411’s Roundtable PPV Preview: TNA Lockdown 2011

Joining the Roundtable this month are:

Known better as the Black Scorpion and co-writing of the Wrestling Sandwich, Wes Kirk!
Aaron Frame of the Wrestling Framework!
Smackdown recapper and writing of the Contentious Ten, Nick Bazar!
Colin Rinehart of The X Review!
Ring of Honor recapper and Raw 4Rs reviewer Michael Ornelas!
He of Cook’s Corner and the Smackdown 4Rs, Steve Cook!
And of course, yours truly Chad Nevett!

TNA Lockdown

THE CARD:

Wes Kirk: This is a bonus gift by TNA for the fans, a match during their monthly pre-PPV show featuring Brother Devon and the newest member of Mexican America, Anarquia. Being a pre-show and considering that they are obviously behind the Mexican America faction, I see Anarquia getting the victory in this one, although it likely will not be clean.

Winner: Anarquia

Aaron Frame: Meh, this is a crap match that came about because they didn’t know what to do with Anarquia.

Winner: Brother Devon

Nick Bazar: Hey, it’s better than Eric Young vs. Danny Bonaduce. This probably won’t go any longer than four minutes, so no harm, no foul. Hernandez’s gringo accent hasn’t helped Mexican America shine during promos; a win here would help on the wrestling side of things.

Winner: Anarquia

Colin Rinehart: Nice to see the free pre-PPV match idea is coming back, I always liked that. I doubt Devon vs. Anarquia is going to convince anyone to purchase the show at the last minute, but it’s nice to see even if the match itself will most likely be dogshit.

Winner: Anarquia

Michael Ornelas: No Buy

Winner: Anarquia

Steve Cook: How about Brother Devon being featured in a pre-show match while his former tag team partner is in one of the biggest matches on the show? Bully Ray’s assertion that Devon held him back all those years is looking pretty accurate. This could go either way…they might want to keep Devon a little strong if they ever go back to his feud with Ray, or they might want to build up Hernandez’s buddy, or nobody really cares because it’s a pre-show match to get the crowd going. I’ll pick the good guy to get the fans started in a good mood.

Winner: Brother Devon

Chad Nevett: I like the idea of offering the dark match online for free and would love to see the WWE adopt that policy so they could fit an extra match onto the card. Good way to spotlight new talent like Anarquia. He’s not ready/important enough to warrant a PPV match, but this puts the spotlight on him at the same time. I can’t see the logic in Devon winning for that reason.

Winner: Anarquia

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: Anarquia over Brother Devon [5-2]

Wes Kirk: The former tag team champions collide inside the steel cage to solve their conflict once and for all. Morgan has looked good against Hernandez in the past, but with Mexican America being groomed as another top heel faction, it appears all but certain that Hernandez continues winning.

Winner: Hernandez

Aaron Frame: This match has been built up decently and this should be a good brawl between the two. I hope Matt Morgan shows that racist what the Blueprint is all about.

Winner: Matt Morgan

Nick Bazar: Does TNA want to push Matt Morgan and build him back up to the main event, or do they want to give Mexican America a strong start? Hernandez already beat Morgan in a steel cage match at Victory Road last year, but they may have Triple H-versus-Undertaker-at-WrestleMania-17-ed that match. It’s a tough call, and I’m tempted to go with an assisted win for Hernandez, but…

Winner: Matt Morgan

Colin Rinehart: How I hate this feud and it’s illogical booking. I’m still trying to figure out why we’re supposed to be on Morgan’s side in this feud when he was the heel last year who broke Hernandez’ neck and then made fun of him for weeks about it. Not to mention we saw this exact match (in a cage) less than a year ago on PPV already. Should be painfully slow and boring, much like their other matches.

Winner: Matt Morgan

Michael Ornelas: Maybe Buy

Winner: Matt Morgan

Steve Cook: This feud might win the award for longest feud with the least going on ever. I pick Hernandez because I at least have an idea of what his character’s motivation is these days. I have no idea if Morgan has any hopes or goals.

