Every TNA/Impact Wrestling Lockdown Event Ranked From Worst to Best By Hakeem Fullerton

Intro: If you've been following Impact Wrestling on social media or read any of the recent reports, then you'll have heard the story that one TNA's/ Impact Wrestling's most violent PPV's, Lockdown will be returning on March the 28th at the Saint Claire College in Windsor Ontario Canada exclusively on the company's steaming service app known as 'Impact Plus'.

After teasing fans with a post on Twitter that reads "It's Returning, The Most Dangerous PPV of the Year" many fans and myself included speculated that this meant the long awaited return of Lockdown where every match took place inside a steel cage and sure enough we were right.

After 4 years of laying dormant, Lockdown is coming back and although the matches haven't been announced yet (as of the writing of this article) it can almost be guaranteed that this will be a great show especially coming off the heels of events like Bash at The Brewery 2 and Hard To Kill.

So I've decided to look back at the company's history and rank all of the events that bare the Lockdown name from worse to best and determine which event is the best...

12. Lockdown 2015

By the time Lockdown 2015 came around, the issues within the company's infrastructure were already showing as TNA were on Destination America at the time and this was this the first ever Lockdown event to not be aired on PPV but aired as a glorified tapped episode of TNA programming.

The card had few bright spots like the opening tag team title contest between the hardy boys and James Storm and Abyss, Bobby Roode vs. Eric Young and the lethal Lockdown match between Kurt Angle's team versus the Beat Down Clan.

Unfortunately that's where all the good stuff ends as the rest of the show was a mess: there was only one women's match on the card and it was the highly anticipated matchup between Jessicka Havok and Awesome Kong inside a steel cage which lasted only five minutes but felt like it lasted longer as the ladies slowly walked around while looking at each other menacingly before a serious of moves occurred and Kong defeated Havok.

fans also saw Rockstar Spud and Mark Andrews aka Mandrews losing a 2 on 1 handicap match to Tyrus (aka Brodus Clay in WWE) which also lasted around five minutes; add in the fact that this show had boosted the tagline "#Lockdown for the First Time on Free TV" no to mention 1,100 people in the Manhattan Center attending and could see why Lockdown 2015 is they all time worst Lockdown events but it wouldn't be the last time the company would have a Lockdown event for free on TV.

11. Lockdown 2016

Lockdown 2016 was the last Lockdown that TNA aired before they event went on a four year hiatus and safisive to say it went out not with a bang but with a whimper.

For starts the event wasn't even a pay per view it was a glorified episode of TNA; second, it features Grado as his idiotic persona as Odarg The Great (aka Grado spelled backwards) defeating Eli Drake of all people inside the six sides of steel, an X Division title match that lasted 6 minutes, and world title match between EC3 and Matt Hardy which saw Rockstar Spud turn heel which lead to nothing of importance in the weeks that followed.

Perhaps the worse part is that this show wasted the perfect opportunity to have the first ever knockouts lethal lockdown match mean something by having Gail Kim and Velvet take on Jade, Marti Bell and Rebel of The Dollhouse in a 2 on 3 handicap match which lead to an uninteresting and boring match that had no memorable moments about it expect for the little plot thread on if Maria Bennett would be in the corner of Velvet and Gail, and the result was that she slammed the door in Gail Kim's face leaving her and Velvet to eat the pin (Big Surprise).

When the most memorable part of a Lethal Lockdown is someone (who was already a heel by the way) turning on their babyface partners then you know something is serious F'd up.

While the opening tag team match between Beer Money vs. Eric Young and Bram, the world title match and the jammed packed 4,000 U.K. fans in attendance were the high points of the entire thing it most certainly doesn't save the event from being a crappy show and disappointing end to one the most memorable PPV's in the company's long and story history.

10. Lockdown 2009

Now we've reached the actually PPV's that bare the Lockdown name and it's safe to say that 2009 's event was a decent show but it did have some issues.

