The writing team behind TNA were at this point looking for the new and fresh idea that was going to vault their promotion into the hearts of wrestling fans. While Lockdown didn't exactly accomplish that, the card wasn't quite as catastrophic as most wrestling journalists would suggest.
Note To Reader: There are no spoilers in this review.
The Undercard
The opening match of the night was a tag team match, in which Chris Candido and Lance Hoyt teamed up to face Apollo and Sonny Siaki. Candido had to leave this match prematurely due to a leg break (which ultimately led to his death a week later) but Hoyt carried on despite the hard circumstances. Given the situation, this was a solid opener, and the other three wrestlers responded well to the injury of Candido.
The next match between Dustin Rhodes and Bobby Roode was nothing short of ridiculous though. This was entitled a two out of three falls 'Prince of Darkness' match. The idea behind this was that it was 2/3 falls, and if it went to the third, then both wrestlers would be blindfolded. This was one of the few wrestling matches where the entrances are more entertaining than the match itself, which was nothing short of an aberration.
However, the four way dance between X-Division stars Shocker, Sonjay Dutt, Chris Sabin and Michael Shane was much better. While storytelling was never going to be the highpoint of this bout, the wrestlers did their job, and maintained a high pace, performing lots of impressive high spots along the way. Arguably, the most impressive high spot of the match though, was a jump from the top of the cage by valet Trinity which was outstanding.
The next match on the card was pleasantly surprising. In a tables match, Jeff Hardy dragged Raven through his best match in years. Hardy took a well past it Raven through an exciting, intriguing bout, and Hardy deserves a lot of credit for this. This was a hugely entertaining affair which the majority of wrestling fans will really enjoy.
More stars of the X-Division were on show in the next bout, as the X-Division Title was on the line in a match between Elix Skipper and Christopher Daniels. A lot was expected of these two, and while the match was more technical than originally expected, they still delivered on the entertainment front, and showed why the X-Division has always been the best thing about TNA.
America's Most Wanted were also on the card battling Team Canada's Petey Williams and Eric Young for the TNA Tag Team gold. This was an average match up, and the hardcore wrestling fan would know the finish right from the word go. However, it was by no means bad, but the weight of expectation definitely pulled this match down.
This was nothing like as bad as the next match though. Billed as a 'Lethal Lockdown' match, the idea was that that the combatants would be split into two teams, and very much like WCW's 'War Games', the entrants would be staggered by one minute intervals.
However, this, the semi main event turned out to be a confusing mess. DDP, Sean Waltman and BG James made up one team, while the other consisted of Monty Brown, Kip James and Jeff Jarrett. Despite the star studded line up, the match is hard to follow on all fronts, and is nearly as skippable as the 'Prince of Darkness' match from earlier in the card.
A 'Phenomenal' Main Event
The main event between 'the Phenomenal' AJ Styles and 'the Monster' Abyss was of a much better quality though. This highlighted AJ's fantastic ability to sell shots, and the fans really got into this true heel vs. face encounter, This was probably the best match of the night.
The winner was to receive the Number One Contendership to the TNA Title, so it was a main event that meant something, and there were none of the countless run ins or interferences that TNA have employed massively over the last few years, making it a fantastic main event to the show.
Presentation And Extras On Lockdown 2005
The extras on the DVD are all dedicated in memory of Chris Candido, who died after breaking his leg on this show, and there being complications after the surgery. There are some backstage snippets from the show, as well as two matches; one with Candido as manager of the Naturals from the Impact after the PPV, and one where he is part of a six man tag with the Naturals as his partners. This was a fitting tribute to Candido.
The DVD was presented as all TNA DVD's are - professionally with fantastic cover arts and menus - no problems here.
Summary Of Lockdown 2005
In conclusion, Lockdown 2005 was a good PPV and it definitely doesn't deserve it's huge criticism. While there are two duds on the card, the rest of the show is excellent, and for $3.99 on TNA Video Vault, this show is most definitely worth a go.
Rating: 7.0/10