Winner: Hernandez

Chad Nevett: There’s a reason and purpose for Hernandez to win and not much of one for Matt Morgan. Unless Mexican America is the new Straight Edge Society…

Winner: Hernandez

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: Matt Morgan over Hernandez [4-3]

Wes Kirk: The streetwise Pope and the volatile Samoa Joe have been at each other’s throats ever since Joe had Pope’s questionable antics videotaped for the world to see. Pope has managed a few victories here, and I think Joe is definitely due to take a victory and walk off with this feud in his back pocket.

Winner: Joe’s Gonna Kill You!

Aaron Frame: Joe is gonna kill you! Joe is gonna kill you! I love that chant almost as much as I love watching Samoa Joe work. Here’s a long running feud between two guys who can genuinely go in the ring and on the mic. These guys have really sold the story of their feud and I can’t wait to see them in a cage.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Nick Bazar: Not the greatest feud ever- actually, it’s been pretty bad- but the payoff here should be good. Both guys can obviously go in the ring, and it should make for a fun match. That said, I’m not sure this feud has helped out either guy. Hopefully I’m wrong, and both guys move on to more compelling storylines.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Colin Rinehart: This should be a fairly good match hopefully, if they give them time. Aside from the silly kidnapping of Okato and the stupid “healing the sick” segments from Pope, this has actually been a heated feud and I expect they’ll have a fairly good match.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Michael Ornelas: Buy

Winner: Samoa Joe

Steve Cook: Remember when Samoa Joe was TNA’s fastest rising star? Neither does he. Remember when the Pope was TNA’s fastest rising star? Neither does he. You’d think a feud with two guys supposedly on the verge of big things would help them get there, but this has done absolutely nothing for either man. The best thing that can happen here is Joe muscle-busting Pope to end the feud, and nobody ever speaking of this affair ever again.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Chad Nevett: This feud never really worked. The Pope is good on the mic, but needs someone to actually write the words he says, because the shit he comes up with is meandering and pointless. And Joe just sort of… was around for this feud. I’m not sure why. But, I’m betting on Joe.

Winner: Samoa Joe

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: Samoa Joe over the Pope [7-0]

Wes Kirk: Ink Inc are on the verge of breaking up, Crimson and Steiner actually do well together but haven’t had many tag matches, Jordan and Young are a comedy team, and Magnus and Williams have once again returned to tag team action. Considering everything, I think Magnus and Williams end up taking the victory here.

Winner: Williams and Magnus

Aaron Frame: I feel bad for Ink, Inc. getting stuck in this match. They should be in a bigger better match. Chasing the gold like usual, but, no, they’re wasted here. But maybe not. Maybe they can save this match. But probably not. We all know CrimSteiner will win.

Winner: Crimson & Scott Steiner

Nick Bazar: I like the Crimson/Scott Steiner pairing- it makes good use of both guys at this point of their careers. Steiner is a veteran who can help a young guy like Crimson get acclimated. While I still think London Brawling could have been a great addition to the tag division, the return of the British Invasion is a fine replacement. Orlando Jordan and Eric Young have run their course as a team, and Ink Inc. are showing signs of a break-up (although, Vince Russo being anywhere near a tag team could be seen as a sign of a break-up). Basically what I’m saying is that it’s between Crimson/Steiner and the Brits.

Winner: British Invasion

Colin Rinehart: I die a little inside every time OJ and EY get PPV time. I fully expect Ink Inc to win here and continue their feud with Beer Money. Match should be the usual total mess.

Winner: Ink Inc

Michael Ornelas: No Buy

Winner: Ink, Inc.

Steve Cook: I bet Scott’s real happy he came back for this. Hopefully he’ll go on an expletive-laced tirade against somebody real soon, and it’ll be on camera. EY & OJ are a joke, Ink Inc. is an afterthought, and Crimson/Steiner probably isn’t a long-term tag team. When in doubt, go with the actual tag team that’s actually won gold before.

Winner: Magnus & Williams

Chad Nevett: This could be a decent match. I like the teams involved and there are some interesting dynamics with Moore and Neal somewhat on the outs, while also feuding with Crimson and Steiner. The reunited British Invasion SHOULD win, because they’re the only tag team that anyone would buy as a threat against Beer Money until the Motor City Machine Guns return. I do expect some fun antics from Eric Young, though.

Winner: The British Invasion

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: The British Invasion over Ink, Inc., Steiner & Crimson, and Young & Jordan [4-2-1-0]

Wes Kirk: Now THIS is going to be a treat. Most of the men involved are excellent in X division matches and this promises to be the spotfest that Money in the Bank used to be for Mania. The field can be whittled down to the Bucks, Kendrick, and Sabin considering recent events and out of that, considering we have a face champion, one move makes sense.

Winner: Max Buck

Aaron Frame: FINALLY, the X-Division has COME BACK…to TNA. But the X-Division says this, we’re not going to stick around very long because TNA doesn’t know how to book us. But the X-Division promises to bring the very best and the smackdown will be laid on ALLLLL their candy asses if ya smelllllll what the X-Division is cooking.

Winner: Jay Lethal

Nick Bazar: We all know what kind of match to expect here, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Even if the X-Division isn’t the main interest of TNA anymore, it still provides a distinct separation from the WWE. They seem to be high on Max Buck right now, so I say he’s the easy pick.

Winner: Max Buck

Colin Rinehart: I believe this is the first X-Division Xscape match since they changed to the four sided ring and changed the cage design. Should be the usual chaotic spotfest, I expect about 10 minutes of good fun out of this. I’m getting the feeling one of the Bucks will win.

Winner: Max Buck

Michael Ornelas: Buy

Winner: Hmm….Brian Kendrick

Steve Cook: I didn’t know most of these guys were still with the company. Who’s playing Suicide now that Daniels & Kazarian are playing themselves? Is Generation Me really breaking up, and how can they possibly expect us to care about Max or Jeremy by themselves when we haven’t had a chance to care about them as a tag team? This will be your typical X-Division multi-man clusterfuck, so your thoughts on it will depend on whether you like this style of wrestling or not. As for a winner, I’m going to go with the guy who’s tag team partner is nowhere to be seen and has history with some members of Fortune.

Winner: Chris Sabin

Chad Nevett: Predicting one of these matches is just insane. It could be any of these guys. This could be a pretty awesome match or one that just dies. If only because escaping a cage doesn’t lend itself to the X-Division style as much as other matches. I’ll go with Max Buck because he’s the only one that’s had any sort of story built around him.

Winner: Max Buck

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: Max Buck over Jay Lethal, Brian Kendrick, Chris Sabin, Jeremy Buck, Suicide, Amazing Red, and Robbie E. [4-1-1-1-0-0-0-0]

Wes Kirk: An emotional story, Angle and Jarrett have had legitimate heat with each other and are acting out some of their feelings on camera. A lot of people will complain it is worthless drama, but it builds interest in seeing Angle finally get his revenge against a defiant and cowardly Jeff Jarrett. Not even the legendary MMA fighter (coughcough) himself will be able to stop the Blue Eyed Wrestling Demon on this night.

Winner: Kurt Angle

Aaron Frame: This has gone on long enough. Hopefully this Sunday will be the blow off match for these two but I highly doubt it. Somehow they’re going to find a way to stretch this horrible feud another month. And then another month. And then another until Kurt Angle drinks himself in to a coma because even he knows it’s horrible.

Winner: Jeff Jarrett

Nick Bazar: Sure, this feud had been a little tacky at times. It has taken up quite a bit of TV time; sometimes too much. But the matches have been very good and they have been able to stretch it out to about five months now. It’s not something we see very often in wrestling these days, so TNA should be commended for that. However, if it continues after Lockdown, I will take back my congrats. Please, give Kurt Angle the win and finish it off on a good note.

Winner: Kurt Angle

Colin Rinehart: And we arrive at the main selling point of the entire PPV for most of us. After Angle’s incredible match against Mr. Anderson at last year’s Lockdown, you know he’s going to want to try and live up to the standard he set for himself. These two have always had good chemistry together, and with the addition of the 2/3 Falls stipulation, this should easily be the match of the show and could wind up being a TNA Match of the Year candidate when all is said and done.

Winner: Kurt Angle

Michael Ornelas: Buy

Winner: Kurt Angle

Steve Cook: The reason I’m looking forward to this match is pretty simple…Angle & Jarrett are good pro wrestlers. I’ve tuned out the build-up because the storyline went to crap a month or two ago. Doesn’t matter, this will be a top contender for Match of the Night and might make me happy I went to this show. Angle gets the win to end the feud.

Winner: Kurt Angle

Chad Nevett: Thank god this feud is ending. This should be a good match, especially with the two-out-of-three falls stipulation added. I would love to see Angle take it in two straight falls since this ending via escape wouldn’t be as strong as a submission win.

Winner: Kurt Angle

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: Kurt Angle over Jeff Jarrett [6-1]

Wes Kirk: The first time I saw Lethal Lockdown was at Bound for Glory last year and I LOVED it. This match promises to have some great moments with great performers in this type of contest such as Abyss, Ray, and all of Fortune. Immortal is a powerful group, however, and Daniels might be persuaded to jump ship. But, I don’t think it will happen on this night.

Winner: Fortune

Aaron Frame: I really wish Ric Flair would wrestle in a shirt. The big Immortal vs. Fortune clash and I have a feeling AJ Styles will show up for this saving it from…well, mediocrity. This line up doesn’t look too bad, but it’s far from good. Just too much difference in style for it to be a good WRESTLING match.

Winner: Immortal

Nick Bazar: The build-up to this match has been classic Heel Stable vs. Face Stable stuff. From the bloody beat downs and heated exchanges, to the Impact-closing, highly inspired babyface revenge promos, this has had it all. I really look forward to seeing both teams settling things inside the steel, so mission accomplished with this viewer.

Winner: Fortune

Colin Rinehart: The annual Lethal Lockdown match. Hopefully this will be better than the total mess of a Lethal Lockdown match that was on last year’s show. I’m very excited to see Daniels back on PPV, but my goodness are he and Fortune going to have to carry the Immortal team all through this. Should be a decent hardcore match.

Winner: Fortune

Michael Ornelas: Maybe Buy

Winner: Fortune

Steve Cook: Wrestling Logic 101 says that since Daniels, Kazarian & Storm all got sacrificed at the altar of Immortal heading into the PPV & Fortune will be operating at a disadvantage, that they would defy the odds and defeat the sinister Immortal in Lethal Lockdown. You’d think that, but then you remember that WCW delighted in beating their babyfaces down into nothingness and then were surprised when the fans stopped caring about their favorites. Did anybody involved learn anything from this? I’m guessing not. On the bright side, everybody on Fortune is a solid hand & the men making up Immortal are best utilized in over-booked cluster matches with lots of plunder like this one will be. So it should be fun to watch. One thing to watch for: Will AJ Styles make an appearance? I don’t know of him having any legitimate injuries, so there’s an outside chance he could show up to help his friends win. If not, I see Immortal getting built up more so somebody else can beat them down the road. Theoretically.

Winner: Immortal via Hardy’s submission hold that looks like something I saw in the Kama Sutra

Chad Nevett: This one could really go either way. I’m curious who they’ll have start it. Daniels and Ray would be my choice to play up their animosity. With Immortal getting the advantage, Ric Flair coming in second to play up his anger at Daniels/not knowing who he is would be good. I just hope they don’t have AJ Styles make a surprise return, because… well, couldn’t he have just wrestled in this match then? Sadly, I don’t think TNA considers things like that. Fortune for the win.

Winner: Fortune

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: Fortune over Immortal [5-2]

Wes Kirk: Madison Rayne has been made to look like the top knockout, by hook or by crook, in her matches on Impact. After defeating Mickie with a little assistance from Tara, Mickie demanded one last shot and puts her hair on the line. Rayne has had a wonderful run with the Knockouts title, but hardcore country has no room for bald women.

Winner: NEW Knockouts Champion: Mickie James

Aaron Frame: These two chicks can wrestle better than some of the guys TNA has under employ, so I would have to say this could be a decent match. Never thought I would say that about a womans match. Would be interesting to see a bald Mickie James. Bet she’ll still be hot.

Winner: Madison Rayne

Nick Bazar: I really felt this should have ended last month, but I can see why they wanted to extend it into Lockdown. It wouldn’t have made sense to throw either Madison Rayne or Mickie James in there with anyone else at this point. Luckily, the Title vs. Hair stipulation all but confirms that James will finally become Knockout Champion and put an end to this longwinded feud.

Winner: Mickie James

Colin Rinehart: Not sure I could care less about this feud if I even tried. They’ve put off Mickie winning the title in the blow-off for months and months, so finally this feud should end here. Thank goodness too, because Rayne (while a good talker) is absolutely atrocious in the ring and might just be one of the worst workers in the entire company. Put the belt on Mickie and have her feud with Winter or Tara, we’d actually get some good matches.

Winner: Mickie James

Michael Ornelas: Long Overdue…and No Buy

Winner: Mickie James

Steve Cook: Unless the bald look is suddenly “in” among country musicians, there’s no chance in Hades that Mickie is losing this. Which is too bad because I like Madison quite a bit more. I’m not sure I like her enough to want to see Mickie James bald, though. I bet she’d look pretty weird.

Winner: Mickie James

Chad Nevett: Mickie James ain’t getting shaved. I expect Tara to turn on Madison Rayne.

Winner and NEW Knockouts Ladies Champion: Mickie James

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: Mickie James over Madison Rayne [6-1]

Wes Kirk: Three of the most popular guys in TNA fighting a triple threat inside a cage to determine who the true champion will be walking out. Sting has reason to be worried, as RVD has several victories over him, and Anderson has been leaving him lying more times than not. RVD knows Sting and Anderson have beaten him down before, and Anderson knows what RVD is capable of, but has yet to face Sting for the belt one on one. This is tough to call, but I’m leaning towards Anderson to feud him with Immortal over the gold.

Winner: NEW TNA World Champion: Mr. Anderson…ANN-DERRR-SON!

Aaron Frame: This should be a pretty good match. All three men know how to work and work the crowd in to a frenzy in a match. Sting came in and beat Jeff for the belt. RVD lost his belt due to injury. Mr. Anderson hasn’t had his rematch yet. It’s up in the air who wins this one, but I think they’ll put it back on Kenny because he’s kind of the Stone Cold of TNA right now.

Winner: Mr. Anderson

Nick Bazar: I’m especially excited to watch this match after reading Sting’s interview about wanting to wash the Victory Road stank off of him with a stellar main event here. I believe he truly wants to deliver something special at Lockdown, and has seemed motivated since his return. Triple Threat matches typically tend to hide the weaknesses of competitors, so I expect these guys can produce something entertaining. While Mr. Anderson might be an obvious pick here, I’ll go out on a limb and have Sting retain by pinning RVD to set up a one-on-one match with Anderson next month.

Winner: Sting

Colin Rinehart: This freaking match. Triple threats in TNA are usually pretty fun, but I expect this match is going to flat out suck, much like the RVD-Anderson matches over the last few months have. Sting can barely even more in the ring anymore, Anderson has become the single most annoying man in wrestling, and RVD has seemed totally unmotivated since the Abyss feud ended. I wouldn’t be shocked to see RVD or Anderson turn heel here either. I mean, it’s been what, 4 months since our last heel turn? That’s far too long by TNA standards.

Winner: Mr. Anderson

Michael Ornelas: Maybe Buy

Winner: Sting

Steve Cook: Sting knows that he needs this match to be great in order to prove himself as still being a worthy champion in 2011. Will it be? Not if RVD & Anderson perform like they did at Victory Road, where they had a few exchanges that looked worse than anything we’ve seen on Tough Enough. I don’t expect either man to show up like Jeff Hardy did last month, so this should be a step up from TNA’s last PPV main event. I mean, I wouldn’t be shocked if RVD was high, but he’s proven to be a well-functioning stoner in the past. Anderson being drunk would explain a lot about his promos, as I know a few people who are reduced to uttering nothing but obscenities after a few beers. Regardless, I figure Immortal/Hulk Hogan will be involved in this somehow and somebody will be turning heel. Just for the heck of it, I’m going to pick the least likely guy to turn. Why not?

Winner: Sting

Chad Nevett: The real question: how will Hulk Hogan and Immortal be involved in this match? I think there needs to be a turn here just so Immortal gets a main event talent. Why not Sting? Sure, it makes no sense, but Immortal already has Ric Flair, so the whole ‘making sense’ bit went out the window a long time ago. Turn Immortal into the faction with all the old guys who just won’t quit. It fits the name. I’m just looking forward to Mr. Anderson shutting the fuck up about his damn rematch.

Winner and STILL TNA World Heavyweight Champion: Sting

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: Sting over Mr. Anderson and Rob Van Dam [4-3-0]

Wes Kirk: If you told me six months ago that the so-called biggest PPV of the year from WWE would comprise a fourteen minute match between announcers, two extremely short multi-person matches, and Miz beating John Cena in the main event, I would have laughed in your face. But the laugh was on anybody buying Mania as it turned out. Lockdown has the potential for several highly rated matches, including Xscape, Lethal Lockdown, and the world title triple threat. Mickie vs Madison will likely be good, and Pope/Joe could be a sleeper hit if given the proper time and booking. This could be a very good PPV from the looks of the card, something I couldn’t say two weeks ago. Also keep in mind TNA will be looking to make up for a problematic Victory Road main event and will likely do whatever is possible to ensure you get your money from every match.

Buy or No Buy: Definite Buy!

Aaron Frame: Not a good card. Not a chance I would pay money for it. I would, however, go to a bar and watch it for free while downing beers and shots to make it a little more entertaining than it actually will be. But I’m pretty sure that it’ll take a lot of rum to do that. And to make a point: after last month’s PPV main event fiasco, I don’t know if I would trust giving TNA my money yet. Not until I know they’ll provide the goods as promised.

Buy or No Buy: No buy.

Nick Bazar: Most years, the main complaint about Lockdown is that many of the matches don’t warrant the steel cage stipulation. They throw in a bunch of people who just started feuding into a cage simply because it’s that time of the year. This year, things are a little different. A good portion of the feuds heading into Lockdown have gone on long enough to deserve a steel cage blow-off. It doesn’t seem too sudden or inorganic. I think TNA should get some credit for seeing a number of feuds through with long-term booking heading into one of their biggest shows of the year.

Buy or No Buy: Buy

Colin Rinehart: There are definitely some matches on the card that have me intrigued and should deliver for fans purchasing this PPV, but there’s also a fair amount of bad match-ups here as well. Still, Angle vs. Jarrett alone seems to be the main selling point of the show, and TNA seems to realize that, so if you’re just looking for a nice PPV with a few good matches and one potentially incredible one, this show looks like it’s worth your time and money. For once.

Buy or No Buy: Buy

Michael Ornelas: No Buy (x3), Maybe Buy (x3), Buy (x3). This show’s success in my eyes is directly related to whether or not the Maybe Buys deliver. We’ll see.

Buy or No Buy: …well I guess it averages to Maybe Buy.

Steve Cook: I’ve had pretty much the same thoughts about TNA for the last couple of years. They have the talent and the potential to put on good shows. The writing usually gets in the way, and guys who had potential at one point eventually stop caring. Lockdown is usually a pretty solid show because the stuff on top like the Lethal Lockdown & the Angle match deliver. I think that trend continues this year as Angle vs. Jarrett & Fortune vs. Immortal should both be good to great matches depending on booking. The World Title Triple Threat could go either way. James vs. Rayne depends on if we get Good Mickie or Bad Mickie. Madison can work with Good Mickie, but Bad Mickie will be tough for her to carry. The rest of the card is quite irrelevant, and if you get one or two good matches out of that you’re getting pretty good value.

Buy or No Buy: I guess I have to say BUY because I bought a ticket for it. Wish my friend had waited until closer to the show when they’d be cheaper to make the purchase, but such is life.

Chad Nevett: The card is very hit or miss, and I’m not a fan of the Lockdown concept. But, there are some potentially great matches on the card: the X-Division match, Angle/Jarrett, Fortune/Immortal, and the world title match. I honestly want to know what happens in those.

Buy or No Buy: Buy… just barely

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: Buy over No Buy and Maybe Buy (damn you, Ornelas!) [5-1-1]

There you have it folks. And now for the monthly Roundtable awards…the 411Mania staff’s sure pick of the show and anyone’s game match!

Sure Pick of the Show: Samoa Joe over the Pope [7-0]
Anyone’s Game: Matt Morgan over Hernandez [4-3]; The British Invasion over Ink, Inc., Steiner & Crimson, and Young & Jordan [4-2-1-0]; Max Buck over Jay Lethal, Brian Kendrick, Chris Sabin, Jeremy Buck, Suicide, Amazing Red, and Robbie E. [4-1-1-1-0-0-0-0]; Sting over Mr. Anderson and Rob Van Dam [4-3-0]

And of course…the standings Year-to-Date! Both Nick Bazar and Michael Ornelas went seven-for-eight at Victory Road, missing out on the Anderson/RVD double countout. Jeremy Thomas and Aaron Hubbard got six and five respectively, while Michael Weyer and myself only batted .500.

Steve Cook: 7 of 10 (70%)
Robert S. Leighty Jr: 11 of 16 (68.75%)
Kyle Fitta: 6 of 9 (66.67%)
Andy Critchell: 6 of 9 (66.67%)
Nick Bazar 35 of 56 (62.5%)
Michael Ornelas: 25 of 40 (62.5%)
Larry Csonka: 15 of 24 (62.5%)
Benjamin Waller: 5 of 8 (62.5%)
Mathew Sforcina: 5 of 8 (62.5%)
Aaron Hubbard: 15 of 25 (60%)
Jeremy Thomas: 26 of 44 (59.09%)
Wes Kirk (Black Scorpion): 10 of 17 (58.82%)
Ronnie LaFianza: 15 of 26 (57.69%)
Michael Weyer: 34 of 60 (56.67%)
Chad Nevett: 43 of 76 (56.58%)
Greg DeMarco: 9 of 17 (52.94%)
Michael Bauer: 4 of 9 (44.44%)
Tony Acero: 3 of 9 (33.3%)

With their impressive predictions last month, Ornelas and Bazar jump up in the standings to a tie for fifth and Thomas rose a little, while Hubbard, Weyer, and myself all fell. Steve Cook still stands atop the rank and, after much mockery, finally defends his spot this month. Will it cost him the lead? We’ll see come Sunday.

And, of course, don’t forget to join 411’s Larry Csonka on Sunday night for LIVE coverage starting at 7:30 pm!