Ciocco’s TNA Lockdown 2026 Review

Hello, and welcome one and all to tonight’s latest PPV offering from TNA. Lockdown has officially been reinstated to the company’s calendar, and its return will be witnessed in Chicago, Illinois at the Credit Union 1 Arena! After a decade has passed, Lockdown, complete with steel cage and special match stipulations, is back on the way to Bound for Glory!

Five of the company’s titles will be on the line tonight, the X-Division Title has not ONE but TWO stipulations on it, and we will have an Escape the Cage and Lethal Lockdown match. Avery Styles, the son of the Phenomenal One AJ Styles, will make his on-screen debut for TNA. Plus, the fans in attendance will be treated to an exclusive match only for them, as AAW World Champion Joe Alonzo will defend his title against Chicago’s favorite son the Hometown Man, and if Joe wins, he will secure a TNA contract. All of this and, of course, so much more in store for us tonight!

Ordinarily, I run the Headlines! in this part of the intro (or the upfront, for the professionals), but since I already wrote a ten-page preview for Lockdown (which, if you haven’t read it yet, It’s not too late to do so!) I didn’t want to sound redundant.

So, with all of that out of the way, let’s get ready to get into the cage and experience Lockdown!

Image Credit: TNAWrestling.com

Countdown to Lockdown tidbits and thoughts

*The Hardys and the Nemeths are walking! They will be in the main event tonight, as the Hardys are defending the Tag Team Titles!
*Matt Rehwdoldt and Tom Hannifan are at ring side at the IHeart Radio desk. Tom mentions that Matt is from Chicago, and he takes a bow lol. They talk about the history in this city, and Tom gives a shoutout to Chris Bey for providing the theme song for Lockdown!
*Video package for the Jason Hotch and Mustafa Ali match. Matt even admonishes Ali for what he did. Tom mentions that Jason’s family will be here tonight.
*Gia Miller is in the crowd. She asks a fan who thinks she is very cleaver what she is looking forward to the most. The girl is wearing a Rosemary shirt and face paint, so you could imagine what her answer would be. Although she IS aware that Rosemary isn’t here, she wants Allie and her partner to kick some tail! Yeah!
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*It’s time for our first match of the evening, as the Righteous will face Rich Swann and BDE!
*For some reason, we can SEE Tom and Matt at the announce desk, but we can’t HEAR them. Not sure what’s going on there.
*Rich wanted Vincent to LOOK AT HIM. I didn’t know he was Rob Conway. Plays the piano
*Also, I was under the pretense (apparently false), that the Countdown matches also were inside the cage, but that must just be the main show matches.
*Vincent keeps screaming THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED at BDE when in reality, Vincent wanted this, because both him AND Dutch want Brandon among the many.
*Not a lot going on here. Still no audio, and BDE has been getting his ass kicked for what seems like forever. It’s also amusing hearing like ten fans scream REF YOU SUCK lol.
*Swann FINALLY gets in and cleans house of the Righteous. He seems surprised he didn’t pin Vincent off a Frog Splash.
*The Righteous trap BDE in the ring and it’s game. Not a great match, but this allows the storyline to continue on from here. **1/4
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*Shill for TNA+ incoming!
*DO YOU WANNA KNOW SOMETHING? Yes, I do WANNA KNOW SOMETHING! Why the hell is the System still here? Blah, blah, blah, you know the drill.
*Hey, Tom and Matt can now be heard. Daria Rae is here now. SHUT UP SHE’S TALKING, TOM! They discuss how strong the System is and the possibility of them going 2-0 tonight.
*Video package for the Cedric Alexander and Leon Slater X-Title match. I’m still perplexed by the Record stipulation, which may or may not be why they added the Last Man Standing stipulation as well.
*Candace Michelle is here to join the panel. She’s still got it going on body wise, but at some point, she visited Fran Drescher and The Kardashian Sisters. Apparently, she’s been working with the company going back to earlier this year, which is news to me. They ask her if she knows anything about who Allie’s partner will be, and Michelle doesn’t know, but she’s sure it will be creative.
*Back to Gia we go! She says it has been 20 years since Kurt Angle held the World Title and the Tag Team Titles, but Nic Nemeth can achieve that tonight. A fan with a Hardys shirt on says no way that happens, Hardys all the way! I mean, what else did you expect him to say?
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*Our second and final Countdown match is upon us, as Special Agent Zero will face Trey Miguel. It just dawned on me that I feel really stupid now because I mentioned how Trey can use the cage to his advantage here, but there IS no cage! D’OH!
*Trey with a really cool Spider-Man cosplay. He’s got SpiderTrey on the side in the font of the Fox Spider-man cartoon from the 90’s.
*As you would expect, Zero uses his size and strength advantage to take over from the word go. Also, again we SEE Matt and Tom at the announce table, but we don’t HEAR them. It was awkward because there was an IHeart Radio shill that probably should have had sound, but it didn’t lol.
*As I take the remains of my dinner out to the kitchen, I see Miguel was in control. Before I could even sit back down at my work hub, he was getting beat up again lol.
*Trey reverses a DVD set-up by the big man and catches him on the way down with a roll-up for the win FROMOUTTANOWHERE! I mean, what can you say? The right man one, but it was so slow and plodding. **1/2
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*Shill for TNAmerch.com!
*The panel discuss the Knockout’s Title match tonight between Champion Xia Brookside and Challenger Elayna Black. That takes us to a video package for said match.
*Back to the panel and Indi Hartwell is here! Daria keeps asking her why she is here. Indi says she is next in line no matter who wins tonight. Rae says that’s not how it works, and Hartwell says she knows it, Daria knows it, the people in Chicago know it. Indi says the decisions suck around here because Daria is making them. Rae warns her, but Indi says that they should call her Diarhea Rae. LOL! HOW CLEVER! Rae says that this is one and only warning and she stalks off.
*We get a quick advert for TNA Impact Summer before we go back to the guys. The cage has been lowered, and we see the rooftop for Lethal Lockdown is still suspended above the ring.
*Video package for the Frankie Kazarian and Moose match.
*I can’t focus on Matt and Tom when Gia is behind them inside the cage in a black dress. I will say that Matt saying that Moose doesn’t have two working brain cells caught my attention, though.
* Chicago’s own Ace Steel is here to join the guys. Still don’t care, I still see Gia in the background.
*The guys discuss the main event Tag Team Title match. Tom says that the match will be contested under tornado tag rules. Which I mean, that makes sense because how are you going to do a conventional tag team match with tag rope holding inside that cage?
*Gia hypes the obvious about the cage and really accentuates her Sandy Squirrel accent.
*Tom pops a phenomenal line about the cage, which leads into them discussing Avery Styles making his TNA debut.
*Tom lets us know that the Final Encore is going to lead off the main show, coming up next!

