Thanks to WZ reader Jesse for sending in the following.
I walk into the arena and right away see that they are using only half of the arena, (the WWE house show i went to last year used the entire arena and sold it out), And had TWO HOLE SECTIONS roped off that fans weren’t allowed to sit in because that is where the cameras were. So really it was like 2/5 of the arena.
7:30 is the show start time and it was about 7:15 and the Arena is REALLY REALLY empty still. I’m talking only the TV side is filled in, the end of the bowl is still empty. Borash comes out and starts pandering to the crowd and gets them loud and pumped up along with So Cal Val. He then says that there are just 5 minutes left before they go live. The end of the bowl is starting to fill in.
Borash comes out again at 7:28 and cut a promos about how after the TNA Lockdown promo video he wants everyone cheering and on their feet because they are going to be seen live on tv to people in over 120 countries.
Then during the matches, So-Cal-Val was behind the cameras starting chants and clapping for all the faces.
TNA is so bad at building characters that the marks were cheering for EVERY Wrestler. When Bischoff came out there was a smattering of boos and cheers. they only started to boo him when he cut that god awful promo that i only caught the following: Boring chants, We Want Wrestling chants, F*ck You Bischoff Chants, Bischoff saying Cincinnati, & him saying something about a title.
Most of the matches were boring, or had absolutely no purpose.
Right after the Knockout’s squash match, a bunch of people came filing down the aislway of my buddy’s section which was on the non tv side, and sat in the roped off section. Apparently, all of these guys got free tickets outside the arena from Don West who was handing them out to people walking around Downtown Cincinnati. That is how bad they needed fans in there.
The Kurt/Jarrett match was an Abortion. Kurt Botched 3 times, and looked completely disinterested. He is going to kill himself in the ring with how ridiculous his spots are. I thought he broke his neck when he botched the huracaranna. And Kurt completely overshot Jeff on the moonsault. IDK if you all saw that on the broadcast but from my spot it was blatantly obvious. And i also blame Jarrett who is watching kurt the entire time, if he saw Kurt was going to overshoot then he should have rolled out of the way. This match has absolutely ZERO psychology, and was IMO worse that the Title match because of all the botches and run-ins.
The title match was typical Russo/TNA/WCW booking. Triple threat between 3 REALLY REALLY REALLY over guys and they butchered the crap out of the match. kick, punch, cage slam spot, Finisher was the pace of this match and it fucking blew. Hogan comes out and the place erupts… EXCUSE ME!?!?! Isn’t he supposed to be a heel? Anyway, there are fans bowing down and chanting his name. Cut to the end of the match, Sting wins and half the fans are booing and half are cheering while the actual wrestling fans like myself are just sitting there in amazement in what they just saw. The guy i was sitting next to said he has seen better Main Events in his 15 year old son’s back yard fed. True Story. As Anderson and RVD are exiting they starting chanting RVD and he looked back at the crowd from the top of the ramp then just walked off. Crowd was very Pro-RVD/Sting, Indifferent to Anderson.
Then the main event… Blood, weapons, smattering of E-C-Dub & Holy Shit Chants. But most of all people starting Flair chants, when he is supposed to be heel, and people chanting Fortune Sucks. (all of them wearing shirts that are either H2 or Thank you Flair shirts).
