The Retribution storyline saw a big development during this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw when Mustafa Ali turned heel and was revealed as the leader of the group.

The former 205 Live star had a match with MVP on the show and the other members of the Hurt Business in Shelton Benjamin and WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley were at the ringside.

Halfway through the match it looked like the Hurt Business was going to attack the high flying star but Retribution came out just in time. For a moment it seemed like Ali will join forces with MVP and others to fight the invaders.

• Also Read: Robert Roode On James Storm Possibly Joining WWE

However, the light weight star then turned heel. He joined Retribution and later instructed the members of the group to attack the Hurt Business, revealing himself as the leader of the new WWE faction.

The segment ended with Mustafa Ali standing tall in the ring with people like Mace, T-BAR, Slapjack and some other lower ranked members of the group standing behind him.

While the Retribution Leader did not make any comments on his heel turn during the show, he took on his Twitter after the broadcast and made the following tweet:

It would be interesting to see where Retribution goes from here and if any other members of the WWE roster join the group in near future.

Vince McMahon has reportedly lost interest in RAW Superstar Mustafa Ali despite plans to push the Superstar only months ago.

Ali was rumored to be revealed as the abandoned hacker storyline prior to appearing on Monday Night RAW. He returned to in-ring competition with a six-man tag team victory giving him some momentum upon his comeback.

Following that win, however, Ali would lose to Hurt Business member Bobby Lashley. Although Ali was not featured on RAW this week, he did participate in a losing effort against Riddick Moss on WWE Main Event.

Mustafa Ali’s WWE Frustrations

Mustafa Ali recently appeared on WWE show The Bump. He stressed how he tried to stay in a state of readiness for any opportunity to come his way. 

Ali openly addressed some of his current frustrations within WWE, noting how he is in his prime and “ready to go.” He joked how he wanted someone in WWE to take his chains off. 

“As far as adaptation, it’s hard because you can’t adapt without opportunity, right? If you don’t have the opportunity, if you’re not given a platform, if you’re not included in the discussion, it’s hard. You could be the best in the world, but if you’re sitting in a dark room and no one sees you, no one sees you.”

Ali explained during the interview that his words come from a place of frustrated passion for pro wrestling.

WWE RAW Superstar Mustafa Ali recently joined WWE show The Bump. During his time on the show, Ali addressed being away from WWE programming. He also spoke about making the most of opportunities, his recent return to TV, and how he’s ready for someone to “take these chains off me.”

Since his return, Ali competed on two matches on RAW. He won his return bout before losing to Bobby Lashley in another. This week, however, Ali didn’t feature on RAW. Instead, he worked the Main Event TV tapings. 

“As far as adaptation, it’s hard because you can’t adapt without opportunity, right? If you don’t have the opportunity, if you’re not given a platform, if you’re not included in the discussion, it’s hard. You could be the best in the world, but if you’re sitting in a dark room and no one sees you, no one sees you.”

Mustafa Ali On Staying Ready For Opportunity

Mustafa Ali explained how he tries to stay in a state of readiness and preparedness. That way, should an opportunity present itself, he would be able to “hit a home run.”

However, for that to happen, he acknowledged he needs to be “called up to bat.”

“That is not me complaining at all. The thing that I am craving for, the thing that I am asking for, the thing that I want, is to tell a story. I could sit here and tell everybody, I have not had that opportunity yet.”

Ali addressed how taking time off can be challenging, especially when it isn’t your choice. He argued how he would view his time away differently had he been injured. Ali stressed how his comments don’t come from a place of anger. Instead, it’s because he is so passionate about wrestling and performing.

Ali then stressed how he is currently in his prime and “ready to go,” joking how he wanted someone in WWE to take his chains off. He noted how anybody that is passionate about something would be able to understand his frustrations.

Mustafa Ali has made his return to action on Monday’s episode of RAW.

Earlier in the show, a backstage segment aired involving WWE Hall of Famer Ron Simmons giving encouraging words to Bobby Lashley and MVP. This led to R-Truth appearing, who turned down the chance to walk to the ring with them.

R-Truth turned around and Shelton Benjamin laid him out to cover him. As a result, he became the new WWE 24/7 Champion. Benjamin accepted the same invite and came out with the two WWE stars to the ring. 

