For nearly half a year, James Storm has been hunting down Bobby Roode. In front of his hometown crowd, Storm finally had a chance to win the big one, but things didn’t go the way he, or the crowd, expected, as Roode escaped by the skin of his teeth once again in the main event of a decidedly less-than-average show.

Emanating from Municipal Auditorium, Lockdown featured five championship matches, but none bigger than the steel cage match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship between Bobby Roode and James Storm.

The match starts unofficially on the outside as Storm attacks Roode as he slowly paces around the cage. They brawl on the outside and it’s Storm who is all over the champion. He grabs a chair and swings away with Roode against the fence, but Roode moves and clubs Storm. He goes and grabs some of Storm’s beer, takes a swig and spits it in Storm’s face. Storm is bleeding now.

Roode throws Storm into the ring, the cage door closes and the bell rings, signifying the official beginning of the match. The two start slugging it out centre ring but Roode puts Storm down with a running elbow. Storm tries to get something going but each time he does, Roode puts him right back down.

Roode grates Storm’s already bloody forehead across the cage. Not only is Roode beating Storm up, he’s bad mouthing him along the way. But now Storm starts no selling and fires up. He throws Roode to the corner and puts the boots to him. Roode goes flying courtesy of a backdrop. Boot to the gut and he lifts Roode up for the Eye of the Storm but Roode slips out. His reward for that? Getting catapulted into the cage. Storm rams Roode’s head into the steel and Roode’s bleeding now. Storm ties for the Eye of the Storm again and he hits it, but Roode kicks out early.

Storm attacks Roode’s cut and hits the ropes only to run right into the Double R spinebuster, which nets Roode a close two count. Now it’s Roode’s turn to charge, but Storm sidesteps him and follows with a Codebreaker and a backstabber for two. Storm grates Roode’s face against the cage now, but Roode follows by flapjacking Storm into the cage.

Roode crawls to try to escape the cage but Storm grabs an ankle and pulls Roode back in. As Storm grabs Roode to lift him up, Roode grabs an arm, drops and locks in the crossface. Storm fighting it and rolls it over sending both men into the ropes for a break.

The two head up to the top rope and Roode rams the back of Storm’s head into the cage. Roode starts to climb and kicks Storm away. Roode has an opening here but Storm rises back up and grabs Roode by the head, milliseconds before he was out of reach. Storm pulls Roode back in and they battle on the top rope. They take turns ramming each other’s heads into the cage. Storm gains the edge and sends Roode flying with an emphatic slam. Storm starts climbing but takes a look back at Roode and comes back. He hits the Codebreaker and goes for the Last Call Superkick for Roode shifts referee Brian Hebner in the way and he takes the blow.

Roode has the door opened and could easily escape. Instead of doing so, he gets a bottle of Storm’s beer, spits spit on Storm and then cracks the bottle over his head. He calls Earl Hebner into the ring for the count but Storm kicks out at the last second.

Roode is stewing and Storm gets up and hits the Last Call. Storm can’t capitalize, though. Roode stands and Storm goes to deliver another Last Call, only he kicks Roode right through the door, which wasn’t locked when Earl Hebner entered the ring. Roode hits the floor and wins the match, retaining the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in the process.

After the match, Storm spits on Roode, throws the title and then flips off Earl Hebner. He heads into the crowd to meet his family.

The next TNA pay-per-view is Sacrifice on May 13.

After an opening video package, Mike Tenay and The Tazz welcome us to Victory Road, an eight-match card from Nashville, Tenn..

Match #1 – Lethal Lockdown – Garett Bischoff (Clearwater Beach, Fla.), Austin Aries (Minneapolis, Minn.), AJ Styles (Gainesville, Ga.), Mr. Anderson (Green Bay, Wisc.) & Rob Van Dam (Battle Creek, Mich.) vs. Gunner (Atlanta, Ga.), Bully Ray (New York City), Kazarian (Anaheim, Calif.), Christopher Daniels (Los Angeles, Calif.) & Eric Bischoff (Cody, Wyo.)

Biggest news coming out of the early part of the match is that Kazarian has shaved his head. I’d love to hear the decision-making process behind that one. Cannot even tell who he is anymore.

All men are in now and the roof is down. Everyone going nuts with the weapons. We’ve even got a goalie stick in there. Of course, Tenay has to get a reference now the hometown Nashville Predators are getting the best of my Detroit Red Wings at the moment. Thanks Mike!

With the weapons in, Team Garett makes a comeback. They drag out Eric Bischoff, who was cowering in the corner. Aries slams him and they call RVD to go to the top and he wants a frog splash, but Gunner runs into the ropes to crotch him. Bully Ray takes a page out of the Kevin Nash 1996 Playbook by lawn darting Aries into the cage.

Kazarian and Styles climb the cage monkey bars-style. Styles drops Kazarian and then hits a hanging elbow drop. RVD follows with the Five Star. Everyone hitting big moves now. Eric going to town on Garett with a kendo stick. Garett, though, gets up and drills his dad with a guitar and that does it.

Winners via pinfall: Team Garett Bischoff

Match Rating: 6/10

Via the stipulation, Eric Bischoff is now gone from TNA and he can’t use the Bischoff name. We’ll see how long that lasts.

Match #2 – Steel Cage Match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship – (c) Samoa Joe (Isle of Samoa) & Magnus (Norfolk, England) vs. Chris Sabin (Detroit, Mich.) & Alex Shelley (Detroit, Mich.)

Sabin tries to knock down Joe, but is finding that very hard to do, being he is a little man and Joe is a big man. Good tag team work gives the Guns the edge, but Joe and Magnus take over. Back splash for Joe gets two. The champs in complete control here, but the crowd tries to get the Guns fired up. Sabin hits a tornado DDT on Joe, booting Magnus on the way by.

