Major Update On Mustafa Ali's TNA Future (WWE News)

Mustafa Ali's TNA deal is up at the end of 2026.

by Andrew Pollard
Mustafa Ali
TNA

With regular reports that various TNA contracts have/are coming up for expiry, there's now an update on the status of Mustafa Ali.

Per Fightful Select, Ali's existing TNA deal is coming up at the end of the year, with there an expectation that TNA management is eager to keep the former International Champion and X Division Champion. Fightful adds that, as one would expect, Mustafa is highly regarded by those in TNA.

This report also mentions that Mustafa Ali has been "informally scouting" talent while working the independent scene, with him occasionally referring talent to TNA bosses.

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Ali landed in TNA at the start of 2024, and has since gone on to become one of the very best, most consistent, most entertaining performers in the company, and is in a prime position where the Anthem outlet could easily elevate him to World Champion status at a moment's notice. Of course, Leon Slater only won the TNA World Title a matter of weeks ago at Bound for Glory - defeating Nic Nemeth - so it's likely that the Youngest in Charge won't be dropping the gold anytime soon, but when he eventually does... Mustafa Ali is a strong candidate to dethrone Leon.

Previously, Mustafa Ali had been with WWE from 2016 to 2023, debuting as part of the Cruiserweight Classic, becoming a staple of the burgeoning cruiserweight division, being revealed as the leader of the doomed RETRIBUTION faction, ending up back in NXT, then bizarrely released in September 2023 while being in the midst of challenging Dominik Mysterio for the NXT North American Championship.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.