TNA Wrestling star Mustafa Ali discussed his nervousness about performing at TNA Lockdown during an interview with Maria Elizabeth Darnell and David Clair-Bennett of Reel Appreciation.
Ali said, “As much as I love performing in front of Chicago, it’s not that that’s making me nervous or a little anxious, it’s performing in front of this cage. I don’t have a ton of experience in cage matches. I probably have been in the cage once or twice. And each cage is different. It’s not like you’re going to be in the cage beforehand to kind of like see how it feels. I’m not going to be in that cage until we’re live on PPV in front of the entire world, that’s the first time I’m going to be in that cage. So there’s a lot of nerve that comes with that. I’ve been in a ring, I’ve been in ladder matches. I’ve been in hardcore matches, I’ve been in tables matches. All this, I have a familiarity with it. I don’t have that with the cage. So I think that’s the one thing where I’m kind of like, ‘Man, what’s what’s going to happen?’”
On the show being in Chicago:
“But with it being in Chicago, I’m super excited. Obviously, friends and family will be there and whatnot, but there’s something about just Chicago. We talk about wrestling towns, wrestling cities — you know, Philly being one of them, New York being one of them. But Chicago is definitely one of them, right? So, it’s such passionate, hungry, rabid fans. I love that energy. I love that ‘do or die’ mentality. If you mess up, they’re going to let you know. But if you do great, they’re also going to let you know. So, I look forward to performing in front of my hometown, Chicago, Lockdown. It’s going to be a great time.”
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)