Lashley, MVP, and Benjamin, who is now going by the group name “The Hurt Business,” was in the ring where MVP taunted Apollo Crews in addition to taking shots at Cedric Alexander and Ricochet. 

• WWE Reportedly Considering New Nation Of Domination Stable

This was all done to set up a six-man tag team match with Ali joining Ricochet and Alexander as a surprise partner. The babyfaces went over when Ali hit the 450 on MVP for the pin.

This comes after Ali had been off WWE TV since early December 2019 (he worked dark matches in January and February). It was recently reported that WWE sent Ali to the RAW roster after not doing anything for the majority of the year on SmackDown. 

• Mustafa Ali Comments On Being A Former Police Officer & Black Lives Matter

Below are videos of Mustafa Ali’s return to WWE this week at Raw:

Mustafa Ali is currently backstage for the WWE RAW TV tapings in Orlando.

Ali’s return to WWE television has not been confirmed, but PWInsider reports that he is at the Performance Center for today’s RAW tapings, which will air tonight and next Monday night.

Ali is currently a member of the SmackDown roster, but it was reported several weeks ago that WWE had plans to move him to the RAW roster, and bring him back to TV as a RAW Superstar.

There had been rumors on Ali being the mystery hacker for the recent SmackDown storyline, but all signs point to WWE dropping that angle. Ali has not wrestled on TV since the SmackDown episode on December 13th, 2019. That show featured Ali and Shorty G losing to The Revival, who are no longer with the company. Ali then wrestled and won 6 dark matches in January and February, but has not been seen since.

Mustafa Ali will be competing on WWE Raw when he returns to action. The news was first reported by PWInsider.

Ali has been off television since February. He was scheduled to challenge for the WWE Championship in the main event of Elimination Chamber. He was pulled from the match after suffering a concussion at a live event, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer.

It was an unfortunate break for the former Chicago Police officer, who was in the midst of a strong push on the SmackDown brand. He first arrived on the scene in WWE back in 2016 during the Cruiserweight Classic tournament. After some time on 205 live, he was called up to SmackDown in 2018.

There has been speculation that Mustafa Ali is the man behind the SmackDown hacker vignettes that have been airing in recent months.

Ali’s move to Raw comes amid the recent shakeup of WWE’s creative structure.

Mustafa Ali is still listed as a SmackDown wrestler on the WWE website.

• Mustafa Ali Comments on Black Lives Matter

Smackdown Superstar, Mustafa Ali, is a former Chicago-area police officer. He has previously said that he joined the force in order to create change from the inside. He recently took part in an interview with SI.com where he spoke about Black Lives Matter, George Floyd’s death at the hands of police, and more from the perspective of a former police officer.

“As a former police officer, I can look you in the eye and tell you with zero hesitation in my voice that George Floyd was not just killed by the police,” Ali said. “He was murdered by the police.”

Ali continued to explain why he joined the police force.

“I thought the best way to bring change to the police department [was] from within. That’s why I joined.”

Mustafa Ali On Black Lives Matter

Ali would then say that it is the structure and culture of policing that needs to change. He continued to talk about the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement as well.

“The Black Lives Matter movement isn’t something that happened overnight. It’s not something over one Black man being murdered. This is 400 years of getting shoved and hit and kicked and spit on and murdered and raped, insulted and degraded, and killed. This is 400 years of that. The Black Lives Matter movement is essential to the survival of every Black man and woman in this country. Yeah, there’s going to be that permanent scar there and the only way to really repair that relationship is massive change. And yes, it starts with the police.”

Ali goes even deeper during the interview to talk about the culture of the criminal justice system.

“Look at the private prison industry,” he continued. “It makes millions every year off of what? Arresting, detaining, and putting Black people in custody.”

• Mustafa Ali Says He Wanted To Change Policing From Within

Ali spent 4 years working on the Chicago Police force. The full interview with Mustafa Ali can be read here.

One WWE star is not happy with his current role on television and decided to take to social media to let fans know about it. 

It all started when a fan sent a tweet to Ali claiming that he had one of the easiest jobs in WWE. 

The fan stated that Mustafa Ali was being paid not to do anything. Ali took issue with that opinion and expressed his displeasure with no working. He wrote the following: 

“Yeah, man. It’s real nice to be in your prime and wanting to use the exposure you get to bring light to serious topics, but instead forced to the sidelines for reasons beyond your control. Real nice to not be allowed to do what you’re passionate about.”

