In an exclusive interview with PWMania, the TNA International Champion, Mustafa Ali (@MustafaAli_X), sits down with PWMania’s own, Scott Mitchell (@scott44mitchell), to discuss the upcoming TNA Lockdown show, his upcoming International Championship match with Jason Hotch, the Order 4, winning the title from Trey Miguel, Uhaa Nation’s debut, and so much more. Watch the interview in its entirety down below.
I want to jump right into it. We are less than a month away from TNA Lockdown in a city that you are very familiar with, Chicago, at the Credit Union 1 Arena. What is your mindset heading into this event?
“It’s exciting, but it’s kind of nerve-wracking too. In my entire career, I think I’ve been in, I know I’ve been in one cage match for sure, which was kind of, at one point, I thought a rib. I want to say I was in one more cage match on an independent show. A guy with my experience, 20+ years in the game, I haven’t been in a lot of cage match scenarios. But, there’s just something comforting about it being in Chicago. I’m hoping we have an all-time attendance record. It’s Chicago. When you think about wrestling towns, you always think about New York, Philly, and Chicago, in my opinion. Chicago is one of the hardest crowds to win over, but when you win them over, they’ll love you forever. Aside from friends and family, there’s this connection that I feel like I have with the Chicago crowd, and I’ve earned their respect over the years. So, whoever my opponent is, at Lockdown, such a major event, I’m looking forward to it. But to be honest with you, the only thing kind of nerve-wracking for me is that I don’t have the experience in a cage. With that hometown crowd behind me, who knows what I’m going to do. So, Lockdown, be sure to tune in.”
What does it mean for you to see the TNA Lockdown event make its return?
“I think TNA is kind of heading in the right direction. What I mean by that, especially since I’ve been on board, there have been a lot of changes. Especially the AMC deal, management, and talent coming in and out. You can have your opinion on it, but I always thought what TNA needed to do was find its identity again. There’s something about TNA, as I was a fan, as I was a kid, even starting my independent wrestling career, there’s something unique about TNA. I’m so glad that they’re going back to that formula of ‘This is something exclusive to us, nobody does this.’ Which is cool because there is WWE, there is AEW, and there is TNA. TNA has its identity. I’m so glad that not only are they bringing back such a unique event like Lockdown, but the feedback from the fans online was just euphoria. So many Lockdown memories. You automatically go to the infamous moments with AJ and Kurt, and all these other superstars did in these cage matches. I’m looking forward to adding my name and memory to that list. I’m so happy that TNA is going back to who they are, and I’m happy to be involved in that.”
You will be defending your TNA International Championship against Jason Hotch this Thursday on TNA iMPACT, only on the AMC Network. What is your mindset heading into this one?
“He’s still in Order 4, he’s still someone that I care deeply about. I think it’s just an unfortunate circumstance where someone does not realize the hand that feeds them. Jason Hotch was hand-selected by me. He, Skylar, and Tasha were hand-selected by me to join Order 4, which means I see the world in them. But let’s be honest. I’ve been doing all the carrying. Ever since the Great Hands and Tasha Steelz joined Order 4, they have been on every single show. They have been on every single pay-per-view. Before me, were they? We’re in the situation where I think the roster got to Hotch, and he’s starting to feel himself a little bit. He had a good couple of performances there. His wife got on the phone with him. Sometimes you have to realize what size boots you wear. Here’s the thing: I want Hotch behind me, I want him by my side as we go into battle. I don’t want him in front of me. Because of two reasons. 1. I care about this man, and 2, he’s not worthy to be a competitor of mine. I’m going to run him over. We did this last year. I thought he learned his lesson last year. Here we are again. Hotch is listening to people thinking he’s somehow bigger than the group. Unfortunately, I need to make an example out of him. He chose the day; he chose to do it live in Philadelphia in front of the entire world, so be it. I just hope Skylar, Tasha, and Zero are all paying attention and see what happens when you get out of line. At the end of the day, Hotch will be in Order 4. He’ll be in Order 4 for the rest of his life. He’ll be in Order 4 until I say he’s out of Order 4. Unfortunately, it’s almost like a father-son relationship. I have to teach my son that, hey, there’s a reason that food is on the table, and that reason is Mustafa Ali.”
What does this match mean for the future of Order 4?
“Specifically for Philadelphia, it’s just to regain that order. Order 4, as I’ve said in the few weeks before, we should be the most dominant faction in TNA right now. You have me, you have Zero, you have the unbelievable creative mind of Tasha Steelz, and you have attack dogs like Jason Hotch and John Skylar. Why are we not running this place? I have given them, all of them, opportunities, and they have dropped the ball. So, as a good coach, as a good father figure, as a good mentor, I’m holding them accountable. The thing that really struck a nerve with me is not that they failed, but it’s that that they got comfortable with failing. You don’t do that. So, you can boo me, you can get mad at me, call me mean, call me a bully, but I’m doing what they need. What happens if I don’t say anything? They stay there. They become comfortable with failing. If that means shaking the cage a little bit, hurting a few feelings, popping a few people in their eyes to get them to pay attention, then that’s what I’m going to do. But, I promise you it’s for the better.”
