TNA Lockdown 2014 took place at the University of Miami BankUnited Center and featured a total of seven matches. In the main event, Team Dixie, captained by Bobby Roode, and Team MVP squared off in a Lethal LockDown match order to see who would get full control of TNA operations. Also, the TNA World Heavyweight champion Magnus went one-on-one with Samoa Joe in a Joe’s Rules cage match, meaning the only way to score a victory is make your opponent tap out or black out.
I have graded and expressed my thoughts on each match that took place at LockDown. So, please feel free to leave a comment letting me know your thoughts on the PPV and I’ll be sure to respond to as many of you as I can.
Bad Influence & Chris Sabin vs. Great Muta, Sanada & Yasu
Before the match, the Great Muta made his way down to the ring and received a big ovation from the unfortunately small and underwhelming crowd. Once the bell rang, Sanada and Chris Sabin started off the match and it didn’t take long for Sanada to show off his impressive move-set. After dominating Sabin, Sanada tagged in Yasu, who was instantly attacked by Kazarian. Shortly afterwards, Yasu tagged in the Great Muta, who got a big pop from the crowd.
Throughout the match, Bad Influence and Sabin worked extremely well with together, hitting triple team moves left and right. At one point during the match, all three American born wrestlers executed a Triple Drop Kick to Yasu, but the youngster kicked out. Yasu tagged in Sanada and the newly crowned X-Division champion cleaned house. He hit an impressive variation of a Cutter onto Daniels, but the Appletini sippin’ Dark Angel kicked out.
In the end, the Great Muta hit a devastating Shining Wizard onto Daniels and then tagged in Sanada, who climbed to the top rope and planted Daniels with a Moonsault. Sanada picked up the win for he and his Wrestle-1 teammates.
Match Rating: B
Reaction: This was an interesting match that saw Wrestle-1 (Japan) wrestlers compete against TNA’s talented roster. The clash of styles seemed to blend and work perfectly. The Great Muta has clearly slowed down quite a bit, but he was still impressive and the crowd showed their respect for the legend. The real standout in the match was the new TNA X-Division Champion Sanada, who is one of the most agile wrestlers I’ve ever seen. His unique move-set and unrelenting agility made the match a joy to watch.
Promo
Rockstar Spud introduced Dixie Carter and she told the crowd to buckle up because she was going to turn the BankUnited Center upside down. Dixie says that she is going to do something that MVP will never anticipate and that she built the landscape of TNA all by herself. She then announced that she went to New York in order to get an “insurance policy” that will guarantee victory for Team Dixie. Dixie ends the promo by saying that she has locked the doors to the arena and has hired extra security in order to keep Jeff Hardy out of the building – due to him “breaching” his contract.
Mr. Anderson vs. Samuel Shaw (Escape the Cage)
Before the match, Samuel Shaw climbed to the top of the cage and cut a promo. He looked around the ring for Christy Hemme and when she was nowhere in sight, proceeded to say that if she didn’t come out he will jump off the top of the cage and professionally end his life. Mr. Anderson came out and said that he isn’t high enough to kill himself and that he would only break or sprain an ankle if he jumped. The crowd chanted “jump” multiple times.
Once the bell rang, Anderson was on the offensive and dominated the match. Once Christy Hemme came out from backstage, Shaw rallied with a few offensive moves and mounted a comeback. However, Anderson threw Shaw into the cage multiple times and gained the advantage. Halfway through the match, Anderson threw Shaw into the cage door while Earl Hebner was locking it. Hebner took a bump and still had the key in his pocket.
Anderson hit two Mic Check’s to Shaw and asked Hemme if she was satisfied with the damage he had done. After she agreed, he proceeded to climb out of the cage. Just as Anderson’s feet touched the floor (Hebner still knocked out) Shaw grabbed Christy’s hand through the camera hole and pulled her into the ring. Anderson scrambled to get the key from Earl and safely got Christy out of the cage. Just as Anderson was about to leave, Shaw hit him with an excruciating low blow and then locked in his signature choke hold. Just as Anderson passed out, Earl woke up, saw Samuel Shaw walk out of the cage and awarded him the victory.
Match Rating: C+
Reaction: From a wrestling standpoint, the match was underwhelming and nothing special, however, TNA pulled some clever stuff and made this match a lot more entertaining than it should have been. Samuel Shaw is indeed one creepy bastard and probably the most interesting character in TNA today. His mannerisms and look resembles everyone’s favorite serial killer, Dexter.
I was surprised that Shaw got the win, but TNA did a good job of protecting Anderson and this feud/storyline is surprisingly compelling. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Ethan Carter III Open Challenge
Due to Kurt Angle’s injury/surgery, Ethan Carter III issued an open challenge to anyone on the current TNA roster. ECIII was getting some massive heat and the crowd started to chant “you can’t wrestle”. The man formerly known as Derrick Bateman announced that the Miami crowd wasn’t going to “hijack this show” and he issued an open challenge to anyone on the TNA roster.
Of all people, former WWE/TNA superstar turned MMA fighter Bobby Lashley came down to the ring and answered Carter’s challenge. ECIII told Lashley that he knew for a fact that he wasn’t under TNA contract and that he didn’t qualify to wrestle him. Lashley just stood there, staring, until ECIII tried to get a cheap shot in. Lashley blocked the punch and planted him with a running power slam. Lashley ended the festivities by executing a huge Spear, which got a pretty decent pop.
Match Rating: N/A
Reaction: Wow, I don’t think anybody expected Bobby Lashley to return to professional wrestling, let alone TNA. It was a nice surprise and he looked exactly the same since the last time he stepped foot into a wrestling ring. It’s always nice to see a genuine surprise on a wrestling show. Everything leaked nowadays, so this was fun to watch.