Impact opens with a video package highlighting violence as the voiceover guy warns the viewers that what happens tonight may be shocking and is not for the faint of heart. We are informed that the actions that occur tonight we be reprehensible, just as Vince McMahon recently said. The Impact intro hits and we are welcomed to tonight’s show that will feature round two of the Lethal Lockdown Challenge with Booker T taking on Samoa Joe.
The theme music for the Main Event Mafia hits as they make their way down to the ring without Booker T and Sharmell. Sting wants to get some answers from Jeff Jarrett and calls him out to the ring. Jarrett comes down as Sting asks why he allowed Mick Foley to book him in a match against Samoa Joe and wonders who is in control of TNA. Jarrett says Foley isn’t running the company and he is the one calling the shots.
Sting gets up in Jarrett’s face and says that he wants Jarrett to book Foley in a match tonight. Steiner comes in and tells Jarrett that he is losing control of the company and again tries to get Jarrett to join their side. The Motorcity Machine Guns come out to the ring and agree with Sting that it is not fair that Sting had to wrestle Joe last week and says that the MMG’s are a tag team for hire tonight. Shelley brings up the Turkey Bowl incident and offers to take on Foley in a handicap match and Jarrett agrees.
Jeremy Borash is with Mick Foley in Jarrett’s office and says that Jarrett is back in command and back in the game. Foley says is looking forward to it and is going to tweak the match a bit as he walks away.
After a commercial break we see Mick Foley and Jeff Jarrett talking in the office. Foley says he is going to tweak the match and add a little sizzle to the steak. As Foley walks away Borash asks Jarrett if he is considering Scott Steiner’s offer. Jarrett doesn’t answer but makes Borash and the camera man leave once Steiner arrives.
Match 1: Sheik Abdul Bashir vs. Suicide
Bashir is accompanied to the ring with Kiyoshi and No Limit. The match starts and Suicide is quick on the attack as the crowd begins to chant “Fallen Angel!” Bashir is able to turn the tide and sends Suicide out to the floor as he is attacked by the rest of Bashir’s gang. Suicide is rolled back into the ring and Bashir continues to work him over with a headlock but takes too long on the top rope and Suicide slams Bashir down to the ring. Yujiro then distracts the referee as Bashir WMD’s Suicide on top of the X Division Title to pick up the pin fall.
After the match the lights go out and Suicide disappears from the ring as Bashir, Kiyoshi and No Limit look around with confused looks on their faces. We then see the Beautiful People in the backstage area with a pair of scissors as we head into a commercial break.
Lauren is backstage with Rhino and Petty Officer Jesse Neal and Rhino says that he respects the troops and is giving Neal a chance to tell his story. Neal says he and another Petty Officer formed a bond over professional wrestling and they wanted to become wrestlers. On a particular day they were attacked by terrorists where he lost that friend and he is here to fulfill a dream in his honor. Rhino says he will train him in the gym and in the ring to help accomplish the dream. Mike Tenay informs us that 17 sailors were killed in the suicide attack of the USS Cole.
As Tenay and Don West hype Lockdown and other TNA event we are told that there is a commotion going on backstage as the Beautiful People are beating down Raisha Saeed and they have removed her veil and are cutting her hair as TNA security come in and break it up.
The next installment of TNA Rough Cut is aired and Team 3D is talking about their wrestling school. Brother Devon talks about the lack of quality schools around to teach the true art of professional wrestling. They then talk about joining the Front Line and passing the torch and helping the young guys progress.
A sit down interview between Mike Tenay and Sting is aired who talks about how shocked he was have Mick Foley hit him with a chair. Sting says that Foley is smart and that he went right after the champion and has no idea what he is going to do next. Sting then recalls a match between Cactus Jack and Big Van Vader in Germany and how Foley lost part of his ear and Foley had a smile on his face afterwards. Sting says that it could possibly his last match at Lockdown.
Footage from earlier in the day aired as Lauren confronted Abyss about his therapy session last week. Lauren is mad about Dr. Stevie abusing him on national television and says that she is going to report him. Abyss pleads with her not to and she instead says she is going to be at their next meeting.
