Elayna Black Reflects On Bloody TNA Lockdown Cage Match

TNA Knockouts star Elayna Black recently looked back on her brutal steel cage match against Xia Brookside at TNA Lockdown, detailing the severe physical aftermath of the bloody encounter and revealing how she tricked fans regarding her debut.

Black challenged Brookside for the TNA Knockouts Championship in her hometown of Chicago last month. Despite coming up short in a bloody war inside the cage, Black expressed pride in the performance during an appearance on the I Love Wrestling podcast.

“Feeling Like I Got Hit By A Truck”

Speaking on her physical recovery, the 25-year-old performer admitted that the brutality of the steel cage left its mark for weeks:

“I’m feeling good now. You know, it was like two weeks of feeling like I got hit by a truck. But we’re finally, finally on the ups,” Black shared. “I had a spa day, a little massage. Obviously had to wash my hair excessively and get rid of all the blood. But, you know, we’re here. We’re moving on and moving up.”

Despite missing out on winning the Knockouts title in front of her friends and family, Black remains confident in her long-term trajectory in TNA:

“Obviously I would have loved to come back out of Lockdown with the title. Number one, being in my hometown in front of all my friends and family, and number two, that’s been my goal from day one in TNA, to win the Knockouts title,” she stated. “So obviously that would have been great, but I’ve said it before. It’s my first year in TNA, I’m 25 years old. I have no doubt that that title will be mine.”

Black added that the match proved a point to fans who may have doubted her intensity:

“I think Xia and I — despite my feelings about her — I think we really put it all out there, and I think we put on a great show… I think it was maybe a different side of me that people haven’t seen or, you know, kind of have doubted me and maybe didn’t think I had it in me.”

Playing Along With Fake Retirement Rumors

Elsewhere in the interview, Black revealed how she guarded the secrecy surrounding her TNA debut on the company’s AMC premiere.

After initially announcing a temporary break from professional wrestling, internet rumors quickly spun the announcement into a full retirement. Rather than constantly correcting fans, Black decided to play along once her TNA signing was finalized:

“I had known for a few months prior that I was going to debut on the AMC premiere, but everyone kind of — because I said I was taking a break. You know how the internet is. They take one thing and run with it or twist it or whatever the case may be,” Black said.

She admitted that she leaned into the misunderstanding during public interactions to preserve the surprise:

“At first it bothered me because I’m like, ‘Do you not read? Like I said, I was taking a break. I didn’t say I was retiring.’ But then it got to the point kind of where I was like, when I knew I was coming to TNA and I knew I was coming back, that I kind of just started to run with it because I didn’t want anyone to know.”

“So when people were coming up to me at meet and greets and asking why I retired and/or tweeting me or whatever the case may be, I was just kind of running with it… I was like, you know, ‘Yeah, sure, I’m retired, whatever,’ because I knew that I was going to be coming to TNA in January and having my debut on AMC. So I think it came off great. I think everyone was truly surprised, which is what I wanted.”