HeadLocker– Jay Shannon
My Lockdown Predictions
Our resident philosopher, Jay Shannon, takes a look at this Sunday’s Massachutes Massacre, Lockdown. Jay dusts off his crystal ball to give his predictions and future twists and turns, based on the results.
TNA’s next big Pay-per-view, Lockdown, is set for this Sunday, April 13th. Every match will be contested inside the six sides of steel. I wanted to take a few minutes to give my thoughts on the matches and the aftermath.
Angelina Love v Velvet Sky v Salinas v Rhaka Khan v Traci Brooks v Christy Hemme v Jacqueline v Roxxi Laveaux v Payton Banks (?)
Queen of the Cage Match
Match Prediction:
Love and Sky are getting ready for a feud against Roxxi and Traci. Since this match will likely determine the next contender to Kong’s title, I would imagine that Traci, Roxxi, Velvet and Angelina will end up eliminated before the end of the match. Christy Hemme is so wrapped up in her silly rock star gimmick that it would make no sense to give her the win. Payton Banks was a last minute addition to this match. During the video announcement, on Impact, for the match, the announcer said Banks was in the match. She won’t win it. Brooks and Banks will cancel each other out if Banks is actually in the match.
Salinas should win this one, but I don’t see that as a possibility. She’s lost to Kong and Hemme in recent weeks. She may have all the talent in the world, but she’s not getting the chance to show it. That brings us down to Rhaka Khan and Jacqueline. That battle should be amazing. Jacqueline has been so under-used by TNA. As a former WWE Women’s champion, she should be challenging Kong for the belt. She’s been in the shadows of James Storm for way too long. Khan is an unknown. She hasn’t done anything but stroll to the ring with Scott Steiner and interject herself, a few times, in his matches. When it comes down to the finish, Jacqueline should simply out-wrestle the newest Freak and take the win.
Predicted Winner: Jacqueline
Predicted Grade: B
Aftermath: Jacqueline does a program with Kong. Kong will dominate her to establish herself as an even more dominate champion. The various women’s feud will stay as they have been. Rhaka goes back to being the cheerleader for the Freak Club.
Awesome Kong & Raesha Saeed v ODB & Gail Kim
Knockout Tag Team Match
Kong is the most dominant force in women’s wrestling, today. Raesha Saeed is a well-trained wrestler who worked numerous territories as Cheerleader Melissa. The two were partners, in the past, as well as opponents. They should form a near-indestructible duo.
Gail Kim and ODB have both been dominated by Kong. Saeed may be pushed as the weak link in this match. If Kim and ODB were to win, it would be due to taking out Saeed. I really don’t anticipate that ending. I expect Saeed to surprise everyone with her in-ring ability. Kong will likely take out ODB with the Awesome Bomb.
Predicted Winners: Awesome Kong & Raesha Saeed
Predicted Grade: (A surprising) A
Aftermath: Expect a brief feud between Gail Kim and ODB, after the match. TNA has been teasing it for several weeks. Kong will likely move on to destroy Jacqueline in a series of matches. Depending on her performance, Raesha might be converted from a mouthpiece for Kong into a in-ring fighter. I could see the long-shot possibility of a series of matches between Saeed and Kong, maybe by summer.
BG James v Kip James
This match is going to be nasty. BG and Kip have worked together for many years. Jealously caused this rift. Kip was offended that BG chose “Bullet” Bob Armstrong, his father, over Kip. At live events around the states, BG is starting to complain about Kip using the “James” family name. Eventually, there will be a “Loser Loses Name” match. That won’t happen on Sunday, most likely. I don’t think that anything will be settled on Sunday. I expect the match to go completely off the deep end. The ref will not be able to keep these two from ripping each other apart.
In the end, this match will be short, brutal and meaningless. Security will be called in by the ref to pull the two apart. This is just the opening act of this long-running soap opera. I can only predict one possible outcome:
Predcited Winner: No Contest
Predicted Grade: C-
Aftermath: This one is going to solve absolutely nothing. There is an outside chance that Kip would cheat to win. I expect this battle to last over several PPVs and multiple Impacts. This feud will end with a “Name” battle. When that happens, I fully expect the demise of “BG James” and the creation of “Brian Armstrong”. There is also a running rumor that BG is considering a return to the WWE, possibly to re-unite with Ron Killings. That could lead to a “Loser Leaves TNA” battle, which BG would lose.