Since the introduction of the mystery hacker on Friday Night SmackDown, Ali has been rumored as the possible star behind it.

It should be noted that the character hasn’t been mentioned on SmackDown in a few weeks, which some fans think that the gimmick is losing steam. 

Ali hasn’t worked a match since February 7th, which was a dark match at a SmackDown TV event where he went over Drew Gulak. 

• WWE Superstars Reportedly Not Aware Who The SmackDown Hacker Is

WWE Superstar Mustafa Ali issued an interesting statement on Twitter recently. Ali is a former Chicago area police officer and recently made a comment in reference to George Floyd’s death at the hands of police. According to his comments, Ali became a police officer in order to help change policing from within.

“I’m a former police officer. I joined the force because I believed the only real way to bring change to policing is from within. I remember being told “empathy will get you killed.” No, lack of empathy allows you to kill. We have to change policing from within. #GeorgeFloyd,” reads Mustafa Ali’s Tweet.

He expanded on his thoughts in further Tweets:

Responses To Mustafa Ali’s Tweet

“As a current police officer, I totally agree. I will continue to support you. Thank you for everything,” reads one response to Ali’s Tweet.

“I’m a black man and just got my Criminal Justice degree. I’m working to join the force. After this event I was thrown into flux. I nearly gave it up because I “didn’t want to be part of the problem.” You’ve changed that for me Ali. Thank you, I really needed this,” reads another.

• Mustafa Ali Explains His Approach To Social Media

Mustafa Ali Responds To Desmond Monroe Comments

Independent wrestler Desmond Monroe noted on Twitter that he has received messages from people stating he’ll lose bookings as a result of his comments about police/race relations. Ali responded to him and offered to cover his booking for Freelance Wrestling.

SmackDown Superstar Mustafa Ali has shared his approach to social media. Speaking with Jim Stratman of News 14, Ali opened up about wanting to be the “light in the dark” to the WWE Universe. To do so, Ali has attempted to harness his social media for positivity as opposed to embracing its negative aspects.

“What’s really cool about social media is people are learning the man or the woman behind the superstar,” said Ali. “I think my following, my fan base, they realize what the message is behind all this: why I compete, why I fight with all my heart, why I say the things that I say, why I respond to certain internet trolls the way that I do. And my whole philosophy, my message is, ‘Be the light in the dark.’ There’s plenty of dark times around us. There’s plenty of dark moments around us but it’s on us as a society, as people, as human beings, to be that light. And I think that’s what’s having people flock toward me a bit.”

Mustafa Ali Isn’t About Tearing People Down

It’s an approach Ali has been utilizing on-screen as well. He explained how, as opposed to trying to “tearing other people down” to build himself up on WWE programming, he doesn’t want to subscribe to that methodology.

“That’s the way they elevate themselves, by ripping someone down. I’m not about that. So I think it’s kind of a fresh new way… and to me, that’s the way I live my entire life, but at least for the WWE perspective, the audience perspective, it’s something new. It’s something calm.”

Naturally, not everyone shares Mustafa Ali’s thoughts on social media. In the past, former United States Champion AJ Styles has stated how he wished “social media didn’t exist.”

Mustafa Ali will be donating his earnings from Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia this month to charity. Ali previously did the same with his earnings from WWE’s Super ShowDown event held in Saudi Arabia this summer.

A fan asked Ali on Twitter if he would be doing the same for this Saudi Arabian show and Ali said that he would. Ali would later follow that Tweet up with information about the charity he will be donating to.

In June, Ali Tweeted the following to announce everything he earned from Super ShowDown would also go to Charity Water.

The charity’s mission statement reads: charity: “water is a nonprofit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries”

More information about Charity Water can be found here.

Ali Provides Fan With Costume For Halloween

Last month, a fan reached out to Ali on Twitter asking about where they can find what someone would need to be Mustafa Ali for Halloween. Ali responded by sending the family everything they would need to dress up as him. The family posted their response to receiving the gift online:

• Jim Ross Responds To Negative Reaction Over AEW Commentary, Blasts Social Media “Bookers”

Jeff Hardy has achieved many goals throughout his career in the pro wrestling business. Whether that be personal accomplishments or titles, Hardy will go down as one of the most popular stars in the history of wrestling.

