The show opens with Lance Hoyt (now Lance Archer) teaming up with Chris Candido to take on Sonny Siaki and Apollo. This match is most notable for being Chris Candido's last as he breaks his leg within the first few minutes. Sadly, a blood clot would take Candido's life just four days later. With Candido taken to the back within the first 3 minutes, the other three men are forced to improvise and I've got to hand it to them for making it work, especially Lance Hoyt. At the time and for the years that followed, Hoyt had a very bad reputation as a worker and wasn't regarded as even approaching good until he went to NJPW in the late 2010s (he'd win the Most Improved Award from the Wrestling Observer in 2019), but he's really not too bad here. Sure, there are clunky bits and neither Siaki or Apollo are particularly crisp or exciting workers, but this isn't the trainwreck one might expect considering the circumstances. (2/5)
Dustin Rhodes takes on a young Bobby Roode next in a bizarre 2-out-of-3 falls match where, if the 3rd match occurs, they'll both be blindfolded. Roode gets a pin within the opening minutes off a roll-up and the match doesn't halt so I'm not even sure the crowd knows it happens (the commentators aren't even sure it counted either). Considering Roode's level of experience and this being during a "lull" in Dustin's career, the action is better than I expected it would be and Scott D'Amore on the outside helps keep the crowd hot. Roode's offense is crisp and well-executed and I didn't mind that they worked a rear choke-into-a-camel clutch for awhile to build towards Dustin's comeback. What was less likable was Roode hitting his Northern Lariat (a clothesline to the back of the head) and getting only a 2 count because Dustin got his foot on the rope (out of camera shot). Since when are there rope breaks in a cage match? Anyway, Dustin hits a bulldog from the top rope a moment later and we get our Blindfold match. The Jake Roberts/Rick Martel Blindfold Match from WrestleMania VII (I think?) is a notoriously maligned match, but at least it served a storyline purpose. This? Not so much. So, Dustin and Roode pretend they can't see through the hoods they're wearing and they eventually back into each other only to push apart. The referee tries to join them up but he ends up double-clotheslined. Scott D'Amore throws a chair into the ring and then unlocks the cage door so he can attack Dustin only to get hit with the chair instead! Dustin grabs the chair and catches Roode clear on the skull with it, rolling him over and getting the pinfall victory. Not a career highlight for either guy, though, at the time, this was probably one of Roode's highest profile matches. (2/5)
The X-Division Xscape match is next - Michael Shane (with Trinity) vs. Chris Sabin vs. Shocker vs. Sonjay Dutt. Despite being Shawn Michaels' real-life cousin and not too shabby of a worker, Michael Shane never really got anywhere in his career. Sabin and Sonjay start things off as this match is inexplicably being wrestled under "tag" rules. Sabin and Sonjay have great chemistry and, in watching this, I had to remind myself that in 2005, this sort of wrestling wasn't as commonplace as it is now. The rules of this match are weird as two wrestlers need to be eliminated before anyone can try to escape the cage. Sabin and Sonjay hit an awesome combo spot, but Shane recovers and puts Dutt in the Tree of Woe to deliver a beautiful low dropkick. Moments later, Shane delivers an Alabama Slam to Sabin that sends him into the cage wall that gets a big reaction too. Shocker comes in and cuts off Shane's momentum, nearly eliminating him with a roll-up. Shane goes for a tarantula, but Sonjay and Sabin come in too and we get a four-man tarantula spot. Why on Earth was this match not booked as a complete 4-man spotfest? With the referee having lost control, the non-stop action has the crowd going bonkers. Dutt hits an absolutely insane flippity-flip splash and goes for the cover, but Shane breaks it up for no reason (as the commentators note). Shane sends Dutt into the cage wall and follows it with a superkick, but Shocker hits him with a big boot and Dutt is eliminated. Shane goes for a piledriver but gets head-scissored into the corner. Shocker hits a tilt-a-whirl onto his knee and goes to the top, but Sabin leaps up and hits him with a suplex off the top turnbuckle for 2. Again, Shane breaks up the cover for no reason. Shane puts Sabin on the top rope and looks to land a superplex, but Sabin wrestles out. Trinity climbs the cage on the outside and is followed up by Traci Brooks. The camera misses the action in the ring but turns back to the ring to see Trinity hit a moonsault from the top of the cage onto all the men in the middle. This gets a "Holy Shit" chant and did look pretty good on the replay. Brooks comes into the ring, though, and clotheslines Trinity. Shane sends her back out of the cage, but Sabin catches him withe Cradle Shock and we're down to Sabin and Shocker. The final two try to escape, racing to climb up the cage, eventually getting into a strike exchange on the top rope. They both end up straddling the cage and then over it, ramming eachother's head into the cage - which is one of the dumbest things you could do to your opponent as it could only lead to them falling - and this is exactly what happens with Shocker hitting the ground first. There was some really good action in this match, but the finish was very underwhelming. (2.5/5)
Tenay and Don West play back the tape of Chris Candido's injury and it is very clear, in the replay, just how bad the break was. Man, that was ugly.
