Mustafa Ali has finally spoken out about his decision to go public with his WWE release request.
Earlier this year, Ali publicly requested his release from the company for apparent grievances with the promotion. Of course, just because a Superstar requests their release from a contract, doesn’t mean they’ll receive it.
Ali instead was brought back to WWE TV recently, where he’s feuding against United States Champion Theory, alongside The Miz, on Monday Night RAW. Recently, Ali was a guest on RAW commentator Corey Graves’ podcast, “After The Bell.”
During the show, Ali explained why he made the decision to publicly ask for his WWE release, rather than keep those conversations behind closed doors.
Ali explained that he initially did have talks with the company behind-the-scenes, but those went nowhere. Therefore, he decided to take the next step.
“I believe private conversations are meant to be private. The reason it went public is because that private conversation went nowhere.
“So anyone that truly knows me, and I know there’s a portion of the audience that was like, ‘How unprofessional’, but anyone that’s ever worked with me or dealt with me as a human being knows how much I love this place, how much I love sports entertainment, and how much I love wrestling.
“This is the only thing I ever want to do. For me to even get to that point, that’s the issue. Everyone’s judging the action. They’re not judging the intention behind the action.
“Corey, you know me. Imagine how much it would take for me to try to leave. So I think that’s the conversation. That’s the hot topic.
“There’s situations that I can’t publicly discuss, but that’s what I would want to say about that whole issue. The only reason it got to that point was because there was no other option.
“It’s incredible the things that you’ll do when you’re back is against the wall and you’re fighting for survival.
“I wouldn’t have done something unless I believed in it, I still stand by that choice. I did what I had to do.”
Ali has been with WWE since his debut in 2016 for the Cruiserweight Classic tournament. He became a mainstay on 205 Live during its run and eventually made the main roster as part of the Retribution faction.
Despite being one of the most talented performers on the roster, Mustafa Ali has not won a title with the company during his five years there.
Quotes via WrestlingNews.co