Mick Foley comes down to the ring with a notebook in his hands with the words “Crossing the Line” written on it. Foley picks out a handmade birthday card out of the notebook that the Motorcity Machine Guns gave to Foley’s son Dewey, who has since styled his hair like Alex Shelley. Foley’s other son Huey has also picked up the hair style. Foley then announces that his match tonight will be a first blood match and he wants Sting to be the guest enforcer. Foley then promises that no kid will want to look like Shelley once he is finished.
Jeremy Borash is with Booker T and asks for an update on Sharmell. Booker says that his wife hasn’t been the same since and warns Samoa Joe about their match later on tonight. Kurt Angle steps in and says that tonight’s match has nothing to do with gaining the man advantage and says that Joe’s tribal manslaughter ends tonight.
During the break, AJ Styles stopped Samoa Joe and told him that he had his back. Joe, however, said his nation of violence is a nation of one and walked away.
Match 2: Booker T vs. Samoa Joe (Lethal Lockdown Advantage Challenge)
Samoa Joe runs down to the ring and immediately begins beating down Booker T. Kurt Angle is able to trip up Joe and slow him down momentarily which allows Booker to gain the advantage. Kurt Angle tries to hand Booker a chair from the outside as AJ Styles comes down and takes Angle down. Samoa Joe then takes Booker down with a snap slam and pins Booker to win the match. Afterwards, Joe stares down Styles as we head into a commercial break.
Footage of ODB’s date with Cody Deaner is aired as the two go on a date at Universal Studios. Jokes about balls and Woody Woodpecker are made and ODB ends the date with a kiss on the cheek.
Another TNA Rough Cut is aired where Team 3D talks about their legacy. They talk about where the rank among the best tag teams of all time and still have much more to offer. They then talk about the responsibility that goes into being champions.
We see footage of Kevin Nash schmoozing with Jenna Morasca as we head to Lauren who is standing by with the Motorcity Machine Guns. Shelley talks about Foley’s legacy and puts up the Junior IWGP Tag Team Championship in their match tonight. Chris Sabin warns Foley that he will be stepping in the ring with two of the best wrestlers in the game today and they are going to make a name for themselves.
Match 3: Scott Steiner vs. James Storm
Team 3D join the announce team for this match up. Scott Steiner gains the early advantage and methodically wears down James Storm. Steiner lands his signature elbow drop and push ups and then works Storm over with a headlock. Storm is able to fight out of it and hits Steiner with a back cracker and covers to get a two count. Storm then sets up for the superkick and Kevin Nash hits Storm with a lead pipe and Steiner is disqualified.
Team 3D then take off the headsets and storm the ring to assist Beer Money from the beat down from Steiner and Nash. Team 3D then hand Beer Money the TNA Tag Team Championships as a sign of mutual respect.
Jeremy Borash is with Mi Pi Sexy and Angelina Love says that she wants the Knockouts Championship and will get it at any costs. As for their attack on Raisha Saeed, they did it on purpose and that was to make sure that Awesome Kong was all by herself.
Match 4: Awesome Kong vs. the Beautiful People (Handicap Match)
Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne will be teaming together as we are treated to clips of the Beautiful People’s reign of terror with the scissors. The bell rings and the Beautiful People go after Kong and are able to take her down. Kong quickly fires back and takes them both down with a double clothesline. Awesome Kong then tries for an Awesome Bomb but Madison Rayne is able to help Velvet Sky reverse into a pin attempt. As Madison heads to the outside, Kong reverses the pin attempt and wins the match.
The Beautiful People then triple team Awesome Kong after the match and Angelina Love pulls out the scissors but Taylor Wilde comes out to assist Kong and chases them away.
Jeremy Borash is backstage with Jeff Jarrett and wants to know more about the Scott Steiner situation. Jarrett dodges the question and says that next week he will be naming his fourth member and that the former TNA champion will be taking on Kevin Nash in the Lethal Lockdown Advantage Challenge.
