In a recent exclusive interview with TBT’s own Scott Mitchell (@scott44mitchell), Jason Hotch (@TheJasonHotch) opened up about winning the TNA International Championship. Additionally, he spoke about working with Mustafa Ali and his upcoming cage match with Ali at TNA Lockdown this weekend. You can watch the interview in its entirety below.

I want to jump right into it. You are the new TNA International Champion, defeating Mustafa Ali for that title in an instant classic in Philadelphia a mere couple of weeks ago, on July 30th. What did this match and moment mean to you?

“It meant everything to me. I know that’s very cliché to say, but I’ve put in a lot of time. Eight years I’ve been at it. Been in TNA for four. Just kind of slowly been working. This is ultimately where I wanted to be. So, it’s kind of cool to be able to learn from guys like John Skyler, Tasha (Steelz), and (Mustafa) Ali, and kind of use what I’ve learned to be in this situation I’m in now. It’s really cool, man. It meant even more having my family at ringside for it.”

Since coming into TNA Wrestling, you, along with John Skyler, have been by the side of Mustafa Ali. What did it mean to you and your career to work with him?

“Man, it was awesome. I had found out before he signed with TNA, someone pulled me and John (Skyler) aside, and were like, ‘Hey, just want to let you guys know, we’re about to sign Mustafa Ali, and he requested that he have a faction and you guys are in his faction.’ A little backstory: I played two years of college baseball, and we all got batting practice songs. My batting practice song was his WWE song. Right. So, kind of a full-circle moment. Now I get to work and learn from him. It’s awesome. He has a very unique and particular way of thinking. I feel like I kind of apply everything that I picked up from him, in time.”

Things recently took a very personal turn between you two. Ali sat down with your wife and daughter on a recent TNA iMPACT episode and told them that he’ll “take care of them” regardless of what happens to you. What went through your mind seeing this?

“You know, what would go through your mind, right? I keep watching that back any time I wake up, and I’m like, ‘Eh, you know what, I might take it easy today.’ I watch that video, and I find myself in the gym. It’s funny how perspective kind of changes. July 30th, I went in. I felt like it was me against the world. I had all of Order 4 practically against me. Even if Tasha Steelz and John Skyler are kind of between a rock and a hard place. I felt alone. I knew that I had to try and slay the dragon that is Ali. But now, he decided to make it very personal.

I feel like any mentor in anything- a mentor’s goal should be to, you know, somebody that they’re teaching, call it an apprentice, you should want them to surpass you one day. It could have been: I kept the International Title within the Order 4. He could have gone for the World Title. There are so many different avenues we could have taken. But he decided to make it personal with me. So, perspective now is: when that cage door shuts, and that bell rings, I’m going to be on him like a fly on shit. I’m non-stop coming forward. I just want to get my hands on him, but in due time, I will.”

Before this segment, it seemed like your matches with Ali were almost always friendly competition. Now, it seems like something much more personal needs to be settled. What is going through your head right now?

“It’s funny. I don’t know how many people paid attention and realized this. Against All Odds, 2025: If you watch that entire match, there’s not one time we threw a closed fist. We didn’t punch each other; we didn’t hit each other. We had a gentlemen’s agreement. July 30th, I was the first one who threw a punch. It was because he was constantly disrespecting me in the match, telling me I don’t belong with him. You have all you can stand, and you can’t stand anymore, right? Just focusing on how personal this is to me now. I’m not going for a specific match of the night. I’m sure people will argue that it’s going to be. I think that’s just the level of talent that Ali and I are, and we have good chemistry.

But this is going to be a fight. I’m bringing a fight to Ali. If he’s going to want to wrestle and do all of the things Ali does, I’m going to be coming forward with relentless pressure. He’ll have to find a way to stop me. Again, I know I’m walking into Chicago, his hometown. I’ve constantly heard him say on podcasts, in interviews, ‘Ali in Chicago, Jason Hotch has to fight me in Chicago.’ He acts like he is the second city saint. There’s only one of those in our business, and it’s not Mustafa Ali. I’m not taking anything away from him. I’m just saying how it is.

There’s pressure on me, obviously. It’s my first-ever title defense in my career at TNA. However, he is the hometown guy. He’s got friends; he’s got family. He’s got a lot of fans coming to watch him. But what if he loses in Chicago? Where does he go from there? I think that would be rather embarrassing. You talk all this big game and talk about how easy it’s going to be, ‘Oh, I’m in my hometown.’ What if you lose? What does that do to his mental? Completely different perspective this time around. I’m just ready. I’m itching for Sunday to get here.”

Now, you and Ali will be locked inside a Steel Cage this coming weekend as TNA Wrestling returns to Chicago, IL, on Sunday for its big event, Lockdown. What is your mindset heading into this one?

“I try to see the positives in every situation. We haven’t had a Lockdown event in over 10 years. So, being able to say that I’m a part of this, and again, it shows how awesome of a wrestling city that Chicago is. We bring back this pay-per-view after all these years. And where’s the one place we choose to go? We go to Chicago. Chicago fans are like a different breed in the best way possible. So, really, I’m thankful to be on the card and be in the situation I’m in.

Again, it’s completely personal to me now. While yes, I’m thankful to be the TNA International Champion, I’m going to fight Ali. That’s all there is to it. You don’t mess with a man’s family, and you don’t talk about a man’s mama. Those are the two golden rules that I follow. Ali broke that. So, he’s going to reap what he sowed.”