The former WWE Champion recently spoke with Gorilla Position to promote WrestleMania 35 where he talked about a wide range of topics. During the interview, he was asked about giving any advice to WWE stars about the high risks they take.

This is where he would talk about how he has a ton of respect for SmackDown star Mustafa Ali and how he thinks he’s the next version of himself but better.

“Not really any at all. I’m just like, ‘Keep doing what you do’ because watching him [Mustafa Ali] in 205 Live and just even recently, Daniel Bryan, [Mustafa Ali] did a 450 off the apron and I said, ‘Have you ever done that before?’ He said, ‘Yeah I did it one time in 205’. I said how do you do that? It was just so insane.”

“The stuff they do, and it’s like they keep raising the bar somehow, but yeah, he’s one of my favorite wrestlers right now.” Jeff said of Ali. “When people ask me, ‘Who’s the next kind of Jeff Hardy?’ He’s by far…. He’s the first Mustafa Ali, but he’s way better than I was at what he’s doing. I mean I never did anything that insane, and he’s incredible.”

Hardy is slated to compete in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 35. 

H/T to Fightful for the transcription

Mustafa Ali Renamed To Ali

After shortening the name of the former NXT Champion Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas not too long ago, WWE has now taken the same route with SmackDown and 205 Live Star Mustafa Ali.

The company has dropped his first name and the Cruiserweight Star who previously had both a first and last name is now only listed as Ali in his WWE.com bio.

His twitter handle has been edited to reflect this change as well and commenting on the name change, the SmackDown Star said that he still fights for the people:

Roman Reigns Warns Drew McIntyre

This week’s episode of Raw saw Drew McIntyre issuing a WrestleMania challenge to Roman Reigns after McIntyre had attacked both Roman and Dean Ambrose recently.

Roman accepted this challenge by coming down to the ring and he then proceeded to attack the Scottish Psychopath. Though in the end, it was Drew who got the upper hand.

After the show, the former Universal Champion retweeted a video of the segment while also warning his WrestleMania opponent saying ‘If you thought you knew anything about running my yard or about me…you were wrong. ‘

You can check out an updated match card for WrestleMania at this link.

The McMahon family would continue to tease the WWE Universe with a Kofi Kingston push during their recent Fastlane event. During the show, Vince McMahon promised that Kofi would be included into the WWE Championship match, turning it into a triple threat. That didn’t happen, with Kofi instead having to compete in a losing effort against Cesaro and Sheamus, The Bar.

The WWE Championship match would still be a triple threat affair, however, with another WWE Superstar taking the third slot: Mustafa Ali.

Turns out that Ali wasn’t aware that he would be inserted into the match until Fastlane was well underway.

“I Went Out And Gave It Everything I Had’

Speaking with Uproxx in order to promote his appearance for the web series, Secret Life Of Muslims, Ali would confess that it was a “whirl” having to go out and face a crowd who so desperately wanted Kofi.

“I would say I was told about an hour and a half, maybe, before that match went on,” Ali says. “So the pay-per-view had started, and I still didn’t know that I was competing in that match. So yeah, talk about getting ready really quickly and having your mind in a whirl. Watching the show, I kind of went in expecting more of what’s happening with Kofi — and I’ve got all the love and respect in the world for Kofi Kingston — but I knew what I was going up against coming out that night. Obviously, it’s one thing to get thrown into a championship match last minute, but we always have to stay ready. And I was ready, I went out and gave it everything I had.”

“Somehow I Still Can Overcome”

Ali would explain that he was well aware that “as soon as I walked out, they were not going to be happy to see me because they wanted to see Kofi right now. And that’s been the story of my entire life!” he exclaims.

“People have a negative reaction towards me, I get put in a really tough spot, I get thrown into a really dark spot, but somehow some way, my light will shine. Somehow I still can overcome. And at the end of the day, yeah I walked out to boos, but when I walked out of that arena, they were cheering.”

Mustafa Ali featured in the premiere episode for Season 2 of Secret Life Of Muslims, allowing fans to get a peek behind the character and instead learn about the man portraying him, Adeel Alam.

He has already found success on the main roster since debuting for SmackDown Live — something he believes Daniel Bryan had a helping hand in.

