TNA Wrestling announced today that Lockdown, the event in which every single match takes place inside a steel cage, will return on Sunday, August 23. It will air live worldwide on PPV from Credit Union 1 Arena in downtown Chicago. This return marks TNA’s first Lockdown event since 2016, and the company’s first-ever show at the history-filled arena. The 2026 Lockdown is TNA’s first live event held at the venue formerly known as the UIC Pavilion, an on-campus arena steeped in pro wrestling history.
TNA held Lockdown annually from 2005 through 2016. The final event took place at Wembley Arena in London. Matt Hardy defeated EC3 in a steel cage to capture the TNA World Championship in front of a sold-out international crowd. The 2026 Chicago edition marks the event’s long-awaited return.
Relive @bullyray5150 vs. @JEFFHARDYBRAND for the TNA World Heavyweight Title at #TNALockdown 2013 in ITS ENTIRETY!
Watch every LIVE PPV, #TNAiMPACT & #TNAXplosion, plus the full TNA archive — only on TNA+!
Subscribe annually & save up to 30%: https://t.co/EkIqqcuYSK pic.twitter.com/79Ma8wsLLu
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) May 3, 2025
Full match card details for TNA Lockdown will come this summer. Confirmed to appear are: Jeff & Matt Hardy (The Hardys), Nic Nemeth, Mustafa Ali, Moose, AJ Francis, Mike Santana, Steve Maclin, Brian Myers, Eric Young, and Leon Slater, among others. The TNA Knockouts Division will also be featured prominently, with Ash By Elegance, Tessa Blanchard, Elayna Black, Indi Hartwell, and others scheduled to compete inside the cage.
“One of professional wrestling’s most iconic and feared events is back.”
TNA Wrestling debuted Lockdown in 2005. It was the first pro wrestling pay-per-view in which every match happened inside a steel cage. The event quickly became one of TNA’s three flagship annual events, alongside Slammiversary and Bound for Glory. The inaugural Lockdown featured A.J. Styles vs. Abyss and introduced the Lethal Lockdown match, TNA’s signature take on the classic WarGames match.
In this Lethal Lockdown, two teams enter the cage one by one, alternatively. The full-enclosed, weapon-laden cage remains unlocked until all competitors have entered. Memorable Lockdown main events over the years included Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle, Sting vs. Mick Foley, and a series of epic Lethal Lockdown battles.
Looking for some wrestling to watch tonight? Check out the first ever Knockouts Lethal Lockdown match on the February 23rd, 2016 episode of IMPACT on @IMPACTPlusApp.
WATCH: https://t.co/4XnTYQKUgT pic.twitter.com/ThIrF9SPM5
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) October 31, 2019
Other matches featured at TNA Lockdown were the Xscape Match, an X-Division exclusive bout. In a multi-stage, multi-wrestler competition, wrestlers eliminated each other by pinfall or submission. Once the competition was down to two wrestlers, the two remaining competitors attempted to escape the cage by climbing out over the top or through the door. The second stage of this match was based on escaping the cage.
Introduced in 2008, the Queen of the Cage match was held during two TNA Lockdown shows. It featured the TNA Knockouts in a reverse battle royal involving eight wrestlers. The first two wrestlers who entered the cage then competed in a one-on-one match, with a pinfall or submission win. The winner became the number one contender for the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship. In 2009, the match turned into a four-way.
TNA Lockdown ticket pre-sale begins Wednesday, April 22, at 10 AM ET. The general public on-sale begins Friday, April 24, at 10 AM ET. Fans can sign up for priority alerts at TNAWrestling.com.
