SouthernWorldwide.com – Mustafa Ali successfully defended his TNA International Championship at Slammiversary, a significant event that also marked the debut of a former WWE star.
Going into the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) Slammiversary event, Mustafa Ali was uncertain about who would answer his open challenge for the International Championship.
Ali had previously announced on social media that TNA’s director of operations, Daria Rae, would reveal the challenger during the Slammiversary pre-show. However, Ali decided not to wait and made his way to the ring during the pre-show itself.
Just as Rae was about to announce the challenger to Ali, TNA director of authority Santino Marella intervened. Both Marella and Rae indicated they had opponents lined up for Ali, transforming the planned one-on-one match into a triple-threat bout.
Rich Swann was unveiled as Ali’s first opponent. Subsequently, Uhaa Nation made his TNA debut. Nation was previously known as Apollo Crews during his tenure in WWE, where he held both the Intercontinental Championship and the U.S. Championship.
Nation immediately entered the match, expelling Ali from the ring and focusing his attention on Swann to initiate the contest.
Ali found himself needing to draw upon all his reserves to counter the combined strength and agility of both Swann and Nation.
However, Ali received assistance from members of Order 4, Tasha Steelz and Special Agent Zero. The duo created a distraction for Nation at a crucial moment when he appeared poised to finish off Swann.
Special Agent Zero then took out Nation, allowing Ali to seize the advantage in the one-on-one situation that ensued in the ring.
Ali managed to evade Swann and executed a quick backslide pin with a bridge. The referee completed the count of three, securing a victory for Ali on the night.
This marks Ali’s first reign as TNA International Champion since joining the company in 2024. Upon his arrival, he captured the X Division Championship and was subsequently named the X Division Star of the Year in his inaugural year.
Since then, Ali has aligned himself with Order 4 and has maintained a strong winning record in his matches.
He originally won the TNA International Championship from Trey Miguel at the Rebellion event in Cleveland back in April, and he has been dominant ever since.