Booker T & Sharmell v Robert Roode & Payton Banks
Mixed Tag Team Match
Booker is hesitant to let Sharmell fight. That will likely be the factor that turns this match. Booker may spend too much time in the match trying to protect Sharmell. I foresee an issue between Sharmell and Booker because of his over-protective attitude. Booker will likely end up getting caught off-guard by Roode.
A possible last minute change could take both Sharmell and Banks out of the match. Banks was mentioned as being part of the Queen of the Cage match. I can’t imagine her being in both matches. If her mention in the Queen of the Cage match was an error, then I give the following prediction:
Predicted Winner: Robert Roode & Payton Banks
Predicted Grade: B-
Aftermath: This match will likely cause a major rift between Sharmell and Booker. That is assuming that Sharmell is in the match. If Sharmell and Banks are pulled from the match, then I feel that there will be a different outcome. Booker is so lost in the mid-card shuffle, right now. Booker will never get back to the top rung of the ladder until he dominates Roode. I’m not sure if that’s possible. I feel that the “King” has turned into a “Lowly Peasant”.
“Black Machismo” Jay Lethal v Curry Man v Shark Boy v Johnny Devine v Sonjay Dutt v Consequence Creed
X-Division X-Scape Match
It’s usually best to go with the champion to retain. That being said, Jay’s going to drop the title on Sunday. The question is: Who is going to take the strap? I can easily eliminate a few of the players in this game. Johnny Devine has worn the belt, but he’s really a minor player in the whole thing. He might play a spoiler by keeping some of the others from winning, but he will not regain the title.
I also think the masked men just won’t get the job done. Shark Boy and Curry Man are great talents but neither seems set to take the title. Everyone knows that Curry Man is actually Christopher Daniels. Right now, Curry Man is more of a novelty act than a serious contender. I think he will be a challenger in a few months, but he’s still too “new” to take the title. Shark Boy may be goofy and enjoyable but he’s got about as much chance of taking this as Eric Young has of beating Kurt Angle.
That brought me to the tough choice. Their is a brewing feud between Dutt and Lethal over So Cal Val. I just don’t think TNA will muddy the waters by having the X-Division title in the mix. I think Dutt may end up costing Jay the title.
Consequences Creed is the best choice to take the title. He’s been pushed for several weeks leading into his debut. Creed’s finisher, the CreedDT, is fresh and exciting. TNA may also wish to reward Creed for stepping in to help out TNA when the whole PacMan situation got dicey. I expect him to really show the crowd some amazing moves and get a huge pop when he takes the gold.
Predicted Winner: Consequences Creed
Predicted Grade: A+
Aftermath: The Lethal/Dutt feud will take off. Lethal will finally get fed up with Dutt’s crashing Lethal’s love life. He will also blame Dutt for the loss. Creed will end up battling Shark Boy, Curry Man and Johnny Devine before finally having to face off against the “new” Petey Williams. “Little Petey Pump” will likely take the X-Strap when the two meet, possibly at Slammiversary.
The Monsters (Black Reign/RelliK) v The Freak Club (Scott Steiner/Petey Williams) v The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley/Chris Sabin) v The Rock and Rave Infection (Lance Hoyt/Jimmy Rave) v LAX (Homicide/Hernandez) v Kaz/Eric Young
Cuffed in the Cage Match
This was the expected last minute match addition. I had my predictions all set and ready to go. I just sat back until Thursday because I just knew the card wasn’t complete. This one is the male equivalent of the Queen of the Cage match. Plus, the winners of this match might find themselves in contention for the TNA tag belts.
This match will feature the top teams and will likely be a fast paced match. Competitors are eliminated as they are handcuffed to the cage. There is one thing that will determine who wins this match. Which version of Eric Young will show up? If it’s Eric Young, then Kaz/Eric will be the first team eliminated. If Super Eric shows up, then Kaz and Eric might be the favorite to take the match.
When it comes to picking a winner, I looked at Thursday’s Impact for the answer. Petey Williams just underwent a massive identity change. The new bald Petey has been handcuffed week after week as a part of his initiation into The Freak Club. I expect Petey to finally get his chance to avoid those darn cuffs. This match will seriously highlight The Freak Club.
Expected Winner: “Little Petey Pump” Petey Williams
Expected Grade: A-
Aftermath: Petey will impress Scott enough to finally get the X-Division title shot that Scott’s been hanging onto. This match should also set the pecking order for the tag team title scene.
