[Hairy Beard]

Frank Trigg's commentary = good

Angle's attire = stupid

Trying to emulate an MMA style match = ridiculously stupid and boring

Joe's first title reign = A year and a half too late and void of any excitement

The whole match = disappointing and didn't live up to expectations. Mainly, because of the MMA crap.

[Instant Classic™]

My thoughts on Lockdown 2008

Xscape Match - ***1/4
This was a fun opener with some nice spots, especially the flip from Curry Man off the top of the cage. However, it wasn't the best the X-division had to offer in terms of wrestling and it wasn't as good as last year's. The ending was innovative, especially since there's only so many finishes you can have to a cage match. It lost points from me because they made Lethal look like a pussy, something I thought they'd end after a month of vignettes where Sonjay cockblocks him. The finish does a good job of building Dutt up as a trusted ally to make a future heel turn more potent, but Lethal's momentum after he won at Against All Odds is all but gone. I also think the X-division is top heavy with faces, Devine's the only one who actually gets heat.

Queen of the Cage - **1/2
This was much better than I had expected. I was picturing a messy scramble with two random knockouts facing off, but Laveaux/Love actually had build and they were the best two wrestlers in it too - credit to TNA. It would have made more sense to have Angelina go over on Impact though. The match was nothing more than a decent TV match, but I'm glad they took the focus off the cage climbing bit. I like the Voodoo Drop. My main criticism is that I would rather have had a well built match between the two, or maybe a handicap with Velvet. That would have still added variety to the card without an unnecessary gimmick. The match on its own would have been **3/4 maybe ***.

Kip James vs BG James - **3/4
This was mildly entertaining, about the best BG and Kip could manage these days. I'd rather watch this than VKM, since I liked them better as singles (hopefully only occasionally used) wrestlers. Kip hit a decent RKO and there was some good psychology towards the end. I didn't really react to the swerve after the match though. It was weird seeing Kip "tune up the band" only to hit a splash.

Cuffed in the Cage - **1/4
This would have been better without the cuffs. Super Eric winning was too predicatble by the end. I don't know why they booked it this way to be honest. Steiner and LAX both had title shots and could have done with a boost, but Steiner was cuffed first and LAX midway through. I hate to see the 'Guns get jobbed out like this, TNA jus can't recognise a good thing sometimes. On the plus side, Homicide's Gringo Cutter off the middle rope, Kaz's Wave of the Future and Flux Capacitor and Hernandez's CrackerJack into the cage were all great spots. I don't think much of Jimmy Rave but he sells bumps well.

Gail Kim & ODB vs Awesome Kong & Raisha Saeed - ***
This was a good match in itself but I still think its presence weakened the overall card a bit - 2 1/2 womens' matches meant the mens' matches had to be crammed together. But down to the match, Kong is so brilliant - no one male or female has her ring presence and outright dominance. Gail and ODB were both good in the ring. From all people rave about her on here, I thought she wasn't that special here - no better than Gail anyway. Maybe it's just the lame gimmick so I'll reserve judgement. I thought Kong should have gone over here, and then feuded with Roxxi or someone for a change. Having Saeed take the fall did more harm than good. ODB pinned the unknown element so she doesn't look stronger than Kong.

Booker T & Sharmell vs Robert Roode & Payton Banks - ***
This feud has fizzled a bit for me, with all the mixed tags and run-ins and straps. This match should have been one on one to end the feud. The match was good, if a little short. I really liked the chain sequence where Rooder countered the Axe Kick and Book End, then Booker countered the Payoff. But this could have been better if it was singles and they ended it decisively here. Sharmell's character annoys me a bit. The end devalued the match. Nonetheless, a solid *** match.