A video package tells the story of the Raven/Jeff Hardy feud before their Tables match. Raven is usually solid in hardcore, weapons-based matches and Jeff Hardy is no stranger to a stipulation like this, but this match underwhelmed me. There is one crazy spot - Jeff putting himself through a table with a swanton from the top of the cage - but the rest of the big moments aren't memorable and seem a bit paint-by-numbers. Raven is known for having one of the best minds in the business, but there are head-scratching ideas in this match that betray the objective of the match as both Hardy and Raven make some inexplicable choices that don't seem to be based on actually winning the match. (2/5)
The NWA Tag Team Championships are on the line next as Team Canada's Eric Young and Petey Williams take on America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm), who come in as the champions. Not only is this a cage match, but there are also straps involved in this. I'm not sure if AMW were technically babyfaces, but because they represent the US, the crowd is on their side for this. Harris and Storm have straps in their hands coming in which allow them to gain control early, torturing the Canadians. Eric Young starts the match by straddling the cage which makes for an awkward start. A-1, one of the members of Team Canada, comes out to help the heels and allow them to gain control on the inside. James Storm gets busted open by Young and Williams as Harris staggers around the outside of the cage. What's the point of the cage if wrestlers can come and go in-and-out of it willy-nilly? With the match basically 3-on-2 and the villains in control, Petey Williams grabs an American flag and uses the pole to choke Storm out. The heels dominance is momentarily disrupted by Storm hitting a jawbreaker in the ring and Chris Harris whipping A-1 into the rail. The babyfaces continue their (unearned) comeback, Petey Williams inexplicably jumping into a powerbomb. Williams comes back with a tornado DDT and a pinfall cover but the referee doesn't follow through because WIlliams' feet are on the ropes...which should be legal in a cage match? Team Canada try to choke out Storm in the corner, his face a bloody mess, as Harris catapults A-1 into the steel on the outside. Harris whips A-1 into the steps on the outside and climbs into the cage, taking out both Team Canada members with a double clothesline from the top. Harris destroys both of his undersized opponents with some solid big man power moves but can't get the pin. AMW hit the Hart Foundation's old finish but only get a 2 count. Petey Williams fights back with a sick tilt-a-whirl counter into a side russian leg sweep and then attempts a Sharpshooter that is made even more devastating with a Young elbow from the top. That was cool. They only get a 2 count on it, though, as Williams goes for the Canadian Destroyer only to get cut-off by a Chris Harris spear for 2. Young calls for a superkick to Harris but Harris catches him, spins him around, and eats one from Storm instead! Storm lifts Young up for the Death Sentence but Team Canada evades it and Petey Williams smashes the hockey stick across Harris' back. This match started out with some nonsense, but has gotten pretty damn solid by this point. A-1 hands William a bag of powder and we're back into overbooked territory here. Storm kicks the powder back into Williams face and Williams (who is "blinded") ends up taking out his own partner with the Canadian Destroyer. The heroes hit the Death Sentence and this one is over after a terribly convoluted and corny finish. Sadly, the highlights of this match - and there were quite a few, mostly coming from Storm and Petey - were really overshadowed by the garbage and idiotic elements. (2/5)
Christopher Daniels defended his TNA X-Division Championship against former tag partner Elix Skipper next. The story of this match was that Daniels and Skipper knew each other's moves better than anyone else and the counters and reversals in the early minutes are as phenomenal as advertised. Things take a shift, though, when Daniels sends Skipper shoulder-first into the cage and Skipper does an excellent job of selling the damage. I love Daniels' shoulder-focused offense and the way he's cuts off Skipper quite a few times before the babyface gets to make a big comeback and deliver some of his own impressive repertoire of maneuvers. However, once things go 50/50, all the excellent work from earlier in the match gets ignored for a stretch. The biggest spot of the match comes when Skipper hits a ridiculous splash from the top of the cage onto an unsuspecting Daniels, but he only gets a 2 for it. Skipper attempts a tilt-a-whirl powerslam but his shoulder gives out on him. Daniels tries for an Angel's Wings but Skipper counters only for Daniels to counter his counter with an Angel's Wings to get the W. This was a good-not-great match that featured some really good work out of Daniels especially. (3/5)