Team Cage (Christian Cage, Sting, Matt Morgan, Kevin Nash & Rhino) v Team Tomko (Tomko, A.J. Styles, Team 3D and James Storm)
Lethal Lockdown Match
This is a tough match to call. There are so many variables in this one. Matt Morgan is, at best, a loose cannon. Can his team trust him? Is he really a plant by Team Tomko to destroy Team Cage from the inside-out?
Another question: Will Team 3D’s desire for the tag straps cause them to betray Tomko and Styles? Ray and Devon are hungry to be champs and they would not hesitate to back stab anyone in their way.
Nash is the weakest link in this match. His knees are so damaged that he no longer walks to the ring, he limps. Nash should have stayed in the manager position. Team Cage would have been better suited to bring back an unmasked Abyss, as Chris Mitchell. That could still happen, if Morgan goes rogue on his teammates or if Nash’s knees won’t go. In the final evaluation, Team Cage is just too loosely united to win this one.
Predicted Winners: Team Tomko
Predicted Grade: B
Aftermath: Team 3D will be the ones who finish this one off. They will then demand a title match against Styles/Tomko. Styles/Tomko will finally drop the straps. This will leave Tomko free to either bring in Giant Bernard for a new team or to go after the TNA World champ. Styles would be free to pursue the obvious feud with Kurt Angle over the affections of Karen Angle. Morgan will get a monster push due to this match. He will feud, most likely, with Christian Cage after this match. I just can’t imagine Morgan staying loyal to Team Cage. Rhino, sadly, will flounder in mid-card Hell for the rest of his TNA stay.
Kurt Angle v Samoa Joe
TNA World Title Match
This match will, almost certainly, be TNA’s Match of the Year. Joe has placed it all on the line to battle Angle. In a way, that makes my choice for winner so easy. There is just no way that Samoa Joe is going to walk away from wrestling. He’s just too hot a property for TNA to let go of. The options, if Joe wins, are numerous. Joe could turn heel and battle all the “white hats” while defending his title. He could stay a face and give Steiner, Roode, Storm and many others their chance to shine.
The match itself should be a clinic on how to wrestle. Joe will likely unveil a whole slew of new moves to confuse and dazzle both Angle and the crowd. The crowd may actually get a bit cranky if Joe goes too far into the MMA realm. Joe may even break out a few high-risk moves just to throw Kurt off his game. Logically, Joe would take Kurt out with the Kokina Clutch, but I expect some new move. It will be something flashy and exciting.
Expected Winner: Samoa Joe
Expected Grade: A+
Aftermath: Joe will move on to battle Scott Steiner, next. From there, Joe will likely battle Robert Roode, James Storm, Matt Morgan and Kip James. When Joe finally does lose the belt, it will be to someone no one would expect. I could see someone like Kaz, Jay Lethal or even Consequences Creed pulling the upset of all times to take the title.
As for Angle, it’s so obvious where he’s headed. The feud over Karen is a lock. Kurt will turn to Karen after he loses, only to have her reject him for A.J. Styles. That will set off a nasty Love Triangle feud that should rival Batista v Shawn for Feud of the Year. Angle will eventually get past that feud and re-focus on either Joe or the person who has taken the title from Joe.
Final Expected Grade: A-
Final Thoughts: TNA really could use a strong PPV. Fans have a somewhat bitter taste in their mouths after the less than stellar Wrestlemania event. If TNA could put on a solid, action-packed show, they could pull a few more fans away from WWE. This show is almost a “make it or break it” PPV for TNA. This one will set the pace for the rest of the year. If TNA does a lot of stupid finishes, the fans might reject them in droves.
The matches seem pretty solid. I disagree with the whole Team Tomko v Team Cage concept. I would rather have seen Tomko/Styles defend their titles against Team 3D. This match is simply a launching pad for several people and a way to showcase Kevin Nash without putting his knees in too great of danger. The match of the night will be Joe/Angle. They are going to show us moves that will make the writers for WWE drool. The crowd is going to rip the roof off the arena. Even if every other match was a bust, this one will save the show. Fortunately, I think the undercard is really strong. This could be the PPV of the year, both for TNA and for the whole wrestling industry.
– Jay Shannon
JayofPWD@SBCGlobal.net
(4/11/08)
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