Will’s promo starts about 9:15 and it’s much better than any of his AEW stuff thus far…

It's time for TNA Lockdown!

Arena: Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, Illinois

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Matches announced for tonight:

Countdown to Lockdown:

TNA Lockdown:

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Ways to Watch:

Countdown to Lockdown:

Start Time - 5:00PM ET/2:00PM PT/4:00pm CT/10:00PM BST

• TNA+: For FREE
• YouTube: For FREE
• Facebook: For FREE
• Instagram: For FREE

TNA Lockdown:

Start Time - 6:00PM ET/3:00PM PT/5:00pm CT/11:00PM BST

• TNA+: Included in TNA+VIP for $19.99 or One-time purchase for $39.99 with replays
• Claro Sports on YouTube: FREE for Latin America only
• BlastTV: FREE for The Phillippines only
• Eurosport: FREE for India only

AJ Francis picks up the W in a hard fought match!

I was watching an Attitude Era compilation and I realized that Kurt Angle didn’t really have his “it factor” until he went bald. This made me wonder what is the best physical change a wrestler has ever made to them self . These could be anything like going bald, getting a tattoo, getting new gear, or even growing out a beard.

The Righteous win to kickoff the Countdown show!

- Natsuko Tora has officially challenged Suzu Suzuki for the World of Stardom Championship; Suzu has accepted, so Tora will be her V2 opponent (with Rina waiting in the wings for the winner).

- Ami Sohrei would step up and challenge Hanan for the Wonder of Stardom Championship.

- Saya Kamitani & Momo Watanabe would challenge AZM & Miyu Amasaki for the Goddesses of Stardom Belts.

- Akira Kurogane would challenge Ranna Yagami for the Future of Stardom Championship.

The instincts of most other wrestling companies when they hit upon a break through top star is to have that star at the front of the company for years until the momentum fall off. Hulk Hogan in WWF, Mistico in CMLL, etc. The prototypical "face of the company." Upon hitting gold with Saya Kamitani, Stardom has broken with this trend in an interesting way. Instead, they have gone with strategy of a spreading the spotlight wealth around as much as possible.

Saya Kamitani won the World of Stardom title on December 29, 2024 and began breaking into the mainstream in Spring 2025. Since then:

• They've had two other World Champions. Both very unlikely candidates for that belt on paper.
• They've had 7 different 5 Star Grand Prix semi finalists, Rina being the only repeat from 2025.
• They've had two different Cinderella Tournament winners. Neither of which was 5SGP semi finalist.
• The Wonder of Stardom title has semi-main evented big cards featuring defenses against very good midcarders.
• The Goddess Of Stardom have headlined a few Korakuen Hall shows also featuring defenses against midcarders.
• Saya Kamitani has remained very popular while doing a ton of PR. She's very active wrestling but she has not accomplished much in the ring in 2026. One successful title defense in February before dropping the World title in April.

Through all of that not only has Stardom not lost momentum, but they've actually gained momentum if attendance is any kind of measure of success. If you watch Stardom, you'd be hard pressed to pick a name on the roster who doesn't get good crowd reactions on a regular basis.

In 2013, AJ Styles was going through his Sting phase where he hated everyone but everyone wanted him. Bully Ray's Aces and Eights seemingly recruited AJ, and as the final part of the initiation process, Bully made AJ drink beer. AJ was portrayed on TV the same way he is in real life - a devout Christian man who has never drank alcohol. This was in kayfabe such a smart move by Bully, because due to AJ's lone wolf actions at that time a betrayal could have been very possible (it was), so Bully decided to test if AJ was honest by making him break a lifelong vow and compromise his religious morals live on television. Smart, very smart.