Lethal Lockdown - ****3/8
Now what I'm looking forward to talking about. Great match from the start, loved the AJ/Tomko swerve - put both guys over a treat with Tomko shown to be a good "thinker" and AJ a strong heel. I liked how Christian's face turn was in full effect with him coming out first. Christian and AJ's workrates throughout the match were fucking phenomenal. Cage did some great spots, especially the cross body off the top of the cage. The balance of the match went well between the faces and the heels. Morgan made a good impact. I thought the end was a bit disappointing, the high spot on the roof was a bit too predictable and I would have marked the fuck out for a spiral tap through the table from AJ, or even a frogsplash from Cage. Also Rhino hitting the gore to win was a bit abrupt and Sting/Cage (or even Morgan) would have been more appropriate.

I should note that while writing this I changed my opinion between ****1/4 and ****1/2 several times. I may well change it again when I watch in high quality on Wednesday.

Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe - ****5/8
MOTN.
I felt the MMA stuff at the beginning of the match was a bit slow, but from Angle's figure four onwards, it was pure gold. The submission reversals between figure four, high angle boston crab, stf, crossface and ankle lock were so intense and really kept me guessing. Btw Angle has to be the best in the business at the 2 and 99/100 kick out. I thought it could have been over when Joe locked in the clutch, but Angle did a nice heel move - remembering heel/face psychology in a match like this was worth 1/4* in itself. For me, however, it wasn't a perfect 5. When Angle escaped from the RNC, I think they should have wrestled for another 5 minutes before Joe got the win, with Angle kicking out of the Muscle Buster and both of them hitting some of their trademark spots - an Angle Moonsault would have been nice. Let Angle dominate for a couple of minutes and then Joe ferociously takes him down with the Coquina Clutch for the win. This extra time would have shown a fuller evolution from MMA/puro to heavy submissions to pro wrestling. For me this is equal with their Ironman. Great moment for Joe and TNA anyway though. From what Meltzer said on the night a ***** wouldn't surprise me, which is great news for TNA.

I remember when I first started watching TNA and looked up Joe on wiki, I ws truly shocked he had never been champion. He deserves every moment of it.

Other thoughts:

~ I don't know who this Lauren is, but she's no Crystal. Crystal is better looking and a better interviewer, the new girl is a bit slow and unenthusiastic.
~ It was stupid having a face win in every match. I mean where are they gonna go with that. Especially Super Eric owning his 4 heel rivals.

~ On the whole, it was a mediocre undercard with two fucking phenomenal main events

[chocolate]

Originally Posted by Taroostyles

Yeah there were some people chanting that during the BG/Kip match, but it didn't last very long at all.

A few other notes I thought of:

The funniest part of the night had to when Don West came out, he got right in this little kids face and went absolutely crazy. It was hilarious.

After Joe won the belt, I was standing about 5 feet away from Joe hugging his father in the aisle, it was really emotional.

If you watch TNA Today on the website now, I'm right in the section directly to JB's right. I'm like just barely out of view.(3-4 seats away from the rail)

If anybody saw the guy in the clown suit, I was like directly behind that guy.

Yeah I saw that guy, hahaha. He had his hand in his pants when he walked by me XD.

[Taroostyles]

Originally Posted by Namek

My Lockdown ratings

Xscape Match **3/4 = really really hated the ending
Queen of the Cage *1/2 = not that bad
Bg/Kip *1/4
Cuffed In The Cage **1/4 = some nice spots
ODB & Kim vs Kong & Cheerleader Melissa **3/4 = good but short
Roode/Banks vs Booker/Sharmell *1/4 = same old same old
Lethal Lockdown **** = rushed ending
Joe vs Angle **** = rushed ending

PPV could have been a lot better, it was good but I expected more, especially from the LL which would have been really great if it had gone 5 mins more.

How was Lethal Lockdown rushed? The match was like 28 minutes long, it didn't need 5 more minutes IMO.

As for Joe/Angle, longer doesn't always equal better. They accomplished what they needed to in 20 minutes and did a fine job of it.

Neither ending felt rushed at all to me.

[RDX]

Man, I had an AWESOME time at Lockdown. Great matches, excellent crowd the entire night. Onto the matches.