It’s Time for Lockdown!

An instrumental version of the Star-Spangled Banner opens the show. Interesting that they did NOT get someone to sing the song live like they have in the past.

Lockdown music video with music provided by TNA’s own Chris Bey!

The rubber match between The Drifter and the Money Man is opening the show! I’m also very disappointed that McKenzie Mitchell isn’t here, IJS.

A.J. Francis vs. Elijah

WALK WITH ELIJAH chants as Francis hits a knee strike straightaway for a two. Francis wants a Down Payment, but Elijah is like the Drifter don’t have any money. Elijah off the ropes with a head of steam and a HUGE flying clothesline! Elijah goes walking on the ropes, down to the shoulder he goes, and he adds a STUNNER for a two. Elijah to the second rope, but he is caught by Francis. AJ nearly meets the cage, but he moves and throws Elijah in face-first.

Francis throws Elijah into the cage again, and he picks up Elijah and rams him into the cage back first. Francis and Elijah to the top rope, Francis looking SUPER DOWN PAYMENT, but Elijah fights him off. Elijah cartwheels out and hits a Sunset Bomb from the top for a two. Elijah back to the top, but Francis recovers and they trade hands. BIG headbutt from Elijah sends Francis crashing to the mat. Elijah hits the Macho Man Elbow Drop for a two.

Elijah climbs all the way to the top, as Matt says this isn’t an escape the cage match. Francis heads up, but Elijah grabs his arm. He wants to Walk from the very top of the cage, but Francis has other ideas. Punches are traded to appropriate BOO-YAY reactions, Francis with a headbutt, causing Elijah to slump down. Francis leans over, but Elijah smacks his face off the cage top! SUPER SUPERPLEX FROM THE TOP BY ELIJAH!

Expressions is back! He’s pushed down the ramp in a wheelchair, and it distracts Elijah. Francis looking for the TFL, but he ends up hitting the cage. He still manages to hit the Cashout on Elijah. AJ demands the ref open the cage, but Elijah grabs him by the foot. Elijah back to his feet, he picks up Francis, The Final Note (F-5)! The cover, two count. Expressions is back on his feet! He slams the steel cage door into Elijah’s head! TFL by Francis, but Elijah kicks out at two!

Francis looking Down Payment, but Elijah escapes his grasp and climbs the cage. DRIFTER DESTROYER OFF THE CAGE! The cover, but Expressions comes flying into the cage to make the save. Expressions flips off the fans and he walks into a goozle from Elijah. He throws Expressions into the cage and hits a Harley Race knee. Low-key, Francis is seen taking a seat in the corner and watching lol. Big knee from Elijah to Francis, and Elijah plants Expressions with the Highwayman’s Farewell! That allows Francis the chance to hit Elijah with a moonsault and the Down Payment for the win!
WINNER: A.J. Francis
TIME: 13:30
THOUGHTS: The best part of this match was that I predicted the right winner. Even though this was a “rubber match”, I still don’t feel like this is going to be the end of it for these guys.
RATING: **1/2

Post-match, the Hometown Man is here in his Michael Jordan jersey! He gives Elijah a guitar, and Francis unwittingly turns around into a guitar shot from the top rope! At least AJ got ONE of his hands up lol.

Matt and Tom run down the matches for tonight.

Gia Miller is in the back with Allie, wearing a Rebel Heart shirt! Gia asks if Allie has found herself a partner to defend the titles with Rosemary missing. Allie says she has done everything she can to find Miss Rosemary, she even used a Ouija board, but after making some calls, she found herself a partner. Gia asks her who it is, and Allie says that you will find out when the match begins!

Which, hey, guess what match is next? Small world lol. Iceman is out to complain about being treated like criminals being put inside the cage. He makes jokes about the Chicago Bears and says don’t make him call the cops, the SEXY cops that is. Heather and Maggie are out in police outfits. Please arrest me, I loitered. 😉

Allie is out with both title belts, and we learn that Kiera Hogan is her mystery partner!

TNA Knockouts Tag Team Titles Match: Allie & Kiera Hogan vs. The Elegance Brand

So, this match will be contested under standard tag team rules.

Allie attacks Maggie at the bell and hits a Thesz Press for a two. Heather gets the tag, as does Hogan. Kiera ducks Heather and lands punches and a thrust kick. Neck breaker from Kiera for a two. Tag back to Allie, the Champs hit a reverse hammer throw. Kiera smacks her booty and smashes Heather, Allie with a running elbow, Kiere with the single leg dropkick. Despite all of that, it only gets the Champs a two.

The Swimmer climbs the cage to distract Paige the Ref so Maggie can hit Allie with her knight stick. Call me crazy (I know I am) but why would that be a DQ inside the cage? Is this Russo-era booking? The Brand continue the abuse of Allie, Maggie with a vertical suplex for a two. ALLIE chants as she escapes Maggie’s most dreaded chinlock only to run into a big boot. That gets Maggie a two.

Tag to Heather, who kicks Allie and applies her own most dreaded chinlock. Allie with a jawbreaker, she kicks Heather away and tags in Hogan. Maggie also gets the tag, as Kiera hits both challengers with flying axe handles. Dropkick to Maggie, hip attack to Heather, and she puts her booty into the back of Maggie’s head. Split-legged moonsault gets Hogan a two. Allie and Heather cancel each other out, and Maggie and Kiera collide as we reset.

Iceman grabs two pair of handcuffs and drops them on the floor. Both he and Mr. Elegance walk away, and Heather escapes through the cage to get the handcuffs! What a contortionist! Allie grabs her by the hair, but Heather bounces her head off the cage. Heather manages to “handcuff” Allie to the cage while Hogan deals with Maggie. Allie somehow managed to slip the handcuffs as Heather looks confused. In the meantime, we get Hogan pinning Maggie to win the match.
WINNERS: Allie and Kiera Hogan
TIME: 7:30
THOUGHTS: This match was better than anything before it so far, and I’m glad to see Hogan back in TNA. But not only did the match end from OUTTANOWHERE, but they almost missed the winning pin, and the cuff spot was not clean.
RATING: **3/4

Tom and Matt implore us to visit ALStalks.com to support Rebel aka Tanea Brooks. I love when multiple companies can put their differences aside for a bigger cause.

Video package for the next match, which will be Kazarian and Moose! Moose gets a throne entrance with the band Atlys giving his theme song a string arrangement from the stage. Frankie comes out and complains about what is going on here. Frankie decides to take a seat in the throne, much to the chagrin of the girls in Atlys.

