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Thanks!

I bet they pull out all the stops on that show too in one last effort to impress Spike before the move to Thursdays. I think you can kinda already see some of that with them busting out the Six Sides of Steel next week.

Got any links?

I don't know if this counts as confirmation or not with the 3/30 show, but Mike Johnson posted this today:

I don't know if they're still selling it, but I picked up an AJ Styles shirt when I was at the 2nd anniversary show which I thought was really cool.

I know Meltz and PWI both reported the time switch, but has their been a release on it from either TNA or Spike TV? I was just wondering if I missed something, but if their hasn't, I'd think that's kinda strange since both sides have been pretty release happy since they started their relationship (remember the one about how Impact was outdrawing Velocity?).

I know...I was just talking about putting over why the event is special, and different from every other TNA ppv. Maybe some clips of last year, or spots with guys who were on the show last year talking about how brutual it is and how hard it was to watch what the cage did to other guys who wrestled before them. But that could be coming, so I'll reserve judgement for now...

This week show was kind of a mixed-bag for me. The opening promo was just kinda there. It was really hurt by the crowd's sudden realization that neither Christian nor Sting was interrupting. The X-Division match was fun for what it was. TNA needs to make sure Impact has at least one "athletic" match like that each week, because that's what seperates them from WWE. The Abyss/Joe/Monty squashes are beyond repetitive at this point, and the LAX is just not interesting to me at all. On the plus side, I've always liked Simon Diamond, but the guy's becoming one of my favorite characters in TNA right now. To me, he's the perfect case for TNA needed a mid-card title. He'd be a great heel champion that would give a guy like Truth something meaningful to do. As it stands, he's taking a throw away storyline and making it great. Anyway, the main event was energetic, though it wasn't an awesome match by an stretch. But the guy's were all over and the crowd is clearly into the Truth. They did a good job setting up next week's show, but didn't do anything to put over LockDown as the "blow-off" night it should be. That's just my two cents though...

BPS, how'd the crowd reactions compare to the Orlando crowd? Did the guys' overness transfer or was anyone exposed as just being over in the Impact Zone?

TNA's got video clips of the show up on their website. Here's the link: http://www.tnawrestling.com/news/fullnews2.php?all=544

here's another report, from PWI: Wow...almost 3,500 paid. Detroit's so getting the first PPV.

EXACTLY! The show after LockDown should almost feel like the show after Summerslam...it should signify the start of a new direction. New feuds, the biggest of which could go at least to Slammiversary, if not Bound for Glory, should be started after this PPV. Not before. I'm all for a Christian/Abyss feud. The idea of Christian and Mitchell cutting deuling promos makes me drool. But if they really wanted Christian to defend the title at this show (not be involved in Jarrett's multi-man), then he should be facing Monty again (had they not jobbed him clean twice to Christian). A screwy finish at DX would have made a Christian/Monty cage match perfectly logical (though Christian/Abyss will be a better match). The concept just won't work if they don't book it right. The cage by itself will draw, but it will get old quickly on a three hour show unless you present it as the end all, be all. It needs to be feuds that have raged so long, they only way to settle them in is the cage. Not this match is a cage match because we said all the matches tonight would be cage matches. Urgh....I really felt like they were going to get it right this year. I was down on LockDown last year (it was easily the worst 3 hour PPV I've seen them put on, though I haven't seen them all), but I see the potential in the concept and I really applaud TNA for trying something different. An all-cage PPV does stand out...whether or not smarks like us think its stupid or not. But the way to make it mean more than "hey, have you ever seen a six-sided cage before?" is to make the matches going on it mean something. Booking Christian and Abyss's first match together in a cage would be been like the first Undertaker/Mankind match being a Hell in the Cell. They had two years of matches before they got to that point. it's so counter-productive the way they are doing it. Sorry for the rant....

I really don't understand Joe/Sabu at this PPV. The plan for the fall has been to make LockDown the mid-year blowoff show (assuming Genesis is the beginning of the TNA calendar and BFG is the end). Not using it as a blow-off show was the biggest problem with last year's show. The Joe/AJ/Daniels feud should end here, just like Abyss/Rhino and Team 3D/AMW likely will. Joe/Sabu is a perfect match-up to begin Joe's HW run, but this is just not the PPV to do it. The all-cage, night of brutuality gimmick only works if all the feuds are ending here, as opposed to just starting. Its the same reason AJ versus Daniels would have better last year than AJ and Abyss, even though the match itself kicked ass. For LockDown to be the signature event they want it to be (and reach the point where the name can sell itself), they have to give it a reason to stand out from every other PPV they put on...the cage does that, but the matches in it need to make sense. Its almost how when WWE did the team gimmick at the Survivor Series....the teams didn't ignore storylines. Other than that, I like that they seem to be moving away from the squashes. We'll see how it all turns out.

