CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the TNA World Heavyweight Champion was AJ Styles, the World Tag Team Champions were Hernandez and Matt Morgan, the TNA Knockouts Champion was Angelina Love, the X-Division Champion was Douglas Williams, and the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions were The Beautiful People.
Representing Team Hogan, we've got Rob Van Dam taking on Beer Money's James Storm (also part of Team Flair) in a match to determine who will have the numbers advantage in tonight's War Games Lethal Lockdown main event. Rob Van Dam kicks the cage door into Storm's face before the match begins and he takes him around the ringside area, which lights up the St. Louis crowd. Smart start there as so much of Van Dam's signature offense involves barricades and guardrails. As they make their way into the cage, Rob Van Dam gets busted open and its a gusher. RVD maintains control for a little while longer, but Storm eventually dodges a splash in the corner and hits him with a reverse neckbreaker before applying a headlock. Moments later, RVD escapes, but gets clotheslined into the cage wall as there is just no space between the cage and the ropes. Some good exchanges follow as they basically wrestle a match in fast-forward, which makes sense considering that they'll be wrestling later on in the night. RVD wins with a frog splash. (2.5/5)
Hogan is backstage with Christy Hemme. I speaks some nonsense that doesn't seem to serve any purpose aside from giving Hulk screen time.
Next up, an X-Division Escape Match pitting Homicide, Brian Kendrick, Alex Shelley, and Chris Sabin against each other. LIke in the previous match, the winner of this bout will go on to compete later in the night, which is ridiculous just because this show is already built around repetitive gimmicks. Kendrick gets busted open early as the Guns deliver some tandem offense. There's some good action and moments but this match basically ends before it even begins, a complete rush job like something out of one of those WrestleMania shows from the 80s that had like a dozen matches but most of them weren't worth a shit. A waste of talent and time. (1.5/5)
Kevin Nash vs. Eric Young follows. This was built around Nash turning on Eric Young in a tag match against Scott Hall and Sean Waltman, which just about anyone could've predicted would happen when that match was announced. As this is happening in 2010, one would have to expect this match to be built around Young doing all the bumping for Nash, who was still a few years away from appearing in Magic Mike (he also still, shockingly, had a WWE pay-per-view main event ahead of him at this point!). Young gets some quick offense in, but instead of capitalizing, he allows Nash to get to his feet. Young hits a missile dropkick off the top and Nash goes to the mat again. Young then crossbodies him into the cage wall and Nash is in more trouble than I thought'd he be in the first few minutes. Nash hits a low-blow with the ref's back turned - which I'm not sure is even necessary in a cage match as it would typically be automatically No DQ, but whatever. Young begs for Nash to hit him with his best shot and eats a bunch of forearms. Nash hits a not-so-great looking chokeslam, barely getting EY off the ground for it. Young gets back to his feet, hits Nash with a kick to the knee and then gets some rights in before getting cut-off by a big boot. Nash lawn-darts Young into the cage and then calls for the Jackknife. He hits it and this one is over, another short match with an unclear purpose and no need to be in a cage. After the match, Nash announces that he'll be replacing Sean Waltman as Scott Hall's partner. So, again, that's three matches in a row where the winner will end up competing again. (1.5/5)
The next match is a bit of a convoluted mess involving a Lockbox Challenge, the Beautiful People's dissolving, and every one of the TNA Knockouts Championship - both the singles Knockouts Championship and the Knockout Tag Titles - as Angelina Love and Tara take on Velvet Skye and Madison Rayne (the remaining Beautiful People, joined also by Lacey Von Erich at this point). Coming into the match, the Beautiful People were the Tag Team Champions and Angelina Love was the Knockouts Champion, but the title could change hand by pin or submission on Tara too. Speaking of Tara, in terms of offense, bumping, and selling - basically the three most important things you do in the ring - she is clearly the most skilled of anyone else in the contest, but Velvet Skye and Madison Rayne can execute what they can execute too, even if some of it comes across as telegraphed and rehearsed. Plus, because the Beautiful People and Love aren't afraid to infuse their work with some not-so-subtle T'n'A, the crowd is more into this than