Shelley gets the tag from Sabin and he runs wild. They power bomb Joe off the top and Shelley hits a double stomp off the top onto Magnus. They run Joe brutally into the cage. They go for Skull & Bones on Magnus but Joe makes the save. Joe locks in the Coquina Clutch on Sabin but Shelley hits the Sliced Bread on Magnus, but Joe breaks up the pin.

Joe and Magnus go for the snap mare/elbow but the Guns move. Sabin holding Joe back. Shelley missed the Sliced Bread and Magnus hits a Michinoku Driver. Joe drops Sabin onto Shelley and then snap mares Shelley right into the elbow drop from Magnus and that’s it.

Winners via pinfall and STILL TNA World Tag Team Champions: Samoa Joe & Magnus

Match Rating: 6/10

Match #3 – Steel Cage Match for the TNA World Television Championship – (c) Devon (New York City) vs. Robbie E (Seaside Heights, NJ)

Devon crotches Robbie on the top rope as Robbie was for some reason standing on the rope right in the middle. Devon gets rolling and hits a big clothesline and a neckbreaker. Devon rolling and he hits a tree slam and that does it.

Winner via pinfall and STILL TNA World Television Champion: Devon

Match Rating: 2/10

The Robbies attack Devon after the match.

Match #4 – Steel Cage Match for the TNA Knockouts Championship – (c) Gail Kim (Toronto, Ontario) vs. Velvet Sky (The Big Apple)

Big clothesline connects for Kim and she gloats afterward. She works a headlock but Velvet with a jawbreaker to break it. They trade forearms in the centre of the ring and now Velvet with some clotheslines and a head-scissors takeover. She hits a kick to the back and drop kick. She follows with a bulldog. Kim kicks her off an goes to the top but Velvet follows, where she hits a sunset flip power bomb from the top. Sucks to be Gail.

Velvet slow to cover and Kim gets her hand on the bottom rope. Madison Rayne starts yelling at Velvet. Kim goes to escape the cage, but Velvet grabs her and rolls her up, but Kim reverses it and possibly holds the trucks (camera completely missed the shot) and gets the three.

Winner via pinfall and STILL TNA Knockouts Champion: Gail Kim

Match Rating: 1/10

Ric Flair is out, presumably to save this awful show. He informs us he is a special kind of cat and he is pissed off. He tells us he’s pissed off at Hulk Hogan, who just won’t leave him alone. He runs down the fans a little bit more before Hogan’s music hits.

Hogan says if Flair has a complaint, he should express it right here, right now. He says he’s had a problem with him for 30 years and tonight, Hogan put Eric Bischoff in a position to fail and the day he gets too upset, he’ll just flat out kick Hogan’s butt. Then Hogan pretty much challenges him to a fight. Flair says Hogan has now really upset him and Flair takes off his jacket and Hogan coldcocks him. Hogan leaves. Flair is upset.

Match #5 – Steel Cage Match – Crimson (Brooklyn, NY) vs. Matt Morgan (Fairfield, Conn.)

Morgan has the match won in the first minute, as he could’ve walked right out of the cage, but he decides to come back. Crimson promptly chop blocks him and takes over.

Morgan fires up and gets going with a boot to the face. Morgan with a corner splash and then a cross body against the cage. Crimson hits Morgan and tries to escape the cage (our first escape attempt of the night). He stops him and they slug it out, but Crimson gets the best of it and Morgan gets crotched. Morgan’s knee/leg gets hung up in the rope and Crimson heads over and out.

Winner via escape: Crimson

Match Rating: 3/10

Match #6 – Steel Cage Match – Kurt Angle (Pittsburgh, Pa.) vs. Jeff Hardy (Cameron, NC)

Angle all over Hardy. Throws him into the cage but now Hardy returns the favor, plastering Angle into the cage. He follows his rally with Whisper in the Wind for two. He follows with a Twist of Stunner. Hardy climbs but Angle follows him up and hits an Angle Slam from the top rope. Angle climbs but Hardy pulls him off. Hardy climbs now but Angle grabs him. Hardy pushes him off and instead of climbing, hits a Vader Bomb for two.

They both lay there and Angle goes for the ankle lock but Hardy quickly reverses into an ankle lock of his own. Hardy gives up and hits back-to-back Swanton Bombs but still only gets a two count. Slow moments here and Angle hits an Angle Slam for two. Down come the straps. He goes for another one, but Hardy counters into an Angle Slam of his own. Now Hardy’s shirt comes off and he goes climbing. He stands at the top of the cage and hits a Swanton Bomb from the top of the cage. BUH BYE.

Winner via pinfall: Jeff Hardy

Match Rating: 6.5/10

Match #7 – Steel Cage Match for the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship – (c ) Eric Young (Nashville, Tenn.) & ODB (Minneapolis, Minn.) vs. Sarita (Mexico City, Mexico) & Rosita (New York City)

Sarita and Rosita work over ODB. They decide to go seduce Young in the corner. ODB gets up and drinks from the flask and gets going. She slams both Sarita and Rosita and then hits the TKO on Rosita and that does it.

Winners via pinfall and STILL TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions: Eric Young & ODB

Match #8 – Steel Cage Match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship – (c) Bobby Roode (Toronto, Ontario) vs. James Storm (Leiper’s Fork, Tenn.)

Winner via escape and STILL TNA World Heavyweight Champion: Bobby Roode

Match Rating: 7.5/10

Event Rating: 4/10

 

Matt Bishop can be reached at bishop20@msu.edu. Please include your name and hometown. Click here to follow Matt on Twitter. Should be a good one!.