TNA Lockdown 2010

Date: 18th April, 2010
Venue: Family Arena
City: St. Charles, Missouri
Attendance: 4,600
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Mike Tenay and Taz welcome us to Lockdown 2010, live from not the Impact Zone. Hooray! They inform us that Doug Williams is stuck in the UK due to a volcano and Sean Waltman is stuck in the Bahamas due to an avalanche. I made have made one of those up. Anyway, neither of them are here and so Williams has been stripped of his title and Waltman either needs to be replaced or Hall fights on his own later on.

Just in case you didn't know, every match tonight takes place inside a Steel Cage, and the cage of choice is a big black mother which gives a bit of extra room outside the ring ropes, which is nice.


Lethal Lockdown Advantage match
- James Storm vs Rob Van Dam
The winner of this one gets the man advantage for tonight's main event. This match started outside of the ring and RVD began to bleed before he even made it into the ring due to a face to face meeting with the ring steps. There wasn't much to the rest of this one, typical cage match moves and signatures. The end came after Storm missed a Super Kick, was met with a spin kick then finished off with the five star. Seems a strange decision to give the faces the advantage but oh well.
Winner: Rob Van Dam (6:40)
Via Pinfall (Five Star Frog Splash)
**


Xscape match
- Alex Shelley vs Brian Kendrick vs Chris Sabin vs Homicide
Due to Williams' absence, this has changed from a tag match to a number 1 contenders match, with the winner joining Kazarian and Shannon Moore in the title match later in the show. Of course the Guns worked together and so Kendrick and Homicide formed an alliance to even the odds. This match wasn't given much time which was a shame as it was good for what it was. Homicide picked up the win after delivering the Gringo Killer to Sabin and escaping the cage while Kendrick's back was turned.
Winner: Homicide (4:58)
Via escaping the cage
**3/4


- Kevin Nash vs Eric Young
Not much to tell about this match, really nothing more than a glorified squash match. Nash got the upper hand earlier on and finished things off with the Big Boot and the Jacknife. After the match he informs us he will be Hall's partner later on. Joy.
Winner: Kevin Nash (4:50)
Via Pinfall (Jacknife Powerbomb)
*1/2


Knockouts Championship / Knockouts Tag Team Championship
- Madison Rayne & Velvet Sky vs Angelina Love & Tara
Beatiful People are the tag champs, Angelina the singles champ, but her tag partner Tara is not happy after she won the belt during a game of Deal or No Deal. Lacey von Erich is at ringside to definitley not interfere. Tara & Love eventually get the upper hand and Tara manages to hit the Widow's Peak, but only for a 2 count as Sky breaks up the pin. Lacey von Erich then opens the cage door and smacks her with a title belt, letting Madison Rayne get the pin and become the new Knockouts Champion.
Winners: The Beautiful People (Madison Rayne wins the Knockouts Championship) (5:10)
Rayne pinned Tara (Title belt shot)
*1/2


X Division Championship - Triple Threat match
- Kazarian vs Shannon Moore vs Homicide
Really good match this, especially seeing as how they must have had to change plans last minute with Williams being unavailable. There was typical terrific X division action including one spot where Kazarian had Homicide in a roll up and then managed to deliver a Northern Lights suplex to Moore and pin them both at the same time. Homicide went for his second win of the night with the Gringo Killer, but Kaz interrupted and got the pinfall and victory following a sweet inverted piledriver.
Winner and NEW X Division Champion, Kazarian (9:07)
Via Pinfall (Inverted Piledriver)
***1/4


St. Louis Street Fight
- Team 3D vs The Band
3D come out first and Brother Ray declares this is now a Street Fight and not a cage match. Since when can he make match changes? He didn't even check if it was OK with the Band. Selfish. Anyway, the four slowly fight their way through the crowd for a few minutes before slowly making their way back and slowly getting into the ring. 3D hit the Whassup, followed by a 3D through a table and pick up the win. Slowly.
Winners: Team 3D (6:45)
Brother Ray pinned Scott Hall (3D through a table)
1/2*


- Mr. Anderson vs Kurt Angle
Anderson's music and entrance is brilliant. Also I've just noticed how much better TNA is in a proper arena with a new crowd. Really refreshing to see and it's strange how seemingly non major things like these can make big differences. Anderson has the key to the cage after winning it on Impact, therefore making this escape only like the cage matches of yore. Anderson tries to escape numerous times in the first couple of minutes but to no avail. Angle soon gets busted open and we see blood for what I reckon is the 5th time tonight. Anderson then began to choke Angle using his wrist tape, really looked like he was going for it there too, brutal stuff. Kurt does eventually manage to break out and gets to the German Suplexes. He hits 6 of those bad boys and then locks in the Ankle Lock. Anderson manages to escape and hits the Mic Check before heading to leave. He opens the door and steps through the ropes. If the match had ended here it would have been good enough, but oh no we've got more.

