For the first time in a decade, TNA Wrestling held one of its biggest events in history, “Lockdown.” The event took place at Credit Union 1 Arena in one of the top wrestling cities in the United States: Chicago, IL. For the first time, every single match on the night was held inside a Steel Cage. The main event of the show saw The Nemeths, the TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth and his little brother Ryan Nemeth, face off with the TNA World Tag Team Champions, Matt & Jeff, The Hardy Boys for the titles. Nic Nemeth sought to become the first TNA wrestler since Kurt Angle in 2006 to be the TNA World Champion and one half of the TNA World Tag Team Champions at the same time. But the Nemeths had a tall task to make that happen.

We also saw a number of other incredible bouts on Sunday. Cedric Alexander put his TNA X-Division Championship on the line against the former champion Leon Slater in a very personal match. The System’s Eddie Edwards, Brian Myers, Bear Bronson, & Alisha Edwards competed in a Lethal Lockdown match against Ricky Sosa, Fabian Aichner, KC Navarro, & Jada Stone; Xia Brookside put her TNA Knockouts Championship on the line against Elayna Black; Jason Hotch put his TNA International Championship on the line against Mustafa Ali; and so much more. So, what were the top three moments of the night?

Honorable Mention(s): Avery Styles Signs With TNA Wrestling/Kiera Hogan Returns to TNA Wrestling

In one of the most exciting moments of the night, we saw Avery Styles make his way out to the entrance ramp. Following the Ali-Hotch match, Styles had a big announcement. He said that his father, AJ Styles, started in TNA and wouldn’t be the man he is without TNA Wrestling. Avery continued, saying that he would not be the man he is going to be without TNA Wrestling, and announced that he had signed with the company. While he may have big shoes to fill, it’s going to be a ton of fun seeing another Styles make their mark in TNA Wrestling. We all know how it turned out for AJ Styles; can lightning strike twice with Avery? Only time will tell. But Styles wasn’t the only name to surprisingly show up.

We also saw the return of Kiera Hogan to TNA Wrestling. Hogan was one half of the first TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions with Tasha Steelz, since the belts returned. She made her return to partner with Allie as the two put Allie and Rosemary’s TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championships on the line. It remains to be seen where Kiera Hogan goes from here, but one thing we know for sure is that she’s back in TNA Wrestling, and back with a vengeance. Look for her to continue to make a name for herself in the company that arguably started it all for her. This is going to be fun getting to see Hogan back in a TNA ring.

3. Mustafa Ali Reclaims TNA International Championship

In what could have been the best match of the night, we saw Jason Hotch put his TNA International Championship on the line against the former champion, Mustafa Ali. This is a rematch from just under a month ago, when Hotch pinned Ali in what is known as one of the best TNA Wrestling main events in history on the AMC Network. Hotch defeated his former mentor, Ali, to become the new TNA International Champion and shock the world. Unfortunately, since then, Ali pushed buttons, pushed boundaries, and simply crossed lines. He brought Hotch’s family into the fray, and all the competitive spirit went out the window for Hotch. He wanted to decimate Ali inside a steel cage.

This match was 100 miles per hour from the opening bell. Hotch came in like a man possessed and really brought the fight to Ali. Hotch came into the match with a chip on his shoulder. His athleticism and power took center stage in the early going. However, Ali isn’t one of the best wrestlers in the world for no reason. Ali is a smart wrestler and knew exactly how to change the tide in his favor. This match was simply fantastic.

Hotch jumped off the top of the cage onto Ali, who was standing in front of the announce table, sending both wrestlers crashing and burning through the table. This spot was insane. Hotch had another big spot where he hit a double stomp on Ali from the top of the cage. There was no shortcut he was willing to take. Unfortunately for Hotch, in the end, Ali hit two 450s to win the match and reclaim the TNA International Championship.

