The steel cage is not a backdrop in Lockdown's format. It is the match condition for the entire card, removing disqualification finishes and ringout saves and leaving only pin, submission, or cage exit as resolution paths. TNA last ran Lockdown as a pay-per-view in 2014 and last staged the event at all in 2016. It returns Sunday at Credit Union Arena in Chicago on TNA+, starting at 5 p.m. ET. Pre-show matches stream free on TNA's digital platforms.
Five championships on the line
The Hardys carry the TNA World Tag Team Championship into this match in their fifth reign, having held the belts since Slammiversary in June. Their opponents are the Nemeth brothers. Nic Nemeth already holds the TNA World Championship; a Nemeth win here would give him two title belts simultaneously. The Knockouts World Tag Team Championship is contested under open-partner conditions: Allie defends with an unannounced partner after Rosemary went to the shelf injured. Allie and Rosemary, competing as DemonXBunny, took the titles from the Elegance Brand at Slammiversary.
The TNA International Championship match has the clearest recent arc. Jason Hotch dethroned Mustafa Ali for the belt on an episode of Impact, and Ali has since made the rivalry personal in his push for a rematch. The X Division Championship carries a history stipulation: if Leon Slater loses to champion Cedric Alexander, Slater's previous X Division reign will be deleted from TNA's record books. Alexander won the belt from Slater, ending Slater's bid to become the longest-reigning X Division champion in company history. Xia Brookside closes the card defending the Knockouts World Championship against Elayna Black in Black's hometown.
Lethal Lockdown, the multi-competitor cage format that last ran 10 years ago, returns with The System (Eddie Edwards, Brian Myers, Bear Bronson, and Alisha Edwards) opposing a team of Ricky Sosa, Fabian Aichner, KC Navarro, and Jada Stone. Frankie Kazarian and Moose meet in an Escape the Cage bout, their first meeting despite both having spent years on the TNA roster. Francis and Elijah, whose feud crossed from Elijah's music career into the ring, settle their "Final Encore" inside the cage.
TNA announced Saturday that Avery Styles, son of A.J. Styles, will appear at Lockdown. Styles has started his career with appearances in Game Changer Wrestling. His specific role at the event has not been disclosed.