By Will Pruett

- The opening video recapped the final hour of the Against All Odds pay-per-view, which is sad because the first two hours were fantastic. The final hour fell flat and the 12 people that ordered that show had to relive that bad final hour again.

- Bobby Roode was serviceable in his opening promo, but he was so much more compelling in front of a larger crowd. I don’t quite know what it is, but in London he seemed to find his groove much easier than he does in Orlando. Perhaps it is the change in time zones?

- Once Sting appeared the show got down to business with the quick announcement of the Jeff Hardy vs. Roode match happening after the break. I enjoyed this strategy and honestly believe that it may have hooked viewers in for the rest of the show.

- It was two steps forward, one step back with the Hardy vs. Roode match. I didn’t enjoy the “brawl all over the Impact Zone” format they chose because we have seen it far too many times. It wasn’t particularly exciting to me.

- Kurt Angle’s return after a few weeks off and subsequent interference on behalf of Roode was odd. Even more puzzling was the fact that it was not a main storyline coming out of the match. It was barely mentioned for the rest of the night. Shouldn’t Angle or Hardy have been asked about the interference at some point?

- Seriously, does every Canadian do the spear now?

- This show was booked so one event would flow logically into another (on some levels) and we saw that with the opening promo flowing into a match which then flowed into a No. 1 Contender’s match later in the night. While this felt a bit like a lot to accomplish in a night, it worked.

- Eric Young’s guitar bit tonight was pretty funny. His description of his average Tuesday was also quite humorous. I don’t love the act, but I must give the bearded devil his due here.

- The Jesse Sorensen video package was very well done. It explained just how serious his injury was and just how tragic it could have been. I have no problem with them replaying the footage of the injury. I know that Sorensen is in my prayers and I wish him a very speedy recovery.

- It was interesting to see Austin Aries and Zema Ion teaming up. They played the reluctant heel partner roles well, but didn’t we just see this from Kid Kash and Austin Aries?

- I still believe that Alex Shelley vs. Austin Aries is the money match in the X Division and I worry that they are going to walk away from it while there is still that money on the table.

- Who here didn’t see Madison Rayne winning the Knockout’s Battle Royal coming? Once again, Russo may have left, but tag team champions are still feuding with each other.

- James Storm’s hair has gone from amazing to mildly out of control. His backstage promo was not my favorite moment from him. It really feels like his act has been diminished in the last few months.

- I could have done with more Samoa Joe and Magnus on this show. I also could have done with less Eric Bischoff.

- I’m wondering why Chelsea was added to Gunner’s act? He already had Ric Flair and Eric Bischoff. One person with three managers seems like a little bit too much to me.

- Bully Ray does have the best calves in wrestling.

- James Storm should have looked stronger coming out of his No. 1 Contender’s match with Bully Ray. He took too much abuse and did not get enough vengeance in the end for that.

- The Brandon Jacobs involvement this week was perfectly fine. It was a big deal for TNA to get a Super Bowl Champion just a couple weeks after the game. He played his part fairly well and it was fun to see him get involved.

- Bobby Roode vs. James Storm was the Lockdown main event I’ve been expecting since Bound for Glory. It just feels like we are getting there a little too soon in the rivalry. Where is the singles match that justifies the cage stipulation being added? This is the best feud to put into a cage in TNA, but announcing the cage now it a little too soon.

- Bobby Roode’s closing beatdown of Sting was nothing special. Perhaps it was the piped in heat or the angry grimace on Roode’s face, but I just was not feeling it. Also, where was James Storm? Where was Jeff Hardy? Shouldn’t the other babyfaces be looking out for Sting?

This is a hard show to look at from an overall view. It really felt like a setup for the next two months of stories (with Roode retaining and Storm beating Buly Ray), but it was a bit of a sloppy setup. The closing segment easily could have opened next week’s show.

We did get some good in-ring action and a show that seemed to flow well at the same time. I have to give this week’s episode a mild thumbs up. There was nothing inherently illogical about the booking or the execution on this show. It was a decent effort for TNA, but they have the roster and ability to do better.

Let's do some good old fashioned talking about this show! Feel free to email me at itswilltime@gmail.com or to follow me on twitter at twitter.com/itswilltime.

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