Kester's TNA Lockdown Rundown: Bully Ray captures the TNA Championship and reveals himself as the leader of Aces and Eights, Hulk Hogan promises greatness, and the Triple-Threat Tag Team match steals the show

By Ryan Kester

Bully Ray and Aces and Eights

This was a long time coming, but I am thrilled to see that TNA finally pulled the trigger and returned Ray to his heel persona. He slipped right back into the role and drew great heat from his actions. Ray looked downright despicable at the end of Lockdown.

In a similar vein, I am happy to see the TNA belt rest on Ray's shoulders. Bully Ray has done tremendous work these past few years and has earned the spot as the top guy in the organization. I never expected to say that, but Ray has really shined with his work since splitting from Devon.

Now, I understand attaching Bully Ray to Aces and Eights and it fits well with the story TNA is trying to tell, but I can't help but feel disappointing that Ray is getting stuck to such a useless group, Aces and Eights only got buried further last night with their loss to team TNA and even with Bully Ray, this group is barely worth noting. I hope TNA starts booking these guys correctly or this whole setup could easily lead to Bully Ray being dragged down rather than Aces and Eights being elevated.

Hulk Hogan's Promise of Greatness

Last night, Hogan once again reiterated a promise that TNMA was on the cusp of greatness and they were about to reach their full potential. I think this is the tenth time I have heard this little speech since Hogan joined the company, and I'd really like it if it would just stop happening. It loses impact every time he does it and by now, his promises of greatness have lost all meaning. They only serve to make the current product feel less than it needs to be and sets fans up to be disappointed when the same mistakes occur.

Bobby Roode and Austin Aries vs. Bad Influence vs. Hernandez and Chavo Guerrero

This was a splendid match. As much as I may have misgivings about TNA pairing Aries and Roode together when I feel they should be kept in the main event, they do have a good dynamic as a tag team. Everyone involved in this match got a chance to showcase their strengths, and it was simply a fun main event.

My question is, where does TNA and the Tag Team Titles go from here? This match was a joy to watch, but it was also the showcase of the entirety of the tag team division. I suppose Aces and Eights could join the fray, but two of the three teams here are already heels, and Chavo and Hernandez are nowhere near good enough on the mic to warrant being the babyface center of an otherwise heel division. This was an enjoyable match, but TNA has a long way to go in repairing their tag division.

Overall Show

Last night's show was solid. There was plenty of good action, but the show really never felt special to me up until the end. Much of it was reminiscent to last year's Lockdown; TNA was in front of a large lively crowd, but it still lacked that big show feel. I attribute a lot of that to the terrible build we had for the show. Still, the end with Bully Ray's turn was done rather well, and it kept the whole affair from being merely passable.

If you have any questions or comments or just wish to chat with a fellow wrestling fan about whatever, then feel free to email me at ryan.kester@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter.