TNA President Dixie Carter has called off plans to feature a match between Eric Young and Danny Bonaduce on the Lockdown pay-per-view. The match will still be held, but simply as a dark match for the live audience.Carter felt Lockdown was going to be a serious show and she didn't want a comedy match such as Eric Young vs. Danny Bonaduce diminishing it, which explains why the angle taped at Bonaduce's radio show a few weeks ago won't be airing on iMPACT!.
TNA received a legal letter from the attorneys from Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling a few weeks ago telling them that Bonaduce couldn't appear on the show as he was under contract to them. Following negotiations between both sides, everything has been worked out and Bonaduce will be able to work the match.
TNA Wrestling publicist Ross Forman came up with the idea in the sense they wanted a media contact in the Philadelphia market they could use locally to publicize Lockdown. TNA officials had Vai Sikahema in mind, the local NBC sportscaster who played in the NFL, including with the Philadelphia Eagles. Outside of the area, he may be best known for knocking out Jose Canseco in a celebrity boxing match last spring, and because of his involvement, they figured he wouldn't mind doing something with him. Sikahema was not interested, so Mike Tenay brought up Bonaduce's name, since he's a drive time DJ in the market on one of the major radio stations, recently did Hogan's show, and is lifelong wrestling fan. When Bonaduce was approached about working with TNA, he was thrilled and willing to do pretty much anything they asked. Everyone involved has raved about how cooperative he's been.
When Young went to shoot the angle with Bonaduce, he worked out a little with Bonaduce in the ring and told to give a report on him on the Jay Leno to Kevin Greene scale — complete athletic dud or someone who took to wrestling like a duck to water. TNA would then decide whether to make it a dark match or a pay-per-view match. Young gave Bonaduce the thumbs up so TNA officials planned on putting him on the pay-per-view, but as noted, Carter doesn't want a comedy match diminishing the event.
Despite daily mentions and buildup on Danny Bonaduce's radio show in Philadelphia, ticket sales to Lockdown have been disappointing as only 3,000 had been sold as of a week ago.
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