To start the queen of the cage match which saw ODB, Daffney, Sojournor Bolt and Madison Rayne (making her PPV debut) was more like a squash match as ODB destroyed all of her opponents with ease before picking up the win. The Doomsday Chamber of Blood match between Abyss and Matt Morgan was difficult to watch (and not for the reason your thinking), the cameras keeping up with the action in the tag team title match was an issue in certain places not to mention the cameras didn't catch the moment where Angelina Love secures the win in the knockouts title match and the be honest the lethal lockdown match between team Jarrett and the Main Event Mafia was really lackluster.

Now for the good parts of the show: the X Division title match was good, plus the image of seeing the masked man of mystery Suicide jumping off the top of the cage onto wrestlers and security in order to escape was amazing, IWGP and TNA Tag Team matches were underrated and crowd pleasing respectively and the Knockouts Title match was not bad (minus the camera's not catching the final pining moments).

But, the real highlight of the entire show was the main event of Mick Foley vs. Sting for the world heavyweight championship, it was brutal, bloody,violent, amazing to watch and easily the best match of the night but one of the best matches of 2009. Easily the best match Mick Foley had during his time with TNA/ Impact.

9. Lockdown 2014

The last Lockdown PPV the company aired took place at the Bank United Center in Miami Florida and the event in of itself was a decent show but lackluster in a few places.

The opening six man tag team match involving The Great Muta not only was the last PPV match for Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels in TNA but it was also a nice way to start off the show; Other highlights include a good knockouts title bout between Madison Rayne and Gail Kim, an underrated classic between Tigre Uno and Manik (aka TJP) a fierce battle between James Storm and Gunner and the Lethal Lockdown match between Team Dixie and Team MVP was good as it was included a number of moments like Bully Ray's heel turn, the high flying debut of Jeff Hardy's alter ego Willow and the finish which saw MVP take control over the company was enjoyable for what it was.

Sadly, the show also had some duds like Mr. Anderson vs. Samuel Shaw and of course the world title match between Samoa Joe vs. Magnus was a good title bout until the return and interference of "The Monster" Abyss completely soured the ending and the match in it's entirety.

The event had some good and some bad, unfortunately it wasn't enough to make this show really all that memorable.

8. Lockdown 2011

This event came a month or so after Victory Road 2011 and the infamous Jeff Hardy match with sting and company really needed a good PPV to wash the taste out of everyone's mouth.

Two opening contests that started the show as well as the grudge matches between Samoa Joe and 'The Pope' D'Angelo Dinero as well as Matt Morgan and Hernandez fine for what they were and the triple threat world title match between Rob Van Dam, Mr. Anderson and Sting was short, sweet and severable.

The 2 out of 3 falls match between Jeff Jarrett and Kurt Angle was amazing from the hatred both men had for one another to the blood soaked violence to the insane risks both took culminating with Double J (with the help of wife Karen) defeating the Olympic Gold Medalist inside the steel cage.

And the main event lethal lockdown match was easily the match of the night and of the year. This match had moments like Christopher Daniels leaping off the top of the cage onto his opponents, James Storm cracking Ric Flair over the head with a beer bottle, Matt Hardy climbing up the structure before realizing how high he is, Abyss getting thrown out of the cage door, Bully Ray going berserk on team Fortune with a kendo stick and of course the surprise return of AJ Styles and Bully's reaction was picture perfect.

The biggest downside to this entire event was the knockouts championship "match" where Mickie James obliterated Madison Rayne in 36 seconds to become the new champion, it absolutely buried one of TNA's home grown stars in favor of a TNA wrestler who is best known for her time in the WWE.

Still it was a good show nonetheless...

7. Lockdown 2005

The event that started it all...the inaugural lockdown PPV took place at the Impact Zone in Orlando Florida at the event was 50/50 when it comes to action.

The X division shined both in the four way Xscape match and the title match that feature Christopher Daniels vs. Elix Skipper, the tag team title strap match was good and the Raven vs. Jeff Hardy had all the hardcore violence you could expect from these two men.

The show also had some stinkers like Dustin Rhodes defeating Bobby Roode in "Prince of Darkness" match, the lethal lockdown match between Jeff Jarrett, Monty Brown and The Outlaw aka Billy Gunn vs. DDP, Sean Waltman (X-Pac) and B.G. James aka Road Dogg was forgettable and one of the most memorable parts of the show (for all the wrong reasons) was the opening tag team match which saw Chris Candido suffer a horrific injury that ultimately lead to his death not long after this.