XScape Match: Great opening match here, it got the crowd pumped and it was overall a good match. ***1/2

Queen Of The Cage: Not as bad as I thought, Laveaux/Love as the two Knockouts in the match was a good choice. ***

BJ James vs. Kip James: Meh, it was OK. **1/2

Cuffed In The Cage: Not too bad, was better than I expected. ***1/4

Gail Kim & ODB vs. Kong & Saeed: Decent women's tag match. What a great view I had of ODB's ass against the cage. ***1/4

Booker T & Sharmell vs. Robert Roode & Payton Banks: I'm glad they kept Sharmell & Banks out of the match for almost the whole time. ***

Lethal Lockdown: Fucking awesome. MOTN. ****1/2

Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe: Another awesome match, but not as good as Lethal Lockdown. I'm glad Joe won the belt in a great main event. ****


Overall: ***1/2 or 7/10. Overall I had an excellent time at a great PPV. I hope TNA comes back to New England soon.


Biggest Pops:
1. Samoa Joe
2. Christian Cage
3. Curry Man
4. Kevin Nash
5. Scott Steiner

Everyone got MASSIVE pops, there was no heat for entrances, or at least heat was tough to hear over the pops. Of course there was silence. (i.e. Rhaka Khan) Biggest heat was for Curry Man's elimination. What a great crowd in the Tsongas Arena.

[poison the well]

The main event was a freakin joke. Kurt Angle is such a fuckin poser. What a jerk.

[Namek]

Originally Posted by Taroostyles

How was Lethal Lockdown rushed? The match was like 28 minutes long, it didn't need 5 more minutes IMO.

As for Joe/Angle, longer doesn't always equal better. They accomplished what they needed to in 20 minutes and did a fine job of it.

Neither ending felt rushed at all to me.

Well i thought the finish to the LL came out of nowhere, there was the big spot on the top of the cage and then right after the gore. They didn't let the spot sink in, they should have done a few near falls and then go for the gore ending. Plus Tomko and Sting were almost nowhere to be found in the match, and I was very disapointed with that.

And again I think they should have build the ending for Joe vs Angle bit more, again it was kind of anti-climatic IMO.

[manupr]

Does anyone have any idea why Crystal was not at lockdown and because they had that new girl laura (or something like that)

Also i loved the lethal lockdown match and how they plan the spot with storm aj christian
they had that planned to a t
you could see two boards running along the top of the cage where they could place the table so it would not be laying of the metal cage
also they had four more piece of board on the level that they had the ladder so that the ladder was level
the spot was amazing and the first time i watched i fought they were going the other way

[TripleG]

Originally Posted by manupr

Does anyone have any idea why Crystal was not at lockdown and because they had that new girl laura (or something like that)

That's a good question. I hope Crystal's not gone. For a pretty face that was just hired to hold a mic, she's actually not that bad. She looks like she's having a good time whenever she's on the camera, and that is always good to see.

[-Mystery-]

Just finished watching Joe/Angle and I believe it failed to live up to the hype it was getting. It's one of those matches where you're either gonna love it or hate it, there really is no in between. I thought given the history that Joe and Angle have, it would made for a much better match if they brawled and brutalized each other with the cage as opposed to MMA fighting. Also, correct me if I'm wrong but a steel cage match is no DQ, correct? If so, why the fuck is the ref calling for a rope break? Furthermore, if this is a MMA fight, again, why is the ref calling for rope breaks? Sorry but that just looked goofy. Next, Joe's selling was a bit spotty following the figure-four. I could understand some limited selling had the submission been locked in for like 30 seconds but it was locked in for roughly 2 mins.

Negatives aside though, the match wasn't too bad. The counters near the end of the match were fun and the crowd was pretty hot which helped. Also, Joe winning was a good but long overdue moment. Overall as I stated, I felt the match fell short of the hype it was given and could've been a lot better. Personally, MMA should stay in MMA just like wrestling should stay in wrestling. ***1/2