Mustafa Ali made waves since making his debut on the main roster and was headed to the Elimination Chamber event for his first shot at the WWE Championship. He was unfortunately sidelined from the show match due to recently suffering a concussion.

The Chamber match was going to be a major milestone in Ali’s eventful yet short stint on the main roster. Kofi Kingston replaced him in the event and even got close to winning the title.

After a short hiatus, it looked like Ali was recovering and close to a return as recently he was teasing a return to action on Twitter. He finally stepped in the ring with Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at a live event Saturday night in Minneapolis, MN.

The high-flyer was unable to capture the championship in the end and Bryan emerged the victor. This however is good news as it will be interesting to see how Ali’s story goes on from here on the main roster and if we will see him return on the higher card again.

Mustafa Ali's back! And he's wrestling for the WWE Championship!!! pic.twitter.com/u3UJdfg9tO

— Wiretaup (@wiretaup) March 3, 2019

https://twitter.com/TheBerge_/status/1102036805191380992

Mustafa Ali will be featured on season 2 of the television series “The Secret Life of Muslims”. A launch party for the second season of the show was held last night at New York University.

Let's get to know each other. Hanging with @muslimsecrets for their Season 2 party in NYC tonight. Come hang out. pic.twitter.com/MrtQoIFLyH

— Mustafa Ali (@MustafaAli_X) February 20, 2019

The Secret Life of Muslims lists the following description on the show’s website:

“Featuring a diverse set of American Muslims from a wide range of ethnic and national origins speaking directly to their own respective experiences, the series illuminates the existing complexity and diversity of America’s 3.3 million Muslims, while pointing to a common shared humanity. The first season has been viewed more than 35 million times in our effort to contribute to a dialogue of tolerance and peace in contentious times.”

• Mustafa Ali Believes Smackdown Star Is Responsible For Recent Push

Mustafa Ali On Defying Stereotypes

“My mission is to erase as many preconceived ideas, barriers and stereotypes as I can.”
Ali told Aljazeera in 2018.

Ali was scheduled to be in the Elimination Chamber last Sunday. He was forced to withdraw from the match due to a concussion, however.

“I remember one kid … he said to me it’s always cool to see someone you consider a role model doing something big and chasing their dreams, but it’s even cooler when that person looks like you,” Ali recalled.

“When he said that, I really realised it’s true. It’s a little easier to relate to someone when you feel ‘hey that’s me. That’s how I look and it’s someone with the same concerns I have growing up’.”

WWE has not only confirmed that Mustafa Ali is injured and not medically cleared to compete but also named his replacement in the WWE Title Elimination Chamber Match.

As a result, Ali has been replaced by Kofi Kingston. WWE Champion Daniel Bryan is slated to make his next title defense against Kingston, Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, and Jeff Hardy at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event.

It was reported that Ali had been working through an injured tailbone that got hurt again at the Royal Rumble and then suffered an eye injury as it was swollen shut.

During this week’s episode of SmackDown Live, Orton beat Styles, Bryan, Hardy, Joe, and Kingston to win a Gauntlet Match in order to determine who would enter the structure last.

Unfortunately, some injuries I picked up over the last few months caught up to me. @WWE will not medically clear me to compete in this Sunday's #EliminationChamber Match. My apologies to anyone I let down. pic.twitter.com/fmT4BrTA5D

— Mustafa Ali (@MustafaAli_X) February 13, 2019

Updated WWE Elimination Chamber Card

WWE Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Samoa Joe vs. Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Kofi Kingston – Elimination Chamber Match

WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions Shane McMahon & The Miz vs. The Usos (Jey & Jimmy)

Nia Jax & Tamina vs. Sarah Logan & Liv Morgan vs. Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose, Billie Kay & Peyton Royce, Bayley & Sasha Banks, Carmella & Naomi – WWE Women’s Tag Team Title Elimination Chamber Match

WWE RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Ruby Riott

WWE Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush vs. Finn Balor – Handicap Match

Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin

WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy vs. Akira Tozawa

SmackDown Live competitor, Mustafa Ali, has been making waves since moving up to the main roster. The former 205 Live Superstar has already been featured in marquee matches against talents like Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, and Randy Orton during his short time on the blue brand. This success led him to become one of the competitors to compete for Daniel Bryan’s (100% sustainable) WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber.

