Lockdown 2006: Lethal Lockdown Proves TNA's All-Cage Concept Can Sustain a Full Pay-Per-View

Lockdown 2006 opened with World X Cup preview sides: Black Tiger, Minoru Tanaka and Hirooki Goto for Team Japan against Alex Shelley, Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal for Team USA. The six wrestlers made the steel cage a backdrop to rapid tags and dives rather than relying entirely on its walls. Dutt hit a moonsault in a USA triple-team sequence, Lethal fought Goto through takedown counters, and Goto survived several covers before the final scramble. Team Mexico watched from the entrance, but its members never joined the cage match as competitors.

Near the finish, Tanaka struck Lethal while Shelley accidentally superkicked Dutt. Lethal was suddenly isolated, Tanaka delivered another superkick and Black Tiger landed a Tiger Suplex. Black Tiger pinned Jay Lethal to give Team Japan the win at the historical 12:01. The winner was not Hirooki Goto despite his extensive work in the final stretch. B / 7.8 reflects the distinctive cross-promotion teams and escalation; WATCH the tag combinations and deciding suplex.

Christopher Daniels encountered Senshi, formerly Low Ki, in the second steel-cage match at Lockdown 2006. Daniels looked surprised when his familiar rival arrived under the new name. The pair traded kicks and suplexes, with Senshi attacking Daniels' head against the cage and Daniels replying with an explosive powerbomb. Daniels landed the Best Moonsault Ever for a close two-count, then tried to advance the fight to the ropes. Senshi countered a proposed superplex, while Daniels repeatedly tried setting up Angel's Wings; this was a genuine one-on-one bout, not an X Division championship defense.

When Daniels tried to lock his arms for another Angel's Wings, Senshi countered with a high back body drop and used his feet for leverage to keep Daniels down. Senshi pinned Christopher Daniels for the deciding fall. The exact bout duration is less reliably documented than its winner and finish, so the account does not invent a clock. B+ / 8.0 recognizes the two rivals' sustained counters and Senshi's return under a new name. WATCH the finishing counter rather than describing a submission or cage escape.

Bullet Bob Armstrong confronted Konnan in an arm-wrestling contest held inside the Six Sides of Steel cage, with their James Gang and Latin American Exchange factions nearby. The stakes were ten strap strikes against the losing faction, not a conventional fall or submission. Konnan argued with the Orlando crowd and appeared to gain the leverage early, but Armstrong fought back on the table. The referee cleared other faction members from the ring before the contest, distinguishing their later involvement from participants in a six-man tag match.

Bob Armstrong defeated Konnan in arm wrestling, officially deciding which team owed the strap punishment. B.G. James called for the Losers to take ten strikes, but Kip James struck Hernandez before the count was complete and both factions began brawling. No wrestler was pinned or forced to submit inside a normal wrestling bout; the result must be recorded as the advertised contest and subsequent angle. F / 3.5 and SKIP reflect the limited in-ring match content, not doubt about the winner.

The six-way Xscape match started under pinfall and submission elimination rules before turning into an escape-the-cage race between the final two. Petey Williams pinned Shark Boy following the Canadian Destroyer. Elix Skipper next pinned Chase Stevens after Stevens' daring shooting-star press from atop the cage. Williams rolled up Skipper while holding the tights, and Chris Sabin eliminated Puma with the Cradle Shock. That order left Sabin and Williams as the final pair; a fifth pin was neither required nor permitted to settle the announced last stage. Scott D'Amore and Simon Diamond were outside seconds, not entrants.

Sabin climbed down the outside of the cage but D'Amore tried preventing him from reaching the floor. Williams followed and traded blows with Sabin on the cage wall. Sabin knocked Williams downward; he landed on D'Amore's shoulders, delaying his feet from touching. Chris Sabin escaped the cage and reached the floor first at the archived 12:48, giving him the victory. B+ / 8.3 rewards the elimination-and-escape design, with D'Amore's interference backfiring at the finish. WATCH the abrupt change from covers to the decisive climb.