they were the previous two bouts. Also like those two previous matches, the finish of this one comes way too early as Lacey Von Erich gets into the cage with ease and takes out Tara with the Championship Belt. Isn't the point of the cage that Lacey Von Erich would at least have some sort of difficulty getting involved? Angelina Love's expression after the match is tremendous too, as she throws a fit after losing her title without getting pinned. This is actually quality storytelling as Tara's championship reign ended under similarly murky conditions. Love extends her hand in friendship, fully cementing her babyface role, but as she exits the cage, Tara attacks her and sends her into the cage wall. If this would've gone longer, I think it could've ended up in slightly above-average territory but because it was so short, it didn't feel like they really got to tell any of the story that would've made the post-match stuff make more sense. (1.5/5)
Doug Williams was the X-Division Champion coming into this show, but due to a transportation issue caused by a volcano in Iceland - there's a news story I forgot about - his title is up for grabs in a three-way between Frankie Kazarian, "The Prince of Punk" Shannon Moore, and Homicide. Despite not leaving the ring with the gold, Homicide is the match-stealer here, working extra hard to capture the attention of the big wigs in the back, putting lots of oomph in all his bumps (especially the ones he takes into the cage wall). I've never been a big Shannon Moore fan, though, I'll admit I'm fairly limited in what I've seen from the guy and much of my dislike comes from this gimmick, which seemed completely forced and fake when he started doing it in WWECW (*correction*: apparently, the Prince of Punk gimmick actually pre-dated his built-to-fail WWECW run). Kazarian has always been a skilled worker, but he's got no gimmick here. Again, the saving grace of this match is really Homicide, the only interesting character of the three, even if Kazarian and Moore may edge him out in terms of execution and fluidity. This match actually goes longer than 6 minutes, which makes it stands out compared to everything that came before it, and the crowd gives it a deserved "This Is Awesome" chant, something that too often feels unearned in 2021. I wouldn't call this "must see," but it does have an excellent finish sequence that ends with Kazarian hitting an inverted reverse tombstone piledriver. Yeah, its bonkers. (3.5/5)
Team 3D make their way to the cage next and announce that tonight's match against The Band (Hall and Nash [subbing for X-Pac]) is now a Falls Count Anywhere St. Louis Streetfight. Team 3D dominates early on, all four men just brawling around the ring and even into the crowd a little bit. They make their way into the ring and the crowd starts chanting for tables as The Band beat down D-Von inside the cage. Hall keeps the door shut, preventing Bubba from making the save until he uses a chair to get in. Its hard to believe that Bubba was just a few months away. The crowd pops for the "Get The Table" shtick, but the Team 3D act was clearly a bit stale by this point - which isn't too big of a knock against it considering the team had basically run non-stop, with loads of exposure, for close to 15 years. Even less surprising than Team 3D disbanding is that Scott Hall was released a couple months after this. Its not that he's in bad shape here or drunk, but there was simply no magic left in the Wolfpack. (1/5)
Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson (formerly Mr. Kennedy) is next, with Mr. Anderson coming into the match with the Cage Key already. Anderson is an interesting guy - on one hand, he starred in a WWE Studio film and had high profile matches against just about everybody, on the other hand, he never truly attained the mega-stardom that so many figured he would, spending only 4-5 years in the WWE before getting released and coming to TNA four months before this event. The build-up for this match was all about Kurt Angle's pro-military stance and the dog tag he wore, which Anderson used to slice him open before spitting in his face (and on the chain) on an episode of Impact before this. Anderson tries to escape early on, but Angle stops him with a back suplex. Angle follows it up with some stomps and then a snap suplex. Angle whips Anderson to the ropes, but Anderson counters and Angle goes head-first into the cage, opening him up. Angle takes some repeated head-first shots into the cage that are just nasty, a good example of how something simple - done correctly - can be so much more effective than the convoluted "super spots" that people try to come up with. Angle is an absolute bloody mess by this point, but is able to counter a piledriver attempt. Angle goes for the cage