However, according to PWInsider and Fightful, Ali’s Chamber debut could be in jeopardy. We recently reported on Ali working through tailbone issues. Now, PWInsider states that Ali has allegedly suffered a concussion. There is no official statement on when this injury might have occurred, though he did suffer a nasty black eye from his recent bout against Randy Orton.

As they are wont to do, WWE plans to turn the situation into a storyline pinning the injuries on Orton. This ties into what we saw last week, and also gives Ali a built-in return feud once he is cleared to compete again.

For what it’s worth, Ali did not work last night’s live event in Canton, OH. He is due to be reassessed prior to SmackDown Live and has supposedly insisted that he is able to work.

If Ali is removed from the match, who should replace him? Are you still hoping that he’ll be cleared for the Elimination Chamber?

Mustafa Ali suffered a gnarly black eye after a match with Randy Orton on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live.

The 32 year-old showed off his injury on Instagram after last night’s show writing, “Just trying to catch your eye. #SDLIVE”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bth0s-snJes/

Orton put Ali on the announce table early in the match but Ali was able to fight back and dropkicked Orton instead on the table.

Ali went with the offensive to finish the match with the 054 Splash but Orton pulled him off the ropes for an RKO and won.

Ali will be competing in the upcoming Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship against Randy Orton himself, Samoa Joe, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, and champion Daniel Bryan. The event will take place from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on February 17.

It wasn’t that long ago that former-205 Live Superstar, Mustafa Ali, made his SmackDown Live debut. Since that time, Ali has already established himself as a main roster talent, facing off against top talent like Bryan and Samoa Joe.

Mustafa Ali recently took the time to sit down with Chris Jericho for the latter’s podcast, Talk Is Jericho. During their conversation, Ali recounted being told that he was moving from 205 Live to SmackDown. He also spoke about “The Planet’s Champion” Daniel Bryan, and the fact that the performers on 205 Live are a similar size to the majority of WWE’s main roster talent.

“They Need You Right Now”

Prior to working with Bryan on SmackDown, Ali recalled on being told he wouldn’t be featured on 205 Live for a few weeks. This is because the writers had nothing for him at the time. Those plans changed when he was told he would debut on WWE’s main roster.

“[…] so I’m kind of showing up at TV, just hanging out and they were like, ‘Hey, you’re working SmackDown tonight.’ ‘Oh, okay.’ ‘And you’re working Daniel Bryan, and you have a promo with him too, and it’s three segments.’ I’m like, ‘okay,’ and I’m kind of blowing off this writer, like, ‘okay, yeah, yeah.’ And he was like, ‘no, I’m being serious. They need you right now. Like, go. Go.'”

He continued, saying, “I’m like, ‘is he confusing me for somebody? What is going on?’ Then I find out and I’m told that day, ‘It’s just a one-time deal. We kind of want to see what happens with it. We’re going to give 205 the rub [and] Bryan wants to work with you,’ so I was obviously honored, and I went out there and I did my thing. I was told it was a one-time deal. ‘Okay, cool.’ The next week, ‘Hey, when you get in, go see Road Dogg, Brian James.’ And Road Dogg’s the one that tells me. He’s like, ‘hey, we’re taking you off of 205. You’re on SmackDown now and you’re teaming with AJ Styles tonight and you guys are working the main event again against Andrade and Daniel Bryan. And you’re getting the win on Bryan.’”

“He’ll Never Come Out And Say It To Me”

Ali believes that Daniel Bryan probably has more to do with this call-up than he has admitted. “I’ll never put words in anyone’s mouth, but there’s so many inclinations that I’m having that he had more to say about it than he’s letting on. I mean, just for a guy to get plucked out of 205 and I get put with him in a program and he’s attacking me backstage after my second or third week on SmackDown…it’s all very him.”

He continued, “And, man, what a guy to learn from. I have nothing but good things to say about him, but he’ll never come out and say it to me, I don’t think. I have a feeling he is more involved than he’s letting on.”

H/T to WrestlingINC for the transcribed quotes

With WWE’s Royal Rumble show taking place at the end of January, the promotion is gearing up for their annual event by announcing new entrants for both the male and female over-the-top-rope Rumbles.

Last night, two new competitors officially entered the men’s Rumble match: Mustafa Ali, and the legend Rey Mysterio.

