Lockdown 2009: The Cage Concept Finally Feels Big Enough for the Card

Eric Young defeated Danny Bonaduce. The bout is presented as six Sides of Steel Cage match on the pre-show. Without a championship changing hands, the match has to justify its place through the pairing, stipulation and the momentum it gives the surrounding card. The 3:24 runtime is brief, so nearly everything depends on the clarity of the premise and finish. The three-minute celebrity pre-show has a simple purpose and reaches its finish before the novelty overwhelms the card. As a warm-up it is harmless, but it offers little competitive depth and does not need the cage nearly as much as the serious matches that follow. Within Lockdown 2009, it grades as a D match at 4.5, reflecting the complete bell-to-bell proposition rather than the importance of the names alone.

Suicide (c) defeated Consequences Creed, Kiyoshi, Jay Lethal and Sheik Abdul Bashir. The bout is presented as xscape match for the TNA X Division Championship on the main card. The championship stake gives the bout an immediate reason to exist, so the result carries weight beyond simple placement on the card. At 11:37, the match has enough time to establish its point but cannot waste much of the window. Five X Division wrestlers give Xscape the speed and layered movement the stipulation needs. Suicide retaining through a match built around elimination and escape makes the championship defense feel earned, and the 11:37 runtime is compact enough to keep the rules from becoming cumbersome. Within Lockdown 2009, it grades as a B+ match at 8.4, reflecting the complete bell-to-bell proposition rather than the importance of the names alone.

ODB (with Cody Deaner) defeated Daffney, Madison Rayne and Sojournor Bolt. The bout is presented as queen of the Cage match on the main card. Without a championship changing hands, the match has to justify its place through the pairing, stipulation and the momentum it gives the surrounding card. The 6:05 runtime is brief, so nearly everything depends on the clarity of the premise and finish. Queen of the Cage gives ODB a clear victory, but 6:05 is too little time for four wrestlers and a specialty format to develop much rhythm. The match is more useful for its result than for anything it contributes as a stand-alone pay-per-view attraction. Within Lockdown 2009, it grades as a D+ match at 5.2, reflecting the complete bell-to-bell proposition rather than the importance of the names alone.

The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) (c) defeated Latin American Xchange (Hernandez and Homicide) and No Limit (Naito and Yujiro). The bout is presented as six Sides of Steel Cage match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on the main card. The championship stake gives the bout an immediate reason to exist, so the result carries weight beyond simple placement on the card. At 11:49, the match has enough time to establish its point but cannot waste much of the window. Three established teams make the junior tag title match one of the undercard's most naturally dynamic pairings. Shelley and Sabin retaining against LAX and No Limit keeps the champions central, and the cage adds urgency without becoming the only reason to watch. Within Lockdown 2009, it grades as a B+ match at 8.1, reflecting the complete bell-to-bell proposition rather than the importance of the names alone.

Matt Morgan defeated Abyss. The bout is presented as doomsday Chamber of Blood match on the main card. Without a championship changing hands, the match has to justify its place through the pairing, stipulation and the momentum it gives the surrounding card. At 12:26, the match has enough time to establish its point but cannot waste much of the window. Morgan and Abyss are well suited to a stipulation built around punishment, and twelve minutes gives their size and rivalry room to register. The match is not as complete as the best bouts later, but it provides the violent midpoint that an all-cage card needs. Within Lockdown 2009, it grades as a B- match at 7.1, reflecting the complete bell-to-bell proposition rather than the importance of the names alone.

Angelina Love (with Velvet Sky) defeated Awesome Kong (c) (with Raisha Saeed) and Taylor Wilde. The bout is presented as six Sides of Steel Cage match for the TNA Women's Knockout Championship on the main card. The championship stake gives the bout an immediate reason to exist, so the result carries weight beyond simple placement on the card. The 6:53 runtime is brief, so nearly everything depends on the clarity of the premise and finish. Love's championship victory is an important result, yet the 6:53 runtime compresses a three-way title match involving Kong and Wilde. The change matters more than the bout's development, leaving a match that is easy to understand but difficult to rate as a major feature. Within Lockdown 2009, it grades as a C match at 6.3, reflecting the complete bell-to-bell proposition rather than the importance of the names alone.

Team 3D (Brother Devon and Brother Ray) (IWGP Champions) defeated Beer Money, Inc. (James Storm and Robert Roode) (TNA Champions). The bout is presented as philadelphia Street Fight for the TNA World and IWGP Tag Team Championships on the main card. The championship stake gives the bout an immediate reason to exist, so the result carries weight beyond simple placement on the card. At 14:59, the match has enough time to establish its point but cannot waste much of the window. Putting both the TNA and IWGP tag titles into a Philadelphia Street Fight gives Team 3D and Beer Money immediate stakes and a setting that fits the stipulation. At 14:59, the match has enough time to feel like a genuine co-main event and one of the card's clearest successes. Within Lockdown 2009, it grades as a A- match at 8.7, reflecting the complete bell-to-bell proposition rather than the importance of the names alone.

Team Jarrett (A.J. Styles, Christopher Daniels, Jeff Jarrett and Samoa Joe) defeated Team Angle (Booker T, Kevin Nash, Kurt Angle and Scott Steiner) (with Sharmell). The bout is presented as lethal Lockdown match on the main card. Without a championship changing hands, the match has to justify its place through the pairing, stipulation and the momentum it gives the surrounding card. The 23:01 runtime gives the match feature-level room to develop rather than forcing the finish. Lethal Lockdown earns its 23:01 by bringing eight major wrestlers into one escalating team fight. Team Jarrett's victory gives the factional conflict a decisive payoff, and the long structure makes the match feel like the event's conceptual centerpiece rather than another cage variation. Within Lockdown 2009, it grades as a A match at 9.1, reflecting the complete bell-to-bell proposition rather than the importance of the names alone.

Mick Foley defeated Sting (c). The bout is presented as six Sides of Steel Cage match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on the main card. The championship stake gives the bout an immediate reason to exist, so the result carries weight beyond simple placement on the card. The 15:55 runtime gives the match feature-level room to develop rather than forcing the finish. Foley defeating Sting for the world title gives the closing match obvious consequence, and 15:55 is enough time for the championship story to carry the cage stipulation. The wrestling is solid rather than transcendent, but the title change ensures the main event feels important. Within Lockdown 2009, it grades as a B match at 7.8, reflecting the complete bell-to-bell proposition rather than the importance of the names alone.