Escape the Cage Match: Frankie Kazarian vs. Moose

Immediately, Frankie goes to escape, but Moose pulls him down. Frankie heads to the other side and climbs, but again Moose pulls him down. Frankie rakes his eyes and tries to escape through the door, but Moose is all like, “GET BACK HERE, BITCH!” Moose launches Frankie into each side of the cage. He steps out the door, but he wags his finger and tells the ref to CLOSE IT.

Moose stalks Frankie to the corner and delivers the mounted punches. MOOSE chants but said man hits the corner when Frankie moves. Frankie with some strikes, but Moose responds with a pump kick. Moose climbs the corner and hits a twisting crossbody from the top! Moose with the SPEAR! Moose walks around for a bit before hitting another SPEAR! Moose is content to walk out the door, but he notices that Frankie is giving him both birds! As MJ would say, “And I took that personally!” But Frankie uses Moose’s momentum against him and back drops him against the cage.

Frankie with more strikes, but Moose is back to his feet. Once more, Frankie uses his anger against him and throws him into the cage. Frankie tells a fan HIS MOTHER IS A WHORE and throws Moose into the turnbuckle sternum first. Snap suplex from Frankie, who tells us to BOW DOWN TO YOUR KING! Frankie takes a page out of his long-time partner’s book and hits Moose with the Angel’s Wings.

Frankie stupidly taunts Moose, and he absorbs his strikes. Moose says, “FUCK YOU MOTHERFUCKER, IS THAT ALL YOU GOT,” and he plants Kazarian with the Uranage and the back splash! Moose takes a minute before climbing the cage, but Frankie catches him with a backstabber! Moose gets his legs caught in the cage, which allows Frankie to hit his springboard leg drop! Chicken Wing attempt, but Moose throws him off. Fade to Black attempt, but Moose rolls through. Shots are thrown back and forth in the middle of the ring.

Moose says FUCK YOU and hits a pump kick to Kazarian. Frankie tries clotheslines, but he can’t knock down Moose. What does knock him down is a spinning neck breaker. Off the ropes, but Moose catches Frankie and Powerbombs him into the cage! Moose looking for the big-time lariat, but Kazarian throws all of himself into a lariat to take down the big man!

Both men decide to climb the cage now. Frankie gouges the eyes of Moose, and he makes it to the very top. Moose, though, has other ideas, as he palms Frankie by the head and brings him back over. SPANISH FLY FROM THE TOP OF THE CAGE BY MOOSE! HOL-E-SHIT! Moose crawls towards the door, but Kazarian grabs him by the foot. Moose tries to fight him off, but Frankie with a thumb to the eye. Kazarian pulls Moose back into the ring with the Slingshot CUTTER!

Kazarian is now between the ropes and the door, but Moose grabs ahold of Frankie. Moose lands some shots and backs up. SPEAR BY MOOSE TO KAZARIAN, BUT FRANKIE GOES THROUGH THE DOOR AND HITS THE FLOOR, MAKING HIM THE WINNER!
WINNER: Frankie Kazarian
TIME: 14:15
THOUGHTS: These guys worked the cage very well, and Frankie not only survived, but he managed to outsmart Moose and used his power and momentum against him. Easily the best thing we have seen so far on the show, be it Countdown or main show.
RATING: ***3/4

Video package for the Knockouts Title match incoming!

Knockouts World Title Match: Xia Brookside (C) vs. Elayna Black

The bell rings, as Xia bitches about Black’s hometown being trash. Elayna overpowers Xia at the first lock-up, and Xia is all, “HOW DARE YOU!” Black overpowers again, and Brookside says, “I GOT THE TITLE, BITCH!” That earns here a well-deserved slap to the face. Elayna off the ropes with a dropkick. Xia looks to the door, but goes after Black instead, which doesn’t work either. Flying head scissor from the challenger!

Black traps Brookside between the cage and the ropes, and she hits a running pump kick. She tries again, but Xia catches her and drops her off the cage. Running dropkick from Brookside to Black, who bounces off the cage. Another dropkick follows as we see Indi Hartwell watching on the TV in the back. Xia has a leather belt that she wraps around her fist, and she punches away on the forehand of Black, who is busted open.

Brookside uses the metal part of the belt to gouge the forehead of Black, and she licks the blood on her hand. YOU SICK FUCK chants, as Brookside uses the belt to choke out Elayna in the ropes. Xia ditches the belt and lands more punches to the head. The pin gets her a two. Xia uses her fingernails and rams them into the forehead of Black.

Xia back to the belt, as she manages to use it to tie Black to the cage. She hits a running dropkick and tells us, “THIS IS WHY I’M THE CHAMP!” Black tries to fight back, and she even gets free of the belt, but Xia grabs arm control and slides into a submission. Black throws Brookside into the ropes, but her follow-up elbow misses. Brookside stalks Black to the corner and then hits a running Meteora. That gets her a two.