Mila Moore is a name who recently joined the Order 4. What does it mean for you to have her now in the group?
“The viral sensation, Mila Moore. Two things: she was brought in specifically to help me manage this group. I’m the International Champion, I’m literally jumping on flights from Paris to Berlin, to Halifax, to Philly, to Australia, and to Mexico. I can only handle so much. As great a man as I am, even I can only handle so much. So, when I had this ongoing issue in Order 4, I had to bring in an advisor, someone to help me. That’s going to be Ms. Moore’s main role. She’s going to help me keep the Order 4 accountable. On the flip side, on a personal note, I see someone extremely talented, someone who was available, and someone who can absolutely hit a home run. That’s why she was hand-selected by me to join this group. The numbers don’t lie. If you look at her, she was one of the top trending acts on social media. Coincidentally, everyone wants to give credit to the Hardys for these huge AMC numbers. I’m just saying, Order 4 also appeared on that show seven times throughout the whole show. Highest rated show. We have Ms. Mila Moore standing next to us. I don’t imagine that hurt. I’m looking forward to working with her, seeing what she brings to the group and TNA specifically, and I think I’m going to give her that opportunity that she’s been looking for for a long time.”
This is a title that you first won from Trey Miguel back in April at Rebellion. While you are no stranger to gold now in TNA, what did this moment mean to you?
“I hope this doesn’t come across as arrogant. I’m known to be pretty egotistical, so it is what it is. There’s a certain burden that came with this championship that I feel like it didn’t have an identity. Am I knocking on the former champions? Well, kind of. I won this championship, and within two weeks, this championship was scheduled to be defended in ten different countries. Who on the roster can do that? Who? Nobody before me did it. I am the man. There’s nobody on the roster who can take a championship and make it relevant within weeks. Now you have independent wrestlers across the world competing for this, independent wrestlers benefiting from this. From me putting my happy ass on a plane to come to their country, get in their ring, push them to the limit, letting them know what it takes to compete at this level, and all the exposure that comes with it. Now, a few of them are on TNA’s radar. So, thank me. Now, this title has an identity. Before it didn’t. You can call it the International Championship. This championship has more miles than most of the people watching. This championship has been on more planes than most of the people watching. That’s because of me. So, yeah, I’m going to toot my own horn and say that. Whoever is next in line, it’s not going to be Jason Hotch, but whoever’s next in line who tries to take this championship from me, that’s the bar now. Can you overcome that?”
Was this a goal of yours when you first won the title to defend it all over the world and not just on TNA?
“Yeah, absolutely. When the opportunity presented itself, again, I didn’t get in trouble because I’m Mustafa Ali and I do what I want, but as soon as I won this championship, there was a camera right there, and they asked me to say a few words. I just threw out the challenge right there. I said, ‘Anybody from anywhere. Any independent wrestler in the world who wants a shot, throw it out.’ I immediately knew that this championship needed an identity. You always hear the quote, for some people, the championship makes the man. It’s the complete opposite for me. I’m the man making this championship. I’m laying the groundwork for it, and I just hope TNA realizes what they have in me. I’d argue that there’s nobody who’s doing more for a championship than me right now in the industry. Not just TNA, but nobody is putting in more work to give a championship an identity than me. So, yeah. It’s the decision I made, and we’re running with it.”
The last time we saw you defend the title on TNA television was in June at Slammiversary, as you put it on the line against Rich Swann & Uhaa Nation, formerly known as Apollo Crews. What was it like to pick up yet another big win over two very formidable opponents and see Uhaa Nation compete in a TNA ring?
“Part of me, on a personal note, was very happy to see Uhaa come out, and the reception he got and the respect from the fans and them chanting Uhaa. I’ve known him for a very long time, and I know how talented he is and how hard he works. I want to say that he was in a similar position to me, where he never really got a long-term opportunity to show what he was capable of. On the flip side, man, was I pissed. TNA management is holding back who my opponent was on a marquee event. Look what happened. Look what happened. They still stacked the odds against me, not just one, but two mystery opponents, and I still walked away victorious. Again, I’m at the point where nothing surprises me. I don’t know why you’d do that to me. You should show respect, and if anything, my opponent should be approved by me. But management with Santino and Daria want to get into a fight, and a little power play where one has an opponent and the other has an opponent, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. This International Championship is still on my shoulders. Uhaa has been defeated, Rich Swann has been defeated again. I am still your TNA International Champion.”
This is one of the most exciting times to be a fan of TNA Wrestling, whether it’s the AMC Network deal or the WWE NXT – TNA partnership. What does it mean to you to represent the TNA banner during it all?
