TNA Wrestling has invited LeBron James to serve as the “Official Title Holder” for the TNA World Championship match between Nic Nemeth and Jeff Hardy on Thursday night in Philadelphia.
The company made the pitch in an announcement posted to its official website on Wednesday, less than a week after James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. TNA runs the Liacouras Center on Temple University’s campus on Thursday, July 30 and Friday, July 31, its first shows at the building in more than a decade.
“As the Philadelphia 76ers now seriously talk titles, TNA Wrestling has a major World Championship match Thursday in Philadelphia,” the release reads, signing off with “See you ringside, LeBron!”
James has not publicly responded. He agreed to a two-year, $8 million contract with the Sixers on July 24, a decision that drew a wave of civic celebration including Governor Josh Shapiro declaring a LeBron James Day in Pennsylvania.
Nemeth And Hardy Headline TNA’s Philadelphia Return
Nemeth defends the title he won from Mike Santana at Slammiversary on June 28 in Boston, the second world championship reign of his TNA run.
Hardy is chasing a fourth TNA World Championship and currently holds the TNA World Tag Team Titles alongside his brother, Matt Hardy. This is the first singles meeting between the two men with the world title at stake, and their first one-on-one match since May 2025.
The supporting card is deep. Matt Hardy faces Ryan Nemeth, Mustafa Ali defends the TNA International Championship against fellow Great Hands member Jason Hotch, and Demon Bunny defend the TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championship against The Elegance Brand.
Thursday Night iMPACT airs live at 9 PM ET on AMC, AMC+ and TNA+, with Sportsnet 360 carrying the show at 8 PM ET in Canada. TNA’s next pay-per-view is Lockdown on August 23 in Chicago.