Black is back to her feet, and she manages to mount some offense. Black takes Brookside to the top rope like she’s King Kong and hits an avalanche Belly-to-back Suplex! In split screen, we see Indi not looking very impressed lol. Both ladies back to their feet and a forearm battle breaks out. Xia shoves Elayna away, but Black fires off clotheslines and a double stomp!

Black pulls in Brookside and hits a Gut wrench Suplex for a two. Elayna looking Blackout, but Xia counters with a Codebreaker! Darkside connects, but Black kicks out at 2.5! Xia is in shock, and she takes it out on Elayna. The challenger hits the Blackout, but the Champion won’t go down yet!

Brookside has a handful of powder, but Black avoids it and rolls up Xia for a two. Black can’t avoid it a second time, as she throws what powder she does have left into the eyes of Black and she rolls her up for the retention!
WINNER: Xia Brookside (and still!)
TIME: 12:50
THOUGHTS: A pretty good match. I liked the emotion, the mind games, and the sheer animosity felt genuine. Oh, and Xia licking the blood was gnarly.
RATING: ***1/2

Jason Hotch and Mustafa Ali video package incoming! Order-4 make their entrance, and Ali is out in gangster gear. He has a tommy gun that he uses to shoot at the video screen. That was pretty cool. Hotch enters as per usual, and we see his wife and daughter at ring side.

TNA International Title match: Jason Hotch (C) vs. Mustafa Ali

Hotch tries to get to Ali before the bell, but the ref keeps him away. Hotch finally breaks free and ambushes Ali as the bell rings. Ali manages to roll free and he charges Hotch, but he gets his foot stuck in the cage. Hotch unloads with SUPERKICKS to Ali, who finally gets his foot out of the cage. Ali with a headbutt and a bell clap and he goes up top, but Hotch follows him up and hits an avalanche release suplex!

Hotch with a discus lariat for a two. Hotch with a tornado DDT for another two. Ali uses Jason’s momentum against him, and he trips him up in the corner. Hotch is placed on the top, Ali says, “YOU’RE DONE MOTHERFUCKER!” but Hotch isn’t done. Jason hits a piledriver from the top rope although it didn’t look like a good landing for Ali. Hotch with a Destroyer for a two.

Ali is back up and he runs the ropes and spikes Hotch with a DDT for a two. Special Agent Zerotakes the keys to the lock from the ref and he unlocks the lock and rips the chain off. Ali looks to escape, but Tasha Steelz slams the door shut! Steelz clobbers Mila Moore! Hotch accidently hits Tasha with the door, and she falls to the floor! Both Hotch and John Skyler check on her, and John carries her to the back. Ali uses this distraction to hit a Tope Suicida to Hotch on the floor!

Both men fight around the ring, and Hotch lays out Ali on the announce table. Hotch climbs the cage, but Ali springs to life and catches up to Hotch. Jason breaks Ali’s grip and Ali falls to the floor. Hotch climbs the whole way to the top, HOTCH OFF THE TOP OF CAGE AND HE SMASHES ALI THROUGH THE TIMEKEEPER’S TABLE! HOLY SHIT and TNA chants as both men can barely move.

Hotch is coughing up blood as he’s being taken away by medical staff. Ali gets to his feet, and he makes a beeline to Jason’s family. He rips the toy that his daughter has away from her, and he throws it into the ring. Moore hands Ali a lighter and he goes to set the stuffed animal on fire! HOTCH STORMS THE RING AND DOUBLE LEGS ALI! Mustafa turns the tables and he hangs Hotch upside down. He takes the belt from Hotch’s tights, and he beats him with it. I’m not sure what it is about belts two matches in a row.

Ali positions Hotch on the top rope and then up to the very top of the cage. Hotch manages to fight off Ali, who lands on his feet. DOUBLE STOMP FROM THE TOP OF THE CAGE BY HOTCH TO ALI! Somehow, that only gets him a two. Hotch picks up the stuffed animal, but he turns around into a SPEAR from Ali! Ali to the top, 450 Splash connects! The cover, but Hotch won’t die! Jason holds onto the stuffed animal as Ali stomps on him. Ali heads to the top and hits ANOTHER 450 Splash, and this time, Hotch doesn’t kick out!
WINNER: Mustafa Ali (AND NEW!)
TIME: 14:20
THOUGHTS: Pure cinema. The high-risk moves, the use of the cage, the Order-4 disorder, Ali and his mind games with Jason’s wife and daughter, it was nearly perfect. I am kind of surprised that Ali won the title back so soon, but that makes Hotch’s climb again all that more interesting.
RATING: ****1/2

Post-match, Skyler returns to bitch at Ali, Zero, and Moore before helping Hotch out of the cage. I was waiting for John to turn on him because it just felt like he would, but he didn’t.

