Lockdown is one week away on Sunday, August 23 from Chicago, IL. With the frequency of moves shuffling the roster, TNA is pushing young blood to fill those open spots. Leon Slater, Ricky Sosa, KC Navarro, and Jada Stone are at the top of that list. They will be facing those crusty gatekeepers known as the System. Keep in mind that every match will be inside a steel cage for this PPV.
The updated lineup for Lockdown includes:
- TNA World Tag Team Championship: Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Nic Nemeth & Ryan Nemeth
- Knockouts Championship: Xia Brookside (c) vs. Elayna Black
- X-Division Championship: Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Leon Slater (If Slater loses, then his previous reign will be erased from the record books)
- TNA International Championship: Jason Hotch (c) vs. Mustafa Ali
- Knockouts Tag Team Championship: Rosemary & Allie (c) vs. Elegance Brand
- Lethal Lockdown: Eddie Edwards, Brian Myers, Bear Bronson, & Alisha Edwards vs. Ricky Sosa, KC Navarro, Fabian Aichner, & Jada Stone
- Moose vs. Frankie Kazarian (escape the cage)
- Elijah vs. AJ Francis
Granted, the main event isn’t the fountain of youth with the Hardys and Nemeths,
but they have taken a few dips in the lake of reincarnation to stay hot with the fans. The youth push comes on the under card.
Even since the System branded themselves as the gatekeepers of TNA, young blood is stepping up to take their spots. Leon Slater tied the record for longest reign with the X-Division Championship only to lose the title to Cedric Alexander on the potential record-breaking night. Despite that loss, TNA continues to feature Slater as a superstar on the rise. With rumors of exiting as a free agent down the line, it would have been easy for TNA to keep Slater treading water. Instead, TNA is positioning Slater to achieve redemption. After that, the sky is the limit.
The rest of the System may have bitten of more than they can chew by trying to bully the fresh faces. Ricky Sosa, KC Navarro, Fabian Aichner, and Jada Stone banded together to watch each other’s back. Their bond is a mutual hatred for the System. When weapons were brought to the ring, Santino Marella directed his authority to make this a Lethal Lockdown fight, which is similar to War Games.
Jason Hotch shocked the Impact Zone with the upset win to take the TNA International Championship from Mustafa Ali. This is Hotch’s chance to prove that wasn’t a fluke. Xia Brookside put in quality work to earn her run as Knockouts champion, and she puts the title on the line against Elayna Black. Chicago is Black’s hometown, so keep an eye peeled for a title change. No matter who wins that one is keeping with the fresh face vibe. Not to mention the rise of Heather and M in the Knockouts Television Championship tournament. For Lockdown, their focus will be on regaining the tag titles.
A fresh wind of talent is blowing through the Impact Zone, and it is making for an interesting PPV. The excitement for this youth push could be flushed depending on the results at Lockdown. I’ll stay optimistic in thinking this show will be a great way for the young blood to establish themselves on the roster.
Share your thoughts about the card for TNA Lockdown. Are you enjoying the youth push in recent weeks? Do you think it will last past the PPV?
