Lockdown (2012)

Lockdown (2012)
Promotional poster featuring Bobby Roode and James Storm
Information
Promotion	Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Date	April 15, 2012
Attendance	3,000[1]
Venue	Nashville Municipal Auditorium
City	Nashville, Tennessee
Pay-per-view chronology
Victory Road (2012) Lockdown (2012) Sacrifice (2012)
Lockdown chronology
Lockdown (2011) Lockdown (2012) Lockdown (2013)

Lockdown (2012) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion, which took place on April 15, 2012 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. It was the eighth under the Lockdown chronology and fourth event in the 2012 TNA PPV schedule. In the tradition of Lockdown events, every match took place inside a Steel Cage.^[2]

Background

Lockdown featured eight professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.^[3]

The primary rivalry encircled former allies as TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode waged war with James Storm over the title. Roode and Storm had surmounted the top of the tag team division, winning a total of four TNA World Tag Team Championships in the course of three years as Beer Money, Inc. However, the upstart of the Bound for Glory Series in June 2011, saw the duo set aside their partnership to put focus on their singles careers in order to challenge for the World Title on October 16 at Bound for Glory. Finally breaking a 13-year odyssey, Roode beat 12 other men for his first opportunity at the title, last defeating Bully Ray in the culminating finals on September 11 at No Surrender. Roode proceeded to suffer a critical loss in his World Title bout at Bound for Glory, when defending champion and villain Kurt Angle schemed his way to a pinfall victory using the ropes, unbeknownst to the referee due to the view being obstructed. The emotional effects of this event became a pivotal moment in the character arc of Roode. When Roode looked to get a rematch, it was revealed that there was a hidden "no rematch clause" in his Bound for Glory match contract, which nullified his request. Because of this, his partner Storm, who the contract stipulations did not apply to, successfully challenged Angle for the title. In an appalling turn of events, Storm defeated Angle to capture his first World Championship — essentially doing what his partner Roode couldn't. Roode later laid out the challenge to Storm and on the November 3 episode of Impact Wrestling, Roode defeated Storm to win the World Title for the first time. During the match, Roode, determined to attain the gold, blasted Storm across the head with Storm's beer bottle at ringside while the referee was temporarily incapacitated. As the referee revived, Roode covered Storm for the victory, effectively finalizing their alliance in both Beer Money and Fortune after spiting on Storm. Roode's actions were manipulative and rebellious towards Sting's authority as General Manager over the next few months, amidst Storm feuding with Kurt Angle and Bully Ray until he was able to get back into title contention. On the February 16, 2012 episode of Impact, Storm defeated Bully Ray to become the number one contender to face Roode for the World Championship in a Cage match at Lockdown, an event that would emanate from Storm's home state of Nashville, Tennessee.

Another main feud that revolved around father and son was between Garett Bischoff (leading his team of A.J Styles, Austin Aries, Mr. Anderson, and Rob Van Dam) and his father Eric Bischoff (leading his team of Gunner, Bully Ray, Christopher Daniels, and Kazarian) which led to a conclusion in the confines of a Lethal Lockdown match. At Bound for Glory, Eric turned on his son Garett for officiating the pinfall that allowed Sting to beat his villainous Immortal ally Hulk Hogan, who would then become the hero by rescuing Garett and Sting from an attack by the group. On the January 5 episode of Impact Wrestling, Garett Bischoff returned to the company and was stripped of his referee duties and welcomed to the official roster as a full-time wrestler by then-TNA GM Sting, after his storyline injury from receiving a piledriver on the exposed concrete floor at the hands of Gunner in December. Eric responded by trying to deter Garett from becoming a wrestler, stating he burned his bridges and has no friends in the business. Garett told Eric that he had friends and wasn't going anywhere regardless, informing his father that he would find out who his mystery trainer was, who was revealed to be Hulk Hogan setting up a match between Garett and Gunner with Hogan and Eric as their representatives respectively. Furthermore, Garett lost the match at the PPV to Gunner. Weeks later, Eric offered Garett a chance to live his life peacefully if he could survive facing Gunner in a cage match at Lockdown. Not backing down, Garett accepted, however, the match later became a Lethal Lockdown match on the April 5 episode of Impact, after Sting had turned over his position as GM to Hogan, who announced Team Garett versus Team Eric. On the final Impact before the PPV, the teams were put together with the return of Rob Van Dam to join Team Garett. Team Garett also gained the man advantage (Garett's team got to start the ring entries during the Lethal Lockdown match) heading into the event.

The feud between Jeff Hardy and Kurt Angle upheld as it moved into Lockdown. The feud had stemmed after Angle cost Hardy his shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in February. Angle pinpointed his disapproval of the influence Hardy had on his son and his own disliking for Hardy in general as his motive. At Victory Road, on March 18 the next month, Angle defeated Hardy utilizing the ropes as an aid to successfully pin Hardy similarly to his actions at Bound for Glory against Bobby Roode. Because of this, Hardy called him out as a cheater and challenged Angle to a Cage match at Lockdown. The next week, Angle sneakily cost Hardy a match against Mr. Anderson, and a week after that, wrestled Hardy to a count-out which gave Hardy the victory when Angle decided to walk out on the match. That night, TNA GM Hulk Hogan accosted Angle, informing him that he could no longer run or hide and that his match with Hardy was officially scheduled for Lockdown.

A feud formed among two former tag team partners, Matt Morgan and Crimson. At Against All Odds, Morgan and Crimson lost the TNA World Tag Team Championship to Samoa Joe and Magnus. At Victory Road, on March 18, Crimson abandoned the match with Morgan for the tag titles due to communication issues and laid Morgan out with a spear, proclaiming aloud that he's an undefeated singles winner and Morgan was a loser. On the following Impact, Crimson, who was shown watching Morgan featured in a Direct Auto Insurance commercial backstage, accused Morgan for being focused on other endeavors and letting the team down, going on to challenge him to a match for the next week, but Morgan moved in for the attack which led to security breaking it up. Morgan fought Crimson in a match the next week that resulted in a double count-out when they took their brawl out of the ring and outside the Impact Zone.

The Knockouts match heading into Lockdown was between defending champion Gail Kim against Velvet Sky for the TNA Women's Knockout Championship. After Velvet Sky became victorious with a win over Kim's latest contender Madison Rayne, Sky put the company on notice of her rematch clause as a former Knockout Champion and the fact that she didn't receive her rematch against Kim since losing the title at the Turning Point PPV on November 13. In a number one contender's match the next week, Sky defeated Mickie James, Tara, Madison Rayne, Angelina Love, and Winter to earn her shot at the Knockout Title.

The tag team match heading into Lockdown was The Motor City Machine Guns challenging defending champions, Samoa Joe and Magnus for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. On the April 5 episode of Impact, the Machine Guns returned to action following injuries which had them sidelined, and defeated Mexican America. After the match, they declared they were after the tag titles.

A feud began between Devon and Robbie E over the TNA Television Championship. At Victory Road, on March 18, Devon answered Robbie E's Open Challenge and beat him for the TV Championship. Therefore, Robbie E got his rematch at Lockdown.

Added to the event as a fill in between the two main events during the show was Eric Young and ODB defending the TNA Knockout Tag Team Championship against Sarita and Rosita.

Results

See also

• List of TNA pay-per-view events
• TNA Lockdown

References

Footnotes

External links

• Lockdown website
• Impact Wrestling.com
• Nashville Municipal Auditorium's official website