Gia is on the ramp, and she welcomes out the Son of the Phenomenal One, Avery Styles! Interesting that he is using his dad’s ROH/NJPW theme song. Avery says that he knows how important TNA is to his family, and his father wouldn’t be where he is without TNA. So, he is happy to announce that as of this moment, he is officially signed to TNA!

The King is here! He rips the mic from Gia, and he tells Styles as the King, he wants to be the first to welcome Avery to TNA. Frankie laments how himself, Avery’s dad, Christopher Daniels, and Samoa Joe formed a pact in the locker room. Kazarian tells Styles that there are snakes in the locker room that will look to take you out because of your last name, but you can trust Frankie. Kazarian claps his shoulder and walks to the back. Well alright, then. I mean, Frankie also did this with Amazing Red when he returned at Slammiversary as well.

Video package for probably match of the night coming up next, the X-Division title match! Although, given how awesome Hotch-Ali was, this will have its work cut out for it. We get a graphic that explains the ramifications of Slater losing this match and having his title reign erased from history.

TNA X-Division Title Last Man Standing Match: Cedric Alexander (C) vs. Leon Slater

In case you weren’t aware (which you may not have been), if Slater losses, his record as X-Title Champion will be removed from TNA history. I also like how Cedric makes his entrance in all white. At least he’s well ahead of Labor Day!

The bell rings, and Slater flies towards Alexander, and the strikes get underway! Cedric wins this round, but Leon counters with a big boot and a bigger kick in the corner. Cedric takes a seat on the top, and Slater does the mounted punches. Alexander thinks he has cut Slater off, but Leon counters with a snap Rana! Slater runs into a powerslam from Alexander. Alexander stalks Slater to the corner, Slater blocks hitting the cage, but Cedric bumps into it anyway. Slater comes back with a big clothesline.

Alexander throws Slater onto the top rope, and he gets kicked in the head for his troubles. Slater continues the climb, and he wipes out Alexander with a big back elbow! Slater walks around and scowls, which allows Cedric the chance to lay in strikes. Slater wants some more, but we get a drop-step battle instead. Alexander catches Slater off the ropes and lawn darts Slater into the cage. Cedric takes time to scream at us and then at Leon to tell him that, “YOUR TITLE REIGN IS OVER!”

Slater is now busted open as Alexander looks to take advantage. Dropkick to the back of Slater’s head from Alexander. Cedric pulls up his pant leg and says, “LOOK AT ALL THAT BLOOD” and licks his thumb. Alexander with a slower version of the Kawada Kicks, but he misses the third one and Slater plants him with the Blue Thunder Bomb! Slater looks to climb the ropes, but Alexander is back and he stops Leon. Cedric tells Leon NO NO NO, and both men are sat on the top rope. Kicks from Slater, but Alexander catches the last one. AVALANCHE MICHINOKU DRIVER FROM CEDRIC!

Slater battles but he makes it back up at eight. Slater reverses Alexander with the Destroyer FROMOUTTANOWHERE! Slater smashes Alexander’s face against every side of the cage! Slater is feeling himself as we see Cedric is busted open, so Leon goes after the wound. Alexander is trapped between the cage and the ropes as Slater picks up Alexander into a torture rack. Round and around Alexander goes into Utopia! Slater looking Swanton 450, but Alexander avoids and rushes Leon to the opposite corner.

From the top they fight and continue to get higher up still. AVALANCHE TWISTING SUPERPLEX FROM SLATER! The ref counts to nine, and both men BARELY make it to their feet. They use one another to get back to their feet, which is very sweet I got to tell you lol. When they come to, Alexander slaps Slater around, but Leon comes back with the side kick and a spinning wheel kick to the back of the head. LUMBAR CHECK FROM SLATER! A SECOND ONE! A THIRD ONE! SWANTON 450 FROM LEON! Alexander has to beat the count, he stirs at eight, but he cannot make the count, and Leon’s history is secured, and he’s Champion once more!
WINNER: Leon Slater (AND NEW!!!)
TIME: 13:15
THOUGHTS: The hatred between these guys, the offense we saw with the cage and without it, and then Slater using not ONE, not TWO, but THREE Lumbar Checks on the man who uses it as his own finisher? Chef’s kiss
RATING: ****1/2

We see The Suit in the back. She’s on the phone with someone and she says she won’t let Indi talk to her like this. She tells the person she will see them on Thursday. Santino Marella runs up and says there has been another attack. We cut away to see Elijah is laid out. Daria tells Santino to figure it out since he is the DOA.