Match 5: Motorcity Machine Guns vs. Mick Foley (First Blood Match w/ special enforcer Sting)
Mick Foley brings a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire to the ringside area. The match starts and Foley begins beating down Alex Shelley but Shelley is able to knock him out of the ring as Chris Sabin nails Foley with a missile dropkick from the ring apron. They then hit a double suicide dive that sends Foley hard against the guard railing. The MMG’s then pose in the ring as we head into a commercial break.
We return to the match to see Foley in control of the match but the MMG’s use their quickness and are able to take him down with some double team moves. Sabin then begins imitating Sting and Sting pulls him out of the ring and gives him the Scorpion Death Drop onto the concrete floor.
Back in the ring, Foley puts on Mr. Socko and applies the mandible claw to Alex Shelley. Shelley is able to escape out to the floor as the referee notices blood on Foley’s sock and tries to call for the bell but Foley stops him. Foley goes out to the floor and suplexes Shelley onto the floor as he walks over to the announce table and grabs a microphone. He says he is going to deliver on his promise of making someone bleed and grabs his barbed wire baseball bat.
Foley enters the ring and begins using the barbed wire on Shelley’s forehead as Sting connects with a chair shot which busts open Foley’s forehead. The referee then calls for the bell and awards the match to the Motorcity Machine Guns. Foley and Sting then come to blows in the ringside area as security tries to break it up and Impact comes to a close.
Quick Results
- Sheik Abdul Bashir defeated Suicide by pin fall.
- Samoa Joe defeated Booker T by pin fall.
- James Storm defeated Scott Steiner by disqualification.
- Awesome Kong defeated the Beautiful People by pin fall in a handicap match.
- Motorcity Machine Guns defeated Mick Foley in a first blood match.
Starman’s Thoughts
Tonight’s show started off solid with the interaction between the Main Event Mafia, Jeff Jarrett and the Motorcity Machine Guns. For the first time in a long time, Sting came across with some heelish tendencies, however, his sit down interview would counteract that as he came across as a likeable icon and legend once more. I’m getting off the topic at hand, though.
The main focus of the night was the main event first blood match between Foley and the Machine Guns as they kept on coming back to it and adding more layers to it. Foley teased about making it sizzle and the MMG’s put their IWGP Junior Tag Team Titles on the line. Foley turned it into a first blood match and used his family as motivation to do harm to the MMG’s. It seemed that TNA was pulling out all of the stops to make this match mean something.
But then the match came.
I’m willing to overlook the fact that they recycled the same idea that the WWE recently used in the feud between Chris Jericho and John Cena with Jericho’s boy wanting to be like Cena and not like his own father. What gets me is how TNA did a tremendous job building up the main event and how it failed to deliver one bit.
I’m sure I am not alone in saying that I was looking forward to tonight’s main event. I’m not saying it would have been a 5-star classic but I was hoping for a little more than what the fans got to see. They hype really did not live up to the match, and that certainly has been a reoccurring theme for TNA. The main event wasn’t the only one tonight either.
Samoa Joe vs. Booker T were to face off in a match tonight to see who’s team will gain the one man advantage going into Lethal Lockdown. Booker T against Samoa Joe is a pay-per-view quality match, and it has been, as it was the main event of Victory Road last year. Tonight’s match, however, was over and done with faster than the usual X Division match. Worse off is the fact that it ended cleanly.
The hype and promotion of Lockdown has been great but it has been at the expense of actual wrestling. Just look at the amount of wrestling that happened in the first hour – there was about four minutes. One X Division match took place and that was it. TNA and the announcers were clamoring on tonight about the record ratings. What they need to realize is that people tune into a wrestling program for wrestling and not filler.
I think I’ll end my rant there.
To try to end this on a good note I will say that I am willing to see where they go with the Rhino/Petty Officer Jesse Neal thing. There seems to be some legitimacy to the story as the attack on the USS Cole happened nearly nine years ago, but I hope they tread lightly and that it leads to something more than just a short-lived feud between Sheik Abdul Bashir and his band of foreigners.
