female wrestler on the roster and blows away any Diva on the WWE roster as well. While it’s really Gail’s job to simply make Velvet Sky look presentable in the ring, I wouldn’t give the role to anyone else. Female wrestling gets an unfortunate bad rap in North America due to the fact we’ve been fed un-athletic swimsuit models posing as professional wrestlers instead of the hundreds of talented females who should be wrestling on the main stage but simply don’t because professional wrestling is still a man’s game. I’d rather see Gail Kim working against Cheerleader Melissa or Courtney Rush or Jennifer Blake but at least we do see Gail Kim fighting for the title. Expecting Sky to retain.
Tag Team Championship
Chavo & Hernandez vs. Bad Influence vs. Aries and Roode (c)
This could be a match of the year candidate if they found a better team than Chavo/SUPERMEX or if one of the heel teams were babyfaces. Even then we should see some fantastic wrestling action. Bad Influence and Aries/Roode have been tiptoeing on too many comic routines but it’s still the four best heels in the company. Even Kazarian, who has stepped up his game ever since he started becoming Christopher Daniels’ best friend. Bobby Roode is still pound for pound the best wrestler in the business in my eyes from his theme song to his physique to how he sells, tells a story and chips in offence. He just brings more legitimacy to the sport than anyone else. Aries must be bitter watching Jeff Hardy steal his spot but Hardy sells more merchandise so he probably just enjoys these tag matches to keep him from killing himself in the ring. If Chavo is on his A Game (his A Game would be Chavo in WCW, not Chavo in WWE) and Hernandez doesn’t kill anyone with sloppy offence it should steal the show. There are more potential heel teams than babyface teams so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chavo and SUPERMEX regain.
Steel Cage Match
Wes Brisco of Aces and Eights vs. Kurt Angle
In past Lockdown’s, every match was in the cage. This time, only three. Storyline wise this is a complete story. Wes Brisco wanted to be a TNA wrestler. He was hanging around Kurt Angle but more shining his shoes than getting an opportunity in the company. Angle finally got him a spot on Gut Check but Brisco felt he deserved more. Aces and Eights beats up Al Snow and pushes their Vice President D’Lo Brown into the GutCheck judges. Brown makes sure Wes Brisco gets a spot on the roster. Soon after, Wes Brisco turns on Kurt Angle. That all said, Kurt Angle really needs to take a break and I hope that’s the goal of this match. This is the true equivalent of Kurt Angle having to take a broom and wrestle it to a four star match. Maybe I’m not giving Brisco enough credit but I doubt the WWE would have dropped a third generation wrestler with his father still high up in the company if he was good enough to be working for a major North American promotion. Reminds me of the Boston Bruins putting the son of Ray Bourque on waivers. Kurt Angle will win.
Lethal Lockdown
Aces and Eights vs. Team TNA
Aces and Eights is represented by Devon, Ken Anderson, D.O.C., Mike Knox and Garrett Bischoff. Team TNA is represented by Sting, Samoa Joe, James Storm, Magnus and Eric Young. Every member of Team TNA has had problems with Aces and Eights. Sting and Joe were some of their early attacks. Magnus and Young were put on the shelf. James Storm was accused of being a member early on by everyone only to clear his name. Without Ken Anderson joining the biker gang, they would be incredibly outnumbered in star power. Even adding a midcard comedy act like Eric Young doesn’t change the fact that Aces and Eights is a mess of plodding midcarders and an over pushed, untalented waste of ring space in Garrett Bischoff. Remember all of those disparaging things I said about WWE Divas? Garrett Bischoff makes them look good. He still can’t throw a proper arm drag, he still bumps wrong on half of his bumps and I don’t think he has ever had an opponent not look fearful for their lives in a match with him. After countless months of Aces and Eights getting the upper hand, even if a win would help them most, I expect Team TNA to exact some revenge here. I have my reasons.
TNA World Championship Steel Cage Match
Bully Ray vs. Jeff Hardy (c)
At No Surrender in 2012, Hardy and Ray fought for the chance to be the winner of the Bound For Glory series for a World Title shot. Jeff Hardy won, after being beaten up by Aces and Eights. Since then, Bully Ray has tried to prove to everyone he’s a good guy and not a bully. He teamed with Sting to stop Aces and Eights, only to lose and allow them access into the Impact Zone. He started a relationship with Brooke Hogan and married her, which only brought her closer to harm’s way with the Aces and Eights. The closer Bully Ray has been to Hogan, the more harm has come to Hogan. The only way to perfectly cap this Aces and Eights storyline and give us something to look forward to at Slammiversary in June is for Bully Ray to beat Jeff Hardy with the assistance of Aces and Eights. It finally gives Aces and Eights a worthy leader and champion and drives the story to Jeff Hardy having to beat Bully Ray for the title. Any other result is just going to disappoint (unless it’s something really wacky like AJ Styles being the leader). Pushing for a Bully Ray win.
You can check out TNA Lockdown this Sunday, March 10 at 8PM EST, 5PM PST only on Pay Per View.
Remember to follow me on Twitter – @LoneRogue and the site @LastWordOnSports
Interested in writing for LastWordOnSports? Visit our Join our Team page and be heard!