again, but, again, Anderson cuts him off by ramming his head into the cage door. Instead of getting what would almost be a guaranteed win, Anderson goes to the top rope. He dilly-dallies too long, though, and Angle brings him back to the mat with an overhead belly-to-belly that gets a brief TNA chant going. Anderson unwraps the tape around his wrist and looks to choke out Angle, another simple-but-effective act of brutality from Anderson (who is now also sporting some color). Angle's head looks friggin' purple at one point, these two just going to an insane level of violence here that is almost hard to watch. Angle eventually fights his way out and the two men trade blows as they get back to their feet. Angle rallies with some clotheslines and then another back body drop. Angle hits another overhead suplex and tries to hit the Angle Slam, but Anderson counters. I like the psychology of Anderson going for a cover by instinct, but stopping himself almost instantly (which makes a ton more sense than when a wrestler goes all the way into the cover and raises a leg or whatever). Angle hits a series of German Suplexes soon after, which, as Tenay notes, is amazing just because of the amount of blood he lost and how close he looked to being choked out. Anderson was sporting a shirt that "Pro-Wrestling Is Real...People Are Fake" around this time and this match definitely makes a case for pro-wrestling, even if its scripted and the combatants are prepapred for what they're going to endure, being a physically treacherous endeavor. Angle eventually hits the Angle Slam and looks to have the match won, but not satisfied, re-locks the door and throws the key out of the cage! Anderson tries to escape by climbing out of the cage, but Angle catches him and delivers a German Suplex from the side of the cage. Anderson sells it perfectly too, his face flattened on the mat. A "This Is Awesome" chant starts up as Angle sets Anderson up in the corner. Angle then, in an act of insanity, goes to the very top of the cage and delivers a moonsault off the cage that gets a well-earned "Holy Shit" chant. Its not the cleanest moonsault ever delivered, but it has plenty of impact. Angle looks to escape the door, but as he walks out, Anderson flips him the bird. Angle comes back in the ring and Anderson hits him with a lowblow and then a Mic Check. Anderson crawls towards the door - it's never explained how or why there is a second key - but leaves himself exposed to the Ankle Lock. Angle brings him back into the middle of the ring and Anderson taps, but that won't end the match. Anderson rolls out and Angle goes back into the cage. Good selling by Anderson as he now tries to go out feet-first, only for Angle to choke him out with the dog tag chain! Now its Anderson's head that looks like it might pop. With Anderson completely choked out, Angle spits in his face and, as he steps over him, stomps him brutally in the dick. This match has a great reputation and while I'm not sure it quite lives up to the hype that some might heave on it, I'd still consider it a worthy match to check out for its brutality from beginning to end. (4/5)
AJ Styles defends the TNA World Championship against "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero next. AJ Styles was Ric Flair's protege at this point, a gimmick that I liked at the time mostly because I was an AJ fan and a Flair fan even if, in hindsight, it didn't necessarily "click" and AJ would end up flowering into a much stronger "leading man"/main eventer just a few short years after this without ever needing a manager or mouthpiece. Speaking of Flair, he is sent out of ringside before the match even begins which gets booed from the crowd. Way to give the crowd what they want, TNA. The crowd is red hot for this, though - somewhat surprising considering that Styles and Dinero were not exactly the biggest "names" in TNA . Unlike the Angle/Anderson match, this one is a bit more like a match they would have if they weren't in a cage done from inside of a cage - we get dropkicks and nearfalls and counters and flying forearms. But the crowd is with them for this, popping for the big and small moments (including a sizable reaction to an eye poke). AJ hits his 450 for 2 and then looks to surpass Angle's moonsault for the craziest spot of the night, going to the top of the steel cage and attempting a crossbody splash, but missing. The Pope covers but only gets 2. Dinero follows it up with double-knees for another nearfall. Dinero goes for another double-knees in the corner, but AJ dodges it and grabs a pen from the cameraman. He then jabs it into Dinero's face and nails him with a discus clothesline and a Styles Clash for the clean W. Given more time, I think this could've been really good, but it almost seems like the match wasn't given that extra 3 minutes to really sell the possibility of a title change or make Styles' desperate cheating come off as something he needed to do (rather than just a cheap shortcut). (3/5)