“I’m going to butcher the quote, it’s from the TV show, ‘The Office,’ the character name is Andy Bernard, but it goes ‘I wish somebody told me that we’re in the good old days, while we were still in the good old days.’ You get the point of what I’m trying to say. I’m in that situation right now. I’m at that age right now where I’m like, ‘Man, how cool is it that we’re with a company that’s on the up and up, and we landed a major network deal, and we’re doing great numbers, and look at this roster we have, an incredible mixture of seasoned veterans who are legit rockstars like the Hardys and Nic Nemeth, and these guys who are legit workhorses like Leon, myself, Cedric. Then you have this crop of new talent that people can get really behind, like a Jada Stone or a KC Navarro.’ Like, we have an amazing opportunity to do something special, and then I realize that we are doing something special. It’s the climb right now. It’s the rebuild. It’s the relaunch. It’s new, exciting. To be a part of that, in the mix, and be a main focal point of that is an extreme honor. I’m very happy to go to work. I’m very happy to perform. I’m very happy with my TNA days. I’m excited for this Thursday. We live in Philadelphia. It’s going to be awesome. I cannot urge people enough, if my name is on the card and if TNA’s on time, please come to the show. I promise you my performance alone will be worth the price of admission. I’ve never seen anyone ask for a refund after I performed; that’s how confident I am in my ability. At the end of the day, I do realize, man, this is the good old days right now. I’m going to look back and be like, ‘Remember this? Remember this opportunity?’ This year’s Slammiversary was amazing. Last year’s Slammiversary was amazing. BFG, all these huge attendance records we’re doing. So, it’s very cool to be in the mix while the company is doing all these great numbers and doing great business. It’s also a big thank you to the fans, as well.”
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t ask about TNA’s return to Philadelphia this weekend for some extremely fun nights of tapings. What is your mindset as you prepare to enter Philadelphia?
“I’m very hurt by what Hotch did. I think he’s being selfish. I think he’s jeopardizing the group’s morale. We’re in a rebuilding phase. To come up to my face and tell me, ‘Well, my wife said this.’ No offense, your wife has never laced up a pair of boots. Nobody in wrestling, and I mean this, nobody in wrestling has done more for Jason Hotch than I. Whether he realizes it or not. The fact that he doesn’t realize it hurts me. It’s going to be very emotional. It’s going to be a lot of animosity there. But at the end of the day, it’s a big brother, little brother situation, sometimes we fight. I hope he just realizes his place is beside me, slightly behind me, but beside me, not in front of me. Other than that, it’s Philly. It’s brother vs. brother in the city of brotherly love. There’s just this energy about TNA. We just got the report that one of our highest viewerships was this past week. We’re looking to ride that momentum. I just have a feeling, I’ve never been wrong about my gut feeling, but I have a feeling that Hotch vs. Ali is going to be something to talk about. I have this feeling. It is going to be emotional. When you have two of the best, emotionally invested in the match, it just makes it even better. So, please tune in. We’ll be live, live baby, live on AMC. Hotch vs. Ali for the TNA International Championship.”
Looking ahead for you, what are your future goals in TNA and beyond?
“I’m at a crossroads right now where I feel like I found my spot in TNA, I’m a valued team member, and all of that stuff. But, I’m not fulfilled. If that makes sense. I think once I’ve done what I want to do and legitimized this TNA International Championship, the only thing left for me to do is to become the World Champion. I think I want to be front and center on everything. I want all the praise, I want all the blame, I want all the credit, I want all the critique. I want to be the man. I’ve seen a lot of people, online specifically, call for that. I do believe right time, right place. But I will look anybody on the roster in the eye. With all the confidence in the world and no hesitancy in my voice, I think I’m the absolute best that TNA has to offer. People will argue that it’s fine. They’re wrong. I think becoming the World Champion is the ultimate thing to prove my point is valid. When I’m done, when I say I’m done with this, the next goal is the World Championship.”
Is there anyone on the roster you have your eyes on that you’d like to share the ring with?
“Man, Cedric and Fabian Aichner had an amazing match a few weeks ago. It really opened my eyes to what Fabian can do. I first saw Fabian back at the Cruiserweight Classic. I’ve always appreciated what he can do. But, he and Cedric were one of the most gritty, raw, I want to say modern-style of wrestling, matches. I think it was in Albany that they had this match. Man, they just, if you want to see what TNA is about, definitely that. I know it’s a bit of an odd match because we’re both doing our own thing, but an OG like Frankie Kazarian. I’ve never been in the ring with him as far as he and I actually wrestling. I know we’ve been on opposing teams and whatnot before. I think Frankie Kazarian would be a lot of fun. It’s just something selfishly that I’d like to do. Other than that, this is the question that people usually get asked, and their response is me. Everyone wants to wrestle me, and everyone wants to get in the ring with me. I don’t have my eye on anyone in particular. People throw out dream matches all the time, like me and Leon Slater running it, me and Ricky Sosa. Come one, come all. That’s one thing about me, I’m very diverse. I can get in there and bring out the best in anybody. But right now all eyes are on Jason Hotch and this Thursday.”