A video package hypes tonight's next match and semi-main event - a Lethal Lockdown battle between Team Jarrett (Jarrett, Billy Gunn, and Monty Brown) and Team DDP (Page, Nash, and Sean Waltman). Waltman and Jarrett start things off outside the cage, brawling into the crowd. For a guy not known for his brawling, I'll give credit to Waltman for bringing plenty of energy and attempting a spin kick on the table (which didn't look great, but hey, at least it was something we haven't seen much before). Into the ring they went with the clock down to 2 minutes, Waltman sending Jarrett into the steel and bashing him over the head with the trash can. Entering #3 was "The Outlaw" (aka Kip James aka Billy Gunn), but Waltman is ready for him at first until the 2-on-1 advantage is too much for him. Fortunately for Waltman, it is only a 2-minute wait before his partner - Diamond Dallas Page - makes his way down the aisle. Page has a kendo stick in hand and takes out both heels with it, Billy Gunn taking some seriously stiff shots to the back and head. With how well Page was moving here, it really is a shame that the WWE did nothing with him in his brief run there as he could still go at this point. Next in the ring is Monty Brown, a guy that seemed like he could've been a huge deal before his unexpected retirement just a few years after this. Brown wasn't a technical wizard or anything, but he had physical charisma and presence. The heels dominate for 2 minutes until its time for the last entrant: BG James (aka The Road Dogg) rather than Kevin Nash. BG James leans house and has a face-off with Billy Gunn that is broken up when X-Pac breaks it up and hits The Outlaw with a facebuster. The babyfaces take control, Waltman eventually hitting Brown with a Bronco Buster in the corner. Brown somehow springs to life soon after, though, and hits both BG James and Waltman with nasty pounces. Page breaks up a pin attempt and hits a Diamond Cutter on Jarrett, but only gets 2, the cover broken up by The Outlaw. The Outlaw goes for the Fameasser but gets dropped by a spin kick from Waltman in a great spot. Despite all the messiness and poor camera work, this was undeniably action-packed and wild, mostly carried by Waltman (who eventually scores the victory roll pinfall on Monty Brown to put an end to this). This was about as good as one could've hoped considering the mix of talent and stipulation. (3/5)
Main event time - AJ Styles vs. Abyss to determine the number one contender for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The match starts with a bang as Styles comes flying out of the cage with a ridiculous cannonball splash through the cage door! Styles then does a hurricanrana off the guardrail, but Abyss is too big of a monster to stay down for long. Abyss tries to send Styles into the crowd, but Styles somehow catches himself on the guardrail and then does an awesome Phenomenal Forearm from the stands onto Abyss. Styles tries for another splash, but this time Abyss dodges and Styles flings himself into the crowd. This is maybe the most uncanny "Man vs. Broom" matches I've ever seen as Styles is doing unreal work here. Into the crowd they go and Styles fights back with some kicks before Abyss grabs him in a choke and flings him into the fence at the top of the steps. They make their way back down the steps, Abyss dominating completely and tossing Styles over the rail. Abyss inexplicably takes the pressure off, allowing Styles to regain his breath and fight back with big right hands. At this point, they've still not made their way into the ring so the match has not technically started. As Styles makes his way towards the ring, Abyss slams the door twice onto AJ, once in the back and once smack-dab in the face (which AJ sells expertly). AJ is busted open at this point, bleeding a gusher on his forehead. Abyss tosses some weapons into the ring - a chair, a chain, thumbtacks. He sets the chair up in the corner and then wraps the chain around Styles' neck. Styles unwraps himself but eats a big boot. Abyss wraps the chain around the post and looks to send AJ into it, but AJ fights back only to get catapulted chin-first onto it when he attempts a move off the ropes. Abyss hits the Black Hole Slam, but only gets 2, though, Styles somehow surviving. Abyss dumps the tacks and attempts another Black Hole Slam, but AJ counters it. Abyss goes for a powerbomb but instead AJ reverses it and hits a pseudo-Styles Clash onto the tacks! Its still not enough, though, as Abyss kicks out at 2. AJ hits Abyss with some right hands and then makes his way towards the top of the cage. Before he can deliver a move, though, Abyss chokeslams the ref into the cage wall and AJ stumbles. Abyss tries to knock AJ off the cage but it won't work so he climbs up after him, chain in hand. Abyss wraps the chain around AJ's neck and Abyss hangs up from the cage. Abyss goozles Styles, but Styles bites his finger and then somehow hits a sunset flip powerbomb on Abyss onto the tacks to get the W. A tremendous, tremendous performance from AJ Styles that carries this one into near-masterpiece territory. (4.5/5)
Anchored by a truly spectacular main event, Lockdown 2005 is the kind of show that should've made TNA reconsider having every single match on a card happen inside a steel cage. The opener wasn't good before Chris Candido's ultimately life-ending injury, several matches featured laughably bad booking decisions and corny finishes (Rhodes/Roode, AMW/Team Canada), and the co-main event (Team Jarrett vs. Team DDP) would never confuse anyone for a bona fide War Games match. Despite a somewhat low Kwang score of 2.63-out-of-5, Styles vs. Abyss is such a good match that it saves the show from earning my lowest rating.
FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver
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