Main event time - a Lethal Lockdown match pitting Team Hogan (Abyss, Rob Van Dam, Jeff Jarrett, and Jeff Hardy) vs. Team Flair (Robert Roode, Desmond Wolfe, James Storm, and Sting). Abyss and Roode start things off. Nothing too exciting before Rob Van Dam shows up. Its a bit weird seeing Abyss oversell for so long, treated like just another guy when a match like this should've and could've presented him as an absolute monster. Desmond Wolfe comes in next. The cut that RVD got in the opener is re-opened. For a match that is so supposed to be dangerous and exciting, there really isn't all that much going on at any point. Jarrett comes in and I have lost complete sense of time between entrances as it seems purely random now. The babyfaces having the number advantage is a change of pace from the usual, but that doesn't mean it makes for a good story. It barely matters anyway because the length of time that the babyfaces have as an advantage is like 60 seconds. Storm comes in next, another guy that the live crowd has already seen tonight so his entrance elicits no response. Jeff Hardy is announced as the next entrant, the final member of Team Hogan, but it is then revealed that he has been taken out in the back by Sting, who is the final entrant for Team Flair. Back in the ring, Storm viciously goes after RVD, who is now a bloody mess. With Hardy incapacitated, Sting comes out last, bat-in-hand. At this point, the roof comes down, weapons hanging off the top. The heels dominate at this point, using all sorts of weaponry to beat down on Team Hogan. Jeff Jarrett gets sent through the cage door, which kinda defeats the purpose of this even being a cage match. Meanwhile, back in the ring, Abyss busts out the thumbtacks and looks to chokeslam Sting into them. Before he can, Storm nails him with a beer bottle to the head. Team Flair start celebrating prematurely as Jeff Hardy finally shows up and starts delivering kendo stick shots to everyone in sight. A loud "Hardy" chant starts up as Team Hogan takes control in the ring. RVD hits a frog splash onto Wolfe, who had just eaten a guitar shot from Double J. Abyss then hits the chokeslam on Sting into the thumbtacks, which gets a hug pop. Hardy climbs to the top of the cage and Beer Money follows him up. Hardy welcomes them with weapon shots, but falls prey to the numbers game quickly. Beer Money set up a table on top of the cage, but Hardy fights back, hitting a Twist of Fate on Roode. Hardy sets Storm up on the table and then sets up a ladder as the audience watches in abject fear. Hardy climbs on top of the ladder and hits a splash through the table on top of the cage! As the crowd chants "TNA," Ric Flair's music hits and out comes the Nature Boy. For some reason, everyone is dead in the middle of the ring so Flair comes in and just starts stomping on Abyss. He goes after Abyss's Hall of Fame ring (a gift given to him by the Hulkster), but is cut off by Hulk Hogan showing up. Hogan backs Flair into a corner, but Bischoff runs out and comes between them. Say what one will about this match ending with all these 60+ year olds in the ring (I actually don't know how old Bischoff was, but the crowd was into this. Bischoff pulls out brass knucks and gives them to Hogan, proving his loyalty to the Hulkster. Flair blades and Hogan sends him into the cage walls, turning the clock back to 94'. Flair then takes an INSANE back-first bump into the thumbtacks! Wow, didn't expect that. Abyss then hits the Black Hole Slam on Desmond Wolfe to get the pinfall and end the match. This match started off rather boring but picked up once the weapons came into play. Hogan and Flair being in the spotlight for the final minutes is not something every fan is going to enjoy, but I was entertained by it. (3/5)
Lethal Lockdown 2010 is a bumpy ride/mixed bag, a show that can't be easily labeled a resounding success or a total flop. The show starts off seeming like it could be a complete disaster - RVD/Storm is unremarkable, the X-Division Escape match is a real disappointment, and things don't get better until the X-Division Championship match. After another lousy match in Team 3D for The Band, things get good, though - Angle/Anderson is a brutal cage match, Styles/Dinero put on a good title match (that might've even gone into "great" territory with more time), and the main event is fun enough. Fast forward through the first half of the show and you might find the rest enjoyable. With a Kwang Score of 2.39-out-of-5, this show is getting a...
FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver
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