Four years ago, Jason Hotch won TNA Gut Check. He’s the first and only TNA Gut Check winner to actually hold a title in TNA. That’s a testament to Hotch’s hard work. He was a good soldier for Ali for quite some time, but recently he just bet on himself. Hotch may have come up short and lost the title back to Ali in Chicago. However, he made a statement in this one. He is no longer an afterthought. He’s one of the very best wrestlers in TNA Wrestling today, and his recent showings against Ali just solidify that. It remains to be seen where either man goes from here, but one thing we know for sure is that the TNA International Championship is in good hands with Ali, and Jason Hotch is here to stay.

2. Nic Nemeth Makes History

The main event of the night saw Matt and Jeff Hardy put their TNA World Tag Team Championships on the line against Nic and Ryan Nemeth. While this may not have been the best match of the night, it certainly was a match that had history behind it. Nic Nemeth sought to become the very first wrestler in TNA since Kurt Angle in 2006 to hold the TNA World Championship and TNA World Tag Team Championships at the same time. That’s some excellent company to be in. If Nemeth has half the career in TNA Wrestling that Kurt Angle had, we could be seeing one of the greats forming in TNA right before our very eyes.

This match was a fun tornado tag team match that saw some cool Hardy Boys spots. For example, Jeff Hardy and Nic Nemeth were fighting on the top ropes when they both lost their balance and fell groin-first on the top rope. Also, Matt Hardy hit a Twist of Fate on Ryan Nemeth, which caused him to stumble onto a table. Matt Hardy proceeded to hit an elbow drop on Nemeth and go crashing through the table. However, this spot took a lot out of Matt, leaving him a little banged up. Nic Nemeth noticed it and hit a “Danger Zone” on Matt to pin him and win the titles. This was a short but solid main event.

Nic Nemeth is officially in rare company. With this win, Nic Nemeth has officially become one half of the new TNA World Tag Team Champions. He also maintains a stranglehold on his TNA World Championship… for now. We’ll get to what happens after the match shortly, but his hold over the TNA World Championship is arguably going to have its biggest challenge to date in October. As for The Hardys, it should be interesting to see where they go from here and what rivalry they get involved with. Could we see The Hardys and The Righteous team up against a certain group who may or may not be heading to TNA? Time will tell. Buckle up, it’s about to be a wild ride.

1. Leon Slater Reclaims X-Division Championship, Chooses Option C

In one of the most personal matches of the night, we saw Cedric Alexander put his TNA X-Division Championship on the line against the former champion, Leon Slater. The two faced off in a Last Man Standing match. This wasn’t just a regular wrestling match, though. Slater was fighting for much more. The stipulation was that should Alexander have won, Slater and his reign would be erased from the TNA history books. This means that Leon Slater’s record-tying reign would have been stripped away and no longer acknowledged by TNA. Slater accepted, showing how far he was willing to go to get his TNA X-Division Championship back.

The match itself was an absolute banger. It started fast and had no signs of slowing down. If Slater lost, his reign would have been erased. This means that the history books would have gone from Moose to Cedric Alexander. Amazing Red would once again be recognized as the youngest TNA X-Division Champion in history. Finally, Austin Aries would have been the sole owner of the longest reign in TNA X-Division Championship history. Slater wasn’t going to go down without a fight. Slater hit three Lumbar Checks on Alexander. He followed this with the Swanton 450 to keep Alexander down and win the TNA X-Division Championship.

So there you have it, Slater remains in the record books and once again is the TNA X-Division Champion. However, what we didn’t know at that time was that Slater’s night was far from over. Following the main event, Leon Slater made his way down to the ring to confront Nic Nemeth. He announced that he was going to be cashing in his TNA X-Division Championship and exercising Option C. Slater is looking to put his name further in the TNA history books. He looks to become the youngest TNA World Champion in the history of the company. The main event of Bound For Glory 2026 is set; it will be Nic Nemeth putting his TNA World Championship on the line against Leon Slater. This one will be good.