Samoa Joe defended the X Division Championship against Sabu inside the cage, meeting a returning hardcore specialist while preserving his undefeated singles run. Sabu opened aggressively with a chair-assisted leap and attempted a Camel Clutch, but Joe answered with heavy kicks and drove Sabu into the cage until he bled. Sabu used the steel chair repeatedly, including as a launch point for a twisting leg drop. He also brought out a spike, which the referee removed, preventing that potential escalation. Joe instead targeted Sabu's vulnerable arm and refused to let a sequence of high-risk moves turn into a decisive cover.

Sabu tried another chair-assisted leap from the ropes. Joe grabbed the chair and threw it into Sabu's face, then lifted him for the Muscle Buster. Samoa Joe pinned Sabu at the archival 6:12 to retain the title. The final move was a pinfall, not the Coquina Clutch submission or a cage escape. B- / 7.3 reflects the violent stylistic contrast but limited duration. SKIM the late reversal and finish.

Team 3D's Brother Ray, Brother Devon and Brother Runt fought Team Canada's Bobby Roode, Eric Young and A-1 in a six-person cage Anthem Match. Both sides aimed to capture their flag and secure an acknowledged finish, rather than score a three-count pin. Runt repeatedly tried scaling toward the American flag while the Canadians blocked him. Devon and Ray struck Roode with the 3D and Ray initially pulled down the US flag and handed it to Devon. Because the referee was down, the apparent finish was not recognized; Young restored the flag and the match resumed.

Manager Scott D'Amore opened the door and slid a table into the cage. Eric Young climbed for an elbow drop but Brother Runt moved and Young crashed through the table. Runt then caught A-1 with an Acid Drop, sent Roode into the cage and climbed again. Brother Runt captured the US flag, finally giving Team 3D the official victory at the recorded 8:45. D'Amore was a manager, not a fourth wrestler. B / 7.5 reflects the memorable double-flag story and decisive family teamwork. WATCH the replayed flag contest.

Christian Cage defended the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Abyss in a steel-cage match that began as a ringside brawl before the official bell. Abyss drove Cage into the cage and the guardrail while manager James Mitchell provided distractions. Once inside, Cage survived multiple powerbombs against the cage wall and a referee collision. Mitchell threw the title belt into the ring; Cage caught Abyss with an early Unprettier, but Abyss kicked out. Cage then jumped from the top of the cage for a frog splash and still could not complete the defense. The increasing danger eventually moved from the steel to thumbtacks.

Cage struck Abyss with Mitchell's cane and used a sunset flip from the cage to send Abyss into a first pile of tacks. Abyss answered with the Black Hole Slam but Cage escaped the cover. When Abyss prepared a chokeslam into a second pile, Cage countered and drove his face into the thumbtacks with the Unprettier. Christian Cage pinned Abyss at the archival 14:04 and retained. Abyss attacked again after the bell, stealing the title belt, but that did not invalidate the official defense. A- / 8.5 credits the escalating cage offense and conclusive counter. WATCH the final reversals.

Lethal Lockdown began as a staggered-entry eight-man cage fight: A.J. Styles and Chris Harris opened, with James Storm, Rhino, Jeff Jarrett, Ron Killings, Scott Steiner and finally Sting joining at intervals. The last arrival allowed the roof to lower over the Six Sides of Steel, with weapons suspended above the ring. Sting's team contained Styles, Rhino and Killings; the opposition paired Jarrett and Steiner with America's Most Wanted. The match's unusually long opening period gave Harris and Styles space for counters before numbers changed. Later, Styles climbed onto the cage roof with Storm and leapt from an overhead structure through a table onto Storm, one of the night's most spectacular falls.

The deciding exchange took place inside the cage. Jarrett had struck Sting with a guitar and Rhino answered with a Gore; Scott Steiner caught Rhino in the Steiner Recliner. Sting escaped to land the Scorpion Death Drop on Steiner. Harris then hit Sting with handcuffed fists and trapped him in a Sharpshooter. Sting reversed the hold and put Harris in the Scorpion Deathlock. Chris Harris submitted to Sting at the recorded 23:49, securing victory for Sting's Warriors. The result was not a pin by Styles after his table dive, and Gail Kim was an outside participant in the angle, not one of the eight official wrestlers. A / 9.2 acknowledges the long-format feud payoff and signature finish. WATCH the roof dive and submission counter.