I agree wholeheartedly that less PPV would make Impact way better, but I can't see TNA doing it, simply because they don't make any money on Impact. Spike keeps all the ad revenue, so TNA's only concern with ratings is keeping them happy. Of course, the argument could be made (rightfully so) that a more compelling Impact would lead to more PPV buyers, but I don't think you'll see TNA give up their monthly revenue. The other solution, which I've been saying since they got on FSN, is to beef up the syndicated network (or stream it online like they did before Spike) and actually use Xplosion, kinda the way ECW used Hardcore TV when they were on TNN. There's simply no need for Xplosion to be a recap show when there's a replay of Impact every week. They'd be much better off using that show to further develop storylines, giving talent more time to get over. Another thing they need to fix is that Impact is nothing like the PPV product, which have been drawing good reviews since they started. The PPV feature athletic matches, the TV features three moves squashed. If you've never seen a TNA PPV, nothing about Impact gives you the impression that its worth paying for. They've got to change that. They shouldn't feature 20 minutes matches, but even doing four 5 minute competitive matches that leave viewers wanting more is better than watching Joe, Abyss and Monty wrestle the same match every week. TNA has done much better with developing angles since being on Spike, but they need to find the balance, because people solely interested in angles already have their company. I almost get the feeling that the last three months have been a steady over-reaction to the first primetime specials disappointing rating. While they did need to make some changes after that, b/c the workrate is not enough to bring in the type of audiences they want, but the biggest thing that has separated TNA from WWE has been the in-ring action. You were almost guaranteed one great match every time you tuned in. The last memorable match on Spike was the X-Division 6 man from the first episode of the year. They are doing a little better recently, with the tag title match last week and looking at this week's spoilers, but it has to change totally for Impact to take off. It can't be an informercial for the PPV if it doesn't resemble the PPV product at all. Just my two cents...

Keller posted this analysis: Thoughts?

Ummm...did they really give away a cage match on TV when they are planning to sell a PPV almost entirely on the cage gimmick?! Wow...

If that number is true, not only is TNA probably doing backflips, but Detroit may just have brought itself Bound for Glory 06. I've seen reports that they are considering taking the PPVs on the road starting with BFG, and I'd bet anything that the first non-Orlando PPV is going to one of the markets they've tested (Detroit, Virginia and Canada). IIRC, the Virginia and Canada shows drew just under 1,000, although they were in smaller venues, so this is going to be TNA's biggest gate to date. It'll be interesting to see what they draw in VA now that the shows will be branded TNA shows, as opposed to just featuring TNA talent though.

TNA officially announced these shows today:

The ratings are in:

Metlz asked this question in his update earlier this week: "If you watched TNA on Spike a few weeks back when Sting debuted, but did not watch the show on Saturday night, we're looking for a reason or reasons why" and posted the responses today. He said that he was only wanted to hear from people who watched the Sting episode and did not watch since, not people who've never watched or always watch. Anyway, the responses were interesting....here they are: Thoughts?

It seems that way is because that is exactly what's happening. ICP and Hermie are paying TNA a fee to use their trademark stuff (logos, six sided ring and whatever else) on their local shows. TNA gets paid up front and doesn't have to worry about a bad gate, and the local promoter gets to use the national promotion's name and (ideally) draw a big crowd. The thought process is that calling it a TNA house show will draw better than calling it a UWF card. I actually think it's a great for TNA to test the house market. They know they have to start to tour in order to continue their growth, but they also don't want to sink a bunch of money it since they are just now having their first real shot at not running huge deficits in 4 years.

You can almost bet on it. Since they are sticking with the all cage match format for LockDown, they are planning it to be a big blow-off show, almost the Summerslam to Bound for Glory's Wrestlemania. That's why they are stretching Joe/Daniels/AJ, Rhino/Abyss, 3D/AMW and Jarrett/Sting so long. With the exception of Jarrett/Sting, all signs point to LockDown being the night all those feuds get put to bed. And although I'm eager to see some fresh pairings, I don't fault TNA there, because the biggest problem with last year's LockDown was that none of the matches had any business being cage matches, because for instance, AJ and Abyss and Daniels and Skipper had all just started feuding. It would have made more sense to have AJ face Daniels in the steel cage, since they had been feuding since February. At least this year, they can market the show as the night of no-return....like these feuds have gotten so out of control we have to go on LockDown. That's the only way they can make a real success out of the all cage format....and I think it's great that they are trying. Right now, LockDown is there only PPV that stands out. I think if they focus that show on the vicious feuds and Destination X on the high flyers, they'd be in good shape with that.

Meltz says Christian vs Jarrett was planned all along for this show...here's what he posted:

PWI has confirmed that TNA has shaken up the house show line-up after the title change. Here's the revised line-up: The two top matches now make more sense within TNA's storylines, and I think it's great that they've added Christian to the show, like I said before. The only thing on here I don't get is Shelly facing Williams. Aren't they both heels, and big parts of Jarrett's group?

Just because it's going to be historic, I'd really like to be there, but I'm not going to take the trip. Only because A) I've already seen TNA live, having driven from Atlanta to Nashville for the 2nd anniversary show and B) I now live about 1 an hour from the Georgia/Florida border, so the Impact Zone would be much easier to get to.