It’s time to get LETHAL!

Lethal Lockdown Match: The System vs. Fabian Aichner, Ricky Sosa, KC Navarro, and Jada Stone

Bear Bronson and Aichner will start this one off. Aichner overpowers Bronson at the start. Bronson with a German, but Aichner rolls through. Fabian with a German to Bear, but he, too, rolls through. Bronson kicks Aichner in the face, but Fabian snatches him up for the running Senton and the moonsault.

Since the System have the advantage, that means Brian Myers is out for the System. Fabian tries to fight them off but obviously that doesn’t go very well for him. Tom mentions the fact that Myers trained Bronson and they became tag Champs like we don’t already know lol.

KC Navarro is out to even the odds! He sends Bronson face-first into the cage and plants Myers with a DDT! It’s time for the next entrant for the System, and here comes Eddie Edwards! He runs down the ramp, but Navarro takes him out with a Tope Suicida! That was pretty smart, NGL. Eddie finally makes it into the ring, and the numbers game is going to be short lived, because Ricky Sosa is here for the faces!

Sosa hits a double stomp on Eddie, a CUTTER to Bronson, and a Powerslam to Myers! Everyone’s least favorite banshee is out for the fourth and final member of the System. Alisha goes to slap Sosa, he blocks it, but all of the men in the System ambush him. The Spark is out to even up the odds.

Bronson goes out of the cage to stop her, but she slides underneath him and Bronson goes rolling up the ramp. JADA CLIMBS THE CAGE AND LAYS OUT EVERYONE WITH A CROSSBODY BLOCK! The cage roof descends, Bronson slides some more weapons into the ring, and we’re told that the match officially begins. The bell rings, and I hate to say I told you so, but, I am counting ALL this time beforehand as well!

The babyfaces are the first to grab weapons, and the System pay for it. Eddie goes to climb the cage, but Aichner propels Navarro up to the top and he canes Eddie in the back! KC with a Frog Splash to Eddie, but the System make the save. Double low blow by Eddie and Alisha to Fabian. Jada assaults everyone with the cane and SUPERKICKS Bronson! Jada opens up the bag of thumbtacks and looks to drop Alisha on them, but she escapes to the corner. Stone follows up to the top, SUPERPLEX ONTO THE PILE OF TACKS! it’s worth noting that Jada suffered as many tacks as Alisha did lol.

Eddie checks on his ride-or-die, but turnabout is fair play when Fabian punches him in the nuts. Trash can shot to the head of Eddie, and Aichner heads to the top. COAST-TO-COAST TO EDDIE AND THE TRASH CAN SMACKS HIM IN THE FACE! Bronson is up with the barbwire bat, and he takes out both Aichner and Navarro. Bear Down to KC, and he sits the barbwire board in the corner. KC avoids the table, he SUPERKICKS Bronson, Sosa with the headshot, and Bronson goes through the table!

Myers with the Roster Cut to Navarro, but Sosa smacks him one. Blue Thunder Bang into the tacks! Sosa climbs up to the roof, and he grabs the spool of barbwire around his arm. BARBWIRE HEADSHOT TO MYERS! The cover, but Alisha makes the save. Eddie crowns Sosa with a Boston Knee Party from behind! Chairs are set up in the middle of the ring, EDDIE WITH A PACKAGE PILEDRIVER TO SOSA THROUGH THE CHAIRS! The pin, and the System win!
WINNERS: The System
TIME: 17:40
THOUGHTS: You never know how these kinds of matches will go, but this one featured some pretty wicked spots once the roof came down. Surprised the System didn’t go 0-2 tonight after Cedric lost, but this should push the feud towards Bound for Glory. Think Front Line against the Main Event Mafia IF the Front Line won out.
RATING: ***1/2

Ad for TNAMerch.com incoming!

The guys thank Chris Bey for providing the theme song for tonight’s show! They switch to Bound for Glory coming up on October 11th in Tampa Bay, where we will see ODB, Konnan, and Amazing Red go into the TNA Hall-of-Fame. They also announce the return of Destination-X to Edmonton on November 15th! They let us know that this Thursday’s episode of Impact is LIVE from Brampton, Ontario, Canada, where we will see the finals of the Knockouts TV Title and a tag match between Jason Hoch and Trey Miguel against Mustafa Ali and John Skylar.

