By Pat McNeill, PWTorch columnist

Wake the pets and call the neighbors. It's time for our quarterly TNA Wrestling pay-per-view preview column!

DISCLAIMER: Projections are made by myself and for myself with absolutely no assistance from "Big" John Gaburick, Dave "I Want Wrestling" Lagana or anybody else in Carter Country. Projections are not predictions, because this is the column where everything's made up and the points don't matter. No TNA employees have been harmed in the writing of this column. This preview has been sealed in a mayonnaise jar on Funk & Wagnall's porch since noon today. Some of our departing contestants will receive a year's supply of Lee Press-On Nails. Closed captioning for this column is provided by America Online. And if your bid comes within $100 of the actual retail price of your showcase, you win both showcases. This is only an exhibition. This is not a competition. Please, please, no wagering. This lineup is based on the best available information as of this writing. Also remember that my projections are based on what I would do if I had control over Total Nonstop Action, unless it's not funny enough.

If you're TNA Wrestling, you can't be thrilled to hear that Spike TV/Viacom is one of the groups talking with WWE about purchasing the American television rights to Raw and Smackdown. It is easy to understand why this is happening. Even if Viacom isn't interested in adding WWE programming, it is smart business to find out what WWE wants for its shows. That information will be helpful when and if Spike TV talks to TNA Wrestling abut renewing its deal for Impact Wrestling rights.

Meanwhile, tonight's show is the test of TNA's New Talent Initiative. We've established that the promotion can draw similar television ratings by substituting new talent for legacy talent. But how will the company do in putting together a real three-hour pay-per-view? The level of talent here is pretty high, especially with the addition of The American Wolves and the visiting Wrestle-1 contingent. Given enough time to work and the right booking, this should be more fun than watching, say, the WrestleMania XXVI replay on WWE Network.

What IS bad news for TNA Wrestling? The fact that front row seats are still available at the BankUnited Center in Miami, six hours before bell time.

By the way, kudos to TNA for stating that this is the 10th year of Lockdown, and not the 10th anniversary of Lockdown. I like wrestling promotions who understand basic math.

More on Lockdown later. Let's go on to this week's Wrestling History Lesson. Twenty years ago, on March 7, 1994, it was WWF Monday Night Raw (pretaped) from the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York. Your main event? The Smoking Gunns battled the late Owen Hart and the late Brian "Crush" Adams. Vince McMahon & "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase had the call.



Here's the main event of this week's episode of TNA Xplosion, and it is a perfect preshow match for tonight's Lockdown. We take you to Manchester, England where Eric Young battled Ethan Carter III. Jeremy Borash and Mike Tenay are on commentary.



Ten years ago, it was a really good NWA-TNA weekly pay-per-view in Nashville. It was TNA's America X Cup II, plus the Insane Clown Posse & 2 Tuff Tony facing Kid Kash, Glenn "Disco" Gilbertti & David Young. With all due respect to frequent PWTorch Livecast guest Disco Inferno, the X Cup was better. The show kicked off with Teddy Hart vs. Mr. Aguila. Really. Mike Tenay and Don West had the call.



TNA Lockdown will be filmed in front of a live studio audience.

Tigre Uno vs. Manik (Cage Match): Tigre Uno is the former Extreme Tiger from AAA in Mexico. He very well could be TNA's best signing of 2014. Kudos to Ryder, Lagana and company on this one. We're all familiar with Manik's work. Projection? The new guy wins with the Sabertooth Splash.

Mr. Ken Daddy Anderson vs. "Person Of Interest" Sam Shaw (Inside the STEEL cage): Those Sam Shaw skits were so awful that I wondered when Grey Pierson became TNA's new booker. Projection? Well, you might as well go all the way with this. Shaw pokes Anderson in the eyes, then hits the Shaw Shank for the tainted victory.

Madison Rayne vs. Gail Kim (TNA Knockout Title - In A Cage): Unlike your average Divas tag match on Raw, this should be perfectly acceptable wrestling. Projection? Rayne is distracted by Lei'd Tapa's attempt to break open the cage door. Gail wins with the Eat Defeat and becomes a four-time TNA Knockouts chamo

Great Muta & Seiya Senada & Yasufume Nakanoue vs. Bad Influence & Chris Sabin (Yes, It's In A Cage Too): I had the thrill of seeing Great Muta live twenty-one years ago in Asheville, North Carolina. In other news, I am old. Projection? Sanada is the new X Division champ, so this should be his night to shine. Senada submits Christopher Daniels with his This Is It dragon sleeper.

Gunner Lail vs. James Storm (Last Man Standing Match - In A Cage): If you can't figure out which wrestler TNA is keeping for the long term, and which wrestler will be asked to take a pay cut, you haven't been watching the past six weeks of Impact. Projection? Gunner survives Storm's superkick, and gets a decisive victory off a powerbomb.

MVP, The American Wolves & Jeff Hardy vs. Bobby Roode, Austin Aries & The Bro Mans Group (Lethal Lockdown Cage Match): This match has actually been built for weeks on TNA television. The match is for "operational control" of TNA, and NOT for ownership. It would be pretty difficult to screw this up, but I try to keep an open mind about these things. Projection? The wrestlers brawl in and around the cage, and then on top of the cage. Rockstar Spud and ECIII try to interfere, but Team MVP fights them off. Jeff Hardy hits Jessie G with the Swanton Bomb, and MVP is the new TNA general manager, or director of operations or whatever.

Magnus vs. Samoa Joe (TNA World Heavyweight Title - Samoa Joe's Rules - Inside A Cage): This match can only end by knockout or tapout, which seems to favor the challenger. Given how Magnus's reign has gone so far, Samoa Joe should have an out. Projection? Team Dixie tries to help Magnus early, and gets chased out by Team MVP. Late in the match, Bully Ray comes in and tosses Magnus some brass nucs, which he uses to knock out the Samoan Submission Machine and keep the title.

Aftermath: TNA Sacrifice takes places in late April. I'll go out on a limb and predict Magnus vs. MVP in a TNA Title vs. Operational Control match, plus Samoa Joe vs. Bully Ray.

***
Pat McNeill of Richmond, Va. has been a Torch columnist since February 2001. You can e-mail him at patmcneill@live.com. He's ready for this week's ACC men's basketball tournament.

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