Like many of the previous Lockdown's I've mentioned already, the final match ended up being the best of the entire card as AJ Styles faced 'The Monster' Abyss in a #1 contender's match for the NWA World Heavyweight Champion, the match was a perfect example of David vs. Goliath in pro wrestling and the match was one of the best matches in both AJ's and Abyss' careers.

6. Lockdown 2013

In terms of attendance figures, Lockdown 2013 is one of the all time best events in the company's history as 7,200 fans went to the Alamodome in San Antonio Texas to watch the stars Impact Wrestling put on a show to remember...But was that show any good?

This event had a matches like Joey Ryan vs. Joseph Park, Velvet Sky vs. Gail Kim for the knockouts title and Robbie E vs. Robbie T (Rob Terry) none of which were great.

Kurt Angle vs. Wes Briscoe was a good match but the ending ruined it (in my opinion).

The triple threat X Division and tag team title matches was an impressive showing from all involved and the lethal lockdown match was really fun to watch.

The main event of Bully Ray vs. Jeff Hardy for the Impact World Championship was excellent but the real talking point about this match was the 'shocking' heel turn by Bully which saw him not only be revealed as the president of Aces and Eights but also hit Hardy in the back with a hammer before scoring the three count and becoming the new world heavyweight champion.

The show was a mixed bag but the action was enjoyable for the fans at home and those in attendance.

5. Lockdown 2008

2008 was a great year for TNA Wrestling as every division within the company was putting on some of the best work imaginable around this time and Lockdown 2008 is an example of that.

The opening contest that featured the X Division was impressive as it demonstrated the high flying, death defying antics that the division is known for and the tag team match involving ODB and Gail Kim vs. Raisha Saeed and Awesome Kong was okay for what it was.

Speaking of tag teams, the match involving teams like LAX, The Motor City Machine Guns, Petey Williams and Scott Steiner, Kaz and Super Eric among others was amazing for the in ring action that took place inside the cage allow the conception of handcuffing the opposing teams to cage is was strange if not different...but hey that's TNA Wrestling for yea.

The lethal lockdown was genuinely a highlight to watch as the match between Team Christian Cage and Team Tomko was the perfect example of a car crash match done right from the in ring action to the wrestlers involved and moments like AJ Styles surprise attack on the team captain of Team Cage, Christian leaping from the top of the steel cage to take out everyone, AJ and Christian being pushed off a ladder on top of the structure into a table, Matt Morgan getting nailed with steel chair and beer bottle shot respectively to James Storm's selling of the Gore by Rhino was amazing.

And then the main event, between Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle was great from beginning to end. A good story was told in this match between two of the best some submission wrestler's of their day and the image of seeing the Samoan Submission Machine become TNA World Heavyweight Champion after a hard fought battle was something else.

While matches like Booker T and Sharmell vs. Bobby Roode and Peyton Banks and the Queen of the cage match were meh and the B.G. James vs. Kip James match was uninteresting, the show has its highlights and when it's good...it's good.

4. Lockdown 2006

Lockdown '06 is an underrated show all things considered as all the matches that took place had a good blend of action, storytelling and fan interest. The opening tag match between Team Japan and Team USA (even though one of the members of team USA is Indian but whatever?) was a good way to start, the X Division title match between Senshi aka Low Ki vs. Christopher Daniels was as hard hitting, high flying and technical as you would expect and the Xscape match involving Chris Sabin, Elix Skipper, Puma (TJP or TJ Perkins), Shark Boy, Chase Stevens and Petey Williams was great in it's own right.

The team tag team match between Team Canada and Team 3D was good if not a little gimmicky and the NWA World Championship match between Abyss and champion Christian Cage was phenomenal as the smaller but more agile Christian really brought the aggression to TNA's resident monster and proved why Christian's TNA run was the best thing to happen to his career.

The main event which saw Jeff Jarrett and partners, Scott Steiner, James Storm and Chris Harris take on Sting, AJ Styles, Ron "The Truth" Killings and Rhino in a lethal lockdown match was even better than the lethal lockdown match that happened in 2008.