The official WWE Twitter account wrote the following, regarding Mysterio’s involvement:

“It’s official! @reymysterio will compete in the 2019 #RoyalRumble! #SDLive”

It’s official! @reymysterio will compete in the 2019 #RoyalRumble! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/0KiqzyjOCd

— WWE (@WWE) January 9, 2019

Mustafa Ali took to his personal Twitter account to make the announcement:

“To say that the last month has been life changing is an understatement but don’t think I haven’t been ready. I’m entering the #RoyalRumble. I’m going to change the world. I’m going to win. #SDLive”

To say that the last month has been life changing is an understatement but don't think I haven't been ready. I'm entering the #RoyalRumble. I'm going to change the world. I'm going to win. #SDLive

— Mustafa Ali (@MustafaAli_X) January 9, 2019

Royal Rumble 2019

The Royal Rumble event will take place on January 27th at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.

Women’s Royal Rumble match

Men’s Royal Rumble match

Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (c) vs Braun Strowman

WWE Championship
Daniel Bryan (c) vs AJ Styles

SmackDown Women’s Championship
Asuka (c) vs Becky Lynch

RAW Women’s Championship
Ronda Rousey (c) vs Sasha Banks

WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Fatal 4-Way
Buddy Murphy (c) vs Kalisto vs Akira Tozawa vs TBD

Who do you think is liable to win the Rumble this year? Which Royal Rumble contest are you more excited for?

In a recent WWE Day Of video released online, Mustafa Ali talks about his recent win over Daniel Bryan in a tag team match where he pinned him on SmackDown on 18 December.

Ali took on the team of Andrade “Cien” Almas and Daniel Bryan while teaming up with AJ Styles. His team won the match when he pinned the WWE Champion after delivering the 054. The win was talked about by the WWE Universe and was a well received move.

“I’m teaming with AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan and ‘Cien’ Almas, I’m just waiting to wake up. One week you’re facing Daniel Bryan and next week you’re teaming with AJ Styles. You’re in the ring with the best in the world. Part of me wants to tell myself they don’t just put anybody in the ring with them.”

“I obviously want to be as good as them and I feel like I can be and I can hang with them. Trying not to make it bigger than it is. This is still a very cool moment for me. I’ve watched those guys, in particular Bryan and AJ. I’ve watched them my entire life, my entire career. Even on the independent scene, they were stars. Here they are stars and now my name is next to theirs.”

As it was known recently that Ali has moved to SmackDown Live, however, he also said that he will always rep 205 Live and it will be in his heart because that’s where he started out in the WWE.

“I will always rep 205 Live. I will always support 205 Live. I will always be the heart of 205 Live. I will always be watching because you will never know when the heart of 205 Live will beat again.”

h/t to WrestlingInc for the transcription

Read More:

• Mustafa Ali Praised For SmackDown Debut Against Daniel Bryan
• Mustafa Ali Tells Story Of How He Got Signed To WWE

It has been an eventful couple of weeks for WWE’s Mustafa Ali, who sat down to discuss his career on a recent episode of Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia.

From facing Daniel Bryan one-on-one last week, to pinning the WWE champion in a tag match on this week’s Smackdown, it appears that WWE’s powers that be realize the star potential in Ali.

After languishing on the low-profile 205 Live roster for nearly two years, Ali has broken through on Smackdown, and fans are getting a taste of one of the most talented performers in the entire company.

Mustafa Ali’s WWE Contract

Ali says that had he not spoken up to Triple H during his run as an alternate for the Cruiserweight Classic, that his life may have turned out differently.

“I was told I was in the tournament. A week before that, they released the participants, and I’m not on the list,” Ali recalled. “I frantically called William Regal and he told me I was an alternate. Something happens, I’m in the tournament, I have a five minute match, I’m gone.”

That brief time in the tournament was obviously not the end of his WWE journey.

“I got brought in for some extra work. Everyone has that Hail Mary moment. I just walked up to Triple H one day and said, ‘Hey man, you’ve seen me wrestle four times now. You know if you know.’

“He was like ‘Hey, there are only so many dogs and so many bones. I’m sorry, things take time.’ I thought he was politely telling me to get out of his way.”

“The next week, I got a call.”