It’s time for the MAIN event of the evening! Tonight’s “Matter of Fact” states that Matt and Jeff Hardy have a closer brotherly relationship than Ryan and Nic do!

TNA World Tag Team Titles Tornado Rules Match: The Hardys (C) vs. TNA World Heavyweight Champion Nic Nemeth and Ryan Nemeth

The Hardys grab a table from underneath the ring and slide it into the ring. Ryan and Nic attack at the bell, but they end up getting thrown into each other. The Hardys take off their fancy coats and titles and continue beating up on Ryan with a double back elbow and double elbow drop for a two. Nic gets fired into the corner and we get some Poetry in Motion action! The cover, but Nic kicks out at two.

The Nemeths try to climb the cage, but the Hardys give chase. Nic and Ryan slam Matt and Jeff into the cage before Nic hits Matt with the Fameasser, but Jeff makes the save. Ryan with a flatliner and Nic with the Danger zone to Jeff, but he kicks out at two. YOU BOTH SUCK chants as the Brothers Nemeth isolate and beat up Matt. Ryan mocks Jeff’s dance as Nic set up the table in the corner. Nic goes to jump Matt, but he ends up splashing Ryan instead. Matt knocks down Nic, DELETE, looking Twist of Fate on Ryan, but he avoids and we get a double clothesline.

Jeff hits a Twist of Fate to Nic, but Nemeth fires back with a SUPERKICK and they both hit the mat! TNA and HARDY chants, as everyone grabs a dance partner. Jeff tries to choke out Nic while Matt DELETES Ryan out of existence. Nic is fired into the corner, and we get a modified Poetry in Motion where Jeff smacks Nic in the face. Matt with the Side Effect into a back splash from Jeff, but Ryan saves big brother. The Champs hit Ryan with the Plot Twist, but Nic saves his younger brother.

Matt and Jeff set up the table as the fans chant for tables. Matt says there already is a table, and Tom says these are your people. LMAO! Ryan kicks Matt in the nuts and goes for the pin, but Jeff nonchalantly makes the save. The Brothers Nemeth spike Jeff with a DDT, but Matt makes the save. Nick bites the forehead of Matt, but Matt blocks the SUPERKICK and hits another Side Effect. Here comes Ryan, who kicks Matt in the head, but he eats a lariat for his troubles.

Twist of Fate to Ryan, who is set up on the table. Jeff takes the shirt off and makes the climb to the top. Jeff says no he wants to climb to the very top, but big brother saves little brother, and Nic brings Jeff back to the ropes. Both men end up hitting the top rope balls first. Matt looking for another TOF, but Ryan rolls up Matt for a two. Matt hits the Twist of Fate and he gets put back on the table again. Matt exclaims DELETE, HARDY WITH THE ELBOW DROP THAT PUTS RYAN THROUGH THE TABLE. Matt can’t make the pin because Nic hits him with the Danger Zone and we have NEW/OLD CHAMPIONS!
WINNERS: Nic and Ryan Nemeth (AND NEW!!)
TIME: 12:00
THOUGHTS: Call this match ending a surprise. Also, while I appreciate this match going on last as the main event, this match felt like it was moving in slow motion compared to the Ali-Hotch and Alexander-Slater matches. The match quality was fine, but I don’t understand the changing of the titles here because it feels like a lateral move. I mean, the Hardys didn’t drop the titles to a younger team, so it makes no sense to me. Also, both teams seemingly just spammed moves in lieu of anything that was actually creative.
RATING: ***1/4

Post-match, the Nemeth Brothers celebrate with a little bit of the bubbly, but Leon Slater is here! He says that he did what he promised to do, and we did this together. Now that he is the X-Division Champion again, he said he was going to go for bigger things yet, and as such, he is exercising Option-C! So, at Bound for Glory, he is cashing in his X-Title for a shot at the World Heavyweight Title! Ryan and Nic go to attack, but Slater leaves both of them laying as his music hits, and with that, we are done!

8.2

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

Overall, Lockdown was better as the sum of its parts than the whole product. If you don't watch anything else from this show, I IMPLORE you to check out the International and X-Division Title matches. The choice to switch the title back to Ali from Hotch was a headscratcher, but it didn't affect the match's amazing quality. With the debut of Avery Styles, the return of Kiera Hogan, and Nic as a double champion, there was a little something for everyone.