The only negatives about this show is that the Samoa Joe vs. Sabu match was average if not a little disappointing and an arm wrestling match between Konnan and 67 year wrestler, Bob Armstrong...really!?

Like I said it's an underrated show that deserves more attention, if you haven't seen it then you should.

3. Lockdown 2010

By the time Lockdown 2010 came around, TNA was already 4 months into the Hulk Hogan/Eric Bischoff and thankfully things didn't fall about for the company (just yet) as this event like the preivous entry is also an underrated show in the grand scheme of things.

The opening bout between James Storm and Rob Van Dam is a hidden gem of match and easily some the best single's work both men have done. The X Division Xscape match (which was due to travel issues involving then champion, Douglas Williams) was short but good and the following matches that saw the X Division, Knockouts Tag Team and singles titles were impressive and okay respectively and helped in establishing the legend of Madison Rayne in pro wrestling.

The last three matches of the show were spectacular: The Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson match was five stars worthy and one of the best matches of the decade, the world title match between "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero and AJ Styles is undoubtedly the greatest match in the formers entire career and the lethal lockdown match was not to shabby either.

The only problems about the show, ironically involved the matches between "The Band" aka the nwo as Kevin Nash vs. Eric Young was an example of the negative aspects of TNA's past which saw aging wrestlers defeat the young, homegrown talent and despite the crowd reactions from the fans in Saint Charles Missouri, the match between Team 3D and Scott Hall and Sean Waltman was dull.

Despite that, a lot of great wrestling was here on this show and you can't ask for more than that .

2. Lockdown 2012

The third Lockdown event under the Hogan/Bischoff regime was one of the best Lockdown PPV's in modern history. The opening Lethal Lockdown match between Team Eric Bischoff and Team Garrett Bischoff was surprisingly enjoyable and do to the stipulation that made for this match...either Garrett or Eric Bischoff would be gone from TNA for good but in the end Garrett's team came out on top and Eric Bischoff would be gone from the company (Thank the Lord Baby Jesus).

The tag team and knockouts title match was good and the mid card matches like Matt Morgan vs. Crimson and the TV title match between Robbie E and Devon were okay for what they were, even if three of the four matches lasted less than 10 minutes.

The bad parts of the show were the Hogan/Flair confrontation which not only served no purpose but ended up being the last time The Nature Boy was in TNA not mention that the knockouts tag team title match was more farcical than in ring wrestling and it only lasted 4 minutes.

However, the Jeff Hardy vs. Kurt Angle was a solid match compete with a swanton bomb by Jeff off the top of the steel cage and the main event between former tag team partners turn rivals James Storm and Bobby Roode for the TNA World Championship is a master class of great wrestling, amazing brawling, close calls glamor, emotion, storytelling and the bittersweet ending is probably one of the all time best.

The negatives aren't bad enough to sink this show in fact, it's one of the best PPV's in the company's long and storied history and one of the best lockdown's in company history well...maybe the second best.

1. Lockdown 2007

This is what you could call an almost perfect wrestling event. In terms of in ring quality the matches were second to none, even if some matches like the Low Ki vs. Austin Aries match with special guest referee Bob Backlund and the electrified steel cage match for the NWA tag team titles were gimmicky the action certainly wasn't.

The Xscape match for the X Division title was great as well as matches like Jerry Lynn vs. Christopher Daniels and Bobby Roode vs. Petey Williams.

The blindfold match between former tag partners turn rivals, James Storm and Chris Harris was actually better than it had any right to be and the first ever women's match to take place at Lockdown between Gail Kim and Jacqueline was an example of the action that would define the division that would be created in the following months.

The lethal lockdown main event between Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Rhino, Sting and Jeff Jarrett vs. Christian Cage, Abyss, Tomko, AJ Styles and Tomko was amazing I mean moments like Tomko getting launched out of the steel cage and Kurt Angle sending AJ Styles flying off the structure onto the rest of the combatants are things wouldn't soon forget.

While it has it's gimmicks, this show is one of the best in any wrestling promotion out there...and a show that truly deserves to be known as one of the all time best Lockdown events in TNA/Impact History.

So what do you think about my ranking of these Lockdown events? do you agree or disagree, if so let now in the comments down below and tell me what you think about Lockdown returning on March the 28th.

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