Mustafa Ali Facing Discrimination

Ali grew up in Chicago as the son of first-generation Americans, who immigrated from India and Pakistan.

He says that while he did face some childhood bullying for the way he dressed, he never faced any sort of racial discrimination early in life.

“I was in high school when 9/11 happened. Before 9/11, I never experienced discrimination that was justified in their eyes. It was jokes about camel jockeys, and did my uncle own a gas station. It was ha ha, whatever. It was from people I knew. I wasn’t beat up because I was brown,” Ali said.

After the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, his life changed.

“9/11 goes down… I felt like I’m an American. I felt that pain from people dying. I was following the vents, I was trying to educate myself, and then the aftermath happened. It was nothing crazy, but I knew I was different from that point on,” he said.

“When stuff did start happening, comments were made, it was always directed at Muslims. Not at me, but it was in my presence.”

Refusing To Feed Into Stereotypes

Ali says that the fear of portraying a stereotypical character, and the potential for discrimination that went with it, forced him to start his wrestling career in a unique way.

“It carried over into wrestling. I started my independent career at 16, I got trained, and every single person involved in the Chicago independent scene told me, ‘You’ve got to be a bad guy. you’re Muslim. We’re going to call you Sheik Abdullah something, you’re going to wear a turban,'” Ali said.

“I was so terrified of pushing that biased agenda that I refused to do it. I put on a mask and tried to pass myself off as a luchador.”

Ali also tells an amazing story about his late father’s heart attack, discusses his family’s journey to Chicago, where he was born, how his time as a police officer changed his outlook on life, and much more.

The full episode can be found below.

https://youtu.be/3MtNmEGGFSA

New WWE SmackDown Superstar Mustafa Ali has had quite the last two weeks as he has shared the ring with WWE Champion Daniel Bryan on SmackDown Live.

Last week, he lost to Bryan after the top champion on the blue brand issued an open challenge. Then, on week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Fresno, CA at the Save Mart Center, Bryan and Andrade Almas battled AJ Styles and Ali in a tag team match that ended up serving as the main event.

Ali got the win in this match for his team when connecting with his finisher to pin Bryan. Now, he’s slated to take on the former NXT Champion in a singles match on next week’s show, which was taped on Tuesday night due to the episode falling on Christmas night.

The former 205 Live star took to his official Twitter account on Wednesday where he brought up pinning Bryan and indicated that he would like to compete in the men’s Royal Rumble match at the pay-per-view event next month. He also reflected on his time on the 205 Live brand where he noted that he would be indebted to the rest of the stars in the division.

Ali wrote, “@WWE205Live took me to #WrestleMania. It took me to #SurvivorSeries. And now, it takes me to #SDLive. Forever indebted to that crew. I’ll always be fighting for them.”

@WWE205Live took me to #WrestleMania. It took me to #SurvivorSeries. And now, it takes me to #SDLive.

Forever indebted to that crew. I'll always be fighting for them. pic.twitter.com/ZlVl4fehMD

— Mustafa Ali (@MustafaAli_X) December 19, 2018

I pinned the @WWE Champion tonight. pic.twitter.com/7typNRizBJ

— Mustafa Ali (@MustafaAli_X) December 19, 2018

? https://t.co/i3TyYEh2gB

— Mustafa Ali (@MustafaAli_X) December 18, 2018

Footage of an incident involving Mustafa Ali and WWE Champion Daniel Bryan has surfaced online. During this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Fresno, CA at the Save Mart Center, Bryan and Andrade Almas battled AJ Styles and Ali in a tag team match that ended up serving as the main event.

The finish of the match saw Ali pick up the win for his team once he hit his finisher, 054, off the top rope. When coming down, Ali wasn’t centered and landed on Bryan’s head with his knee. Ali immediately apologized for the incident to Bryan then pinned him.

It should be noted that Bryan is okay as he worked the TV taping after this episode for next week’s show, which is great news as Bryan does have a history of suffering concussions, which put him on the sidelines for two years as he wasn’t medically cleared by WWE doctors. You can see the slow-motion footage of the incident here:

https://twitter.com/GIFSkull/status/1075230888026300416

This marked the second match between Ali and Bryan as last week on SmackDown Live, the WWE Champion issued an open challenge which was accepted by Ali. In the end, Bryan got his hand raised in the match that was well received by fans.