Angle catches him and hits the Angle Slam just as Anderson was about to win. Angle then locks the door again and throws the key into the crowd and it is on! Anderson tries to climb free but Kurt catches him on the top rope and hits a goddamn German Suplex from the ropes. Kurt thinks this may not have been crazy enough so heads to the top rope to finish him. He then thinks this may not be crazy enough and heads to the top of the cage. Oh shit. Kurt hits a FUCKING MOONSAULT from the TOP OF THE CAGE. That was absolutely mental and from that camera angle looked shit scary too, my heart was in my mouth for a second there. Angle can leave to escape but turns around to see Anderson giving him the fingers, he gets in a cheekly low blow and Mic Check for the second time. He goes to leave but is dragged back in by the Ankle Lock! He taps but it's not good enough. Angle eventually begins to choke him with the medal until he damn near passes out. Angle then kicks him in the balls and leaves the cage.

This match was incredible. Brutal, breath taking and just awesome throughout.
Winner: Kurt Angle (20:55)
Via escaping the cage
****1/2

After the match Angle tells the fans he loves them (the crowd has been brilliant by the way), and that he's going to take some time off, but when he returns he will aim to become the World Heavyweight Champ.


World Heavyweight Championship
- A.J. Styles (c) vs "Pope" D'Angelo Dinero
Potential here to be a great match, though it would take something ridiculous to beat what we've just seen. Flair is thrown out by Earl Hebner before he makes it down the ramp which angers both him and AJ. The match starts off with some back and forth typical wrestling moves. Pope hurt his knee and shoulder after being thrown hard into the mat early on. Styles tries to take advantage of this and begins to weaken Pope. As the match moves on Dinero hits a diving headbutt from the rope for 2! AJ fights back with a Pele Kick and then a sweet 450 Splash from standing on the rope halfway along the cage. That also only gets a 2. AJ now climbs all the way to the top of the cage, to Angle Death Corner and goes for a flying crossbody but crashes all the way to the mat!! Pope tries to take advantage with the DDE but it is dodged. Styles then steals a pen(?) from a nearby cameraman, jabs it into Pope's head and gets the win with the Styles Clash. Great action here, both men put out great performances and the win didn't make Pope look weak either.
Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion, A.J. Styles (13:35)
Via Pinfall (Styles Clash)
***1/2


Lethal Lockdown match
- Team Hogan (Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, Rob Van Dam & Jeff Hardy) vs Team Flair (Sting, Beer Money Inc. & Desmond Wolfe)
First out are Abyss and Robert Roode. For those not familiar with the rules, these two will be out for 5 minutes at which point a member from Team Hogan will come out, and every 2 minutes afterwards teammates from each team will appear alternately until everyone is here, and then a pinfall can be made. Nothing much happens until RVD comes out, and within seconds he is bleeding again. Desmond Wolfe comes out to make it 2 a piece before Jeff Jarrett gives the advantage to Hogan again (btw his entrance music is awesome). There really isn't much going on here, just brawls between groups of two in each corner. Jeff Hardy is due out next but a cut to the back shows he has been taken out by Sting, who then makes his way to the ring and cleans house with his baseball bat. The roof to the cage now begins to lower, and attached to the roof are all kinds of weapons. Let the Lethal Lockdown begin!

Everybody begins to bash everybody else with various weapons until eventually Jeff Hardy decides to make an appearance. He runs down with a kendo stick and takes down Beer Money on the outside, before making his way onto the cage roof and challenging them to follow. Meanwhile in the ring Abyss has found some tacks and thrown them about the ring. Sting tries to knock him down but eventually gets Chokeslammed onto the tacks! Luckily for Jeff Hardy there is a table and a ladder on top of the cage. He sets everything up and hits a splash from a ladder through a table on top of the cage. That must never have happened before.

Everyone in the ring is out, so down comes Flair for his weekly beating. Hogan soon follows before Eric Bischoff then comes down. Oh for gods sake. Bischoff eventually gives some brass knucks to Hogan who bashes Flair, who decides to flop onto the tacks of all places. While this has been happening, literally everyone in the match has been lying down. Ridiculous. Abyss then remembers he's in a match and so delivers the Black Hole Slam to Wolfe to get the win.
Winners: Team Hogan (30:13)
Abyss pinned Wolfe (Black Hole Slam)
**1/4

All the good guys celebrate as Lockdown goes off the air..



Overall Thoughts:
Quite a mixed bag really. There were a few decent matches, two really good and one incredible, but then there was the usual TNA filler and overbooked ridiculous ending. However there was a big PPV feel to it, thanked endlessly by the fantasically hot crowd. TNA needs to realise they can't keep having PPV's in the Impact Zone. It's alright for TV but for big events it is far too small time.

So basically this event is worth watching, but it seems now that every ending to a PPV has to revolve around Hogan and Flair and their comedy old man stylings. Worth a watch, but turn it off 10 minutes from the end.

6.5 / 10.0

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