Mustafa Ali walked out of TNA Lockdown 2026 with championship gold, defeating Jason Hotch inside the steel cage to become the new TNA International Champion after a wild fight that spilled outside the cage and included a massive dive through a table.
Ali and Hotch went to war on August 23 in Chicago, with both men taking some brutal punishment. Hotch drilled Ali with a piledriver from the top before adding a sunset flip bomb, while Special Agent Zero later opened the cage door only for Tasha Steelz to shut it and prevent Ali from leaving. Mila Moore and Steelz then got into it at ringside as things continued to fall apart.
The match got even crazier once they fought outside the cage. Hotch climbed all the way to the top and launched himself onto Ali below, sending both men crashing through a table. Hotch came up bleeding from the mouth and was being checked by officials when Ali decided to make things personal.
Ali grabbed a stuffed animal belonging to Hotch’s young daughter in the front row and used it to taunt him. He brought the toy into the cage, stomped on it and even teased setting it on fire before Hotch charged back into the fight. Ali eventually regained control and tied Hotch upside down against the cage before whipping him with a belt.
Hotch still wouldn’t stay down. He connected with a double stomp from the cage and later survived Ali’s first 450 Splash, kicking out at the last possible second. Ali immediately went back up and hit another 450 Splash, and this time Hotch couldn’t answer the three-count.
That made Mustafa Ali the new TNA International Champion, giving him another major piece of gold after one of the most violent matches of the night.
After the bell, John Skyler had words with Ali before helping Hotch. Hotch returned the stuffed animal to his daughter, kissed his wife and was helped to the back while Ali left Chicago with the title.
Mustafa Ali came into Lockdown hunting for the TNA International Championship and left with exactly what he wanted. After surviving Hotch, a cage dive through a table and a fight that got deeply personal, Ali now sits on top of the International Title picture.
What do you think about Mustafa Ali becoming the new TNA International Champion at Lockdown? Let us know what you think in the comments.
