TNA Lockdown Review - August 23, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Pre-Show: The Righteous def. B.D.E. and Rich Swann

As I've said before, B.D.E. and Swann work really well together as partners and this is probably the best use of both guys for the foreseeable future. Of course, they have to actually have to win eventually, but I'd argue it was more important for The Righteous to go over here following their feud with The Hardys (which they lost). This was a nicely-paced bout from these two teams.

Pre-Show: Trey Miguel def. Special Agent 0

Considering Miguel has unfinished business with Order 4, this was a logical match to do. I'm just surprised they gave it away on the pre-show without much buildup beforehand, not to mention that Agent 0 was undefeated one-on-one coming into this contest. Of course, it wasn't completely decisive, so they could always run it back. This was fine while it lasted.

A.J. Francis def. Elijah in a Steel Cage Match

While I wouldn't have positioned this as the opener personally, at least they got it out of the way early. This match was a prime example of why not every match on this show needed to be inside of a steel cage. I know they've been feuding for months, but this didn't feel like a super heated rivalry or anything at all. To their credit, though, this exceeded expectations. Elijah stood tall afterward thanks to an assist from The Home Town Man. Hopefully that's it and we're not going to get another rematch from them.

TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champions Kiera Hogan and Allie def. The Elegance Brand (M and Heather by Elegance) in a Steel Cage Match

I was wondering where Rosemary's been, but apparently she's legitimately hurt, so she had to be replaced as Allie's tag partner. Hogan was a random choice, but it was cool to see her back in TNA after five years. She originally left for AEW, but she was quietly released from there a while ago I believe. At any rate, this was an okay match. Hogan and Allie are going to develop chemistry as a team if they're going to hold onto the tag titles for now. As for The Elegance Brand, they're very much overexposed and do not need to see the belts back on them right now.

Frankie Kazarian def. Moose in a Steel Cage Match

For as basic as this feud has been, I thought these two had one of the better cage matches on this show, largely due to their dynamic. Kazarian looked to avoid Moose at every turn and that's why the stipulation worked here. Kazarian even won in the end, albeit in what was a fluky finish with Moose spearing Kazarian through the cage door. This storyline makes sense to continue.

TNA Knockouts World Champion Xia Brookside def. Elayna Black in a Steel Cage Match

Jade has had to transition into the babyface role rather quickly for this show with it emanating from her hometown of Chicago, so this feud didn't have a ton of time to get to that next level, but I thought they put forth a commendable effort here. Black got busted open early on and that added to the sympathy. I wasn't a fan of how the finish was executed, but otherwise, I wouldn't mind them running it back at some point.

Mustafa Ali def. Jason Hotch in a Steel Cage Match to Win the TNA International Championship

As I've said before, this whole Ali and Hotch feud has been fantastic and it culminated in spectacular fashion here with both guys excelling in their respective roles. The action itself was excellent, but the drama and storytelling were especially spot on. Ali getting the belt back wasn't exactly a happy ending, but it was what needed to happen. Now the key is following up accordingly with Hotch and ensuring he doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

Frankie Kazarian Interrupted Avery Styles

Styles was already advertised for this show, so him showing up wasn't a shocker, but him announcing he's signed with the promotion was new information. I get TNA wanting to capitalize on whatever buzz he has at the moment and I'm obviously aware of his father's importance to TNA, but this seems a bit sudden considering he just started. We'll see how he does, but pairing him with Kazarian out of the gate is smart given his own history with AJ Styles. By the way, Styles using "Demi-God" as his entrance theme (AJ used it during his time in Ring of Honor) is pretty damn awesome.

Leon Slater def. Cedric Alexander in a Last Man Standing Steel Cage Match to Win the TNA X-Division Championship

Slater's record as one-half of the longest-reigning TNA X-Division Champion of all-time would have been erased from history had he lost here. Yes, it was a silly stipulation, but TNA has done dumber stuff in the past (including this year!), so I wouldn't have put it past them to do that. This was a very enjoyable outing between two terrific athletes who never cease to deliver when they're in there with each other.

The System (Eddie Edwards, Brian Myers, Bear Bronson and Alisha Edwards) def. Ricky Sosa, Fabian Aichner, KC Navarro and Jada Stone in a Lethal Lockdown Match

This was our first Lethal Lockdown match in a decade, though it didn't feel too special because we've gotten matches similar to this in TNA since then. Nonetheless, it was the hardcore war I figured it would be. Much like WWE's WarGames matches, the pacing of these things is tough because they don't fully get going until everyone is in there, but they made the most of it. The fresh faces going over would have been a great moment, but The System needed to establish themselves as more than just stepping stones as well.

The Nemeths def. The Hardys in a Steel Cage Match to Win the TNA World Tag Team Championship

It's strange this wasn't given much time despite being the main event. Perhaps they had to rush off the air. Either way, what we got was entertaining enough. The stakes didn't feel too high because who could possibly care about The Nemeths again taking the tag titles from The Hardys, but I have no complaints about the match quality. The bigger moment came afterward when Slater reemerged to inform Nic Nemeth that he's cashing in Option C to challenge him for the TNA World Championship at Bound for Glory.

Overall Show

Longtime TNA fans may be nostalgic for the Lockdown concept where every match on the main card is contested inside of a steel cage, but it does nothing for me. It just gets old as the night goes on. Even with that in mind, this was a thumbs-up event with enough meaningful matches and moments to make it worthwhile. I appreciate that we know the main event for Bound for Glory so far in advance, but now the rest of the card needs to come together organically over the next seven weeks.

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