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Mustafa Ali has been with WWE since 2016 and has yet to win a championship in the company.
He initially worked in the Cruiserweight Division as part of the 205 Live brand. In December 2018, after spending almost two years in the division, Ali moved to the SmackDown brand. During his time in the blue brand, he competed in high-profile matches with AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, and more. After featuring in multiple title bouts and MITB ladder match, Ali was written off the TV in late 2019 for unknown reasons.
In July 2020, Ali was moved to Monday Nights. In October of that same year, he revealed himself to be the leader of the villainous stable RETRIBUTION, thereby turning heel in the process. But the stable was unsuccessful in making a mark, and hence it was disbanded in early 2021.
Ali made his WWE return on the October 17, 2022, edition of Monday Night RAW in a segment with United States Champion Seth Rollins. Although it looked like the company was building towards a Title match between the two at first, we now know that Austin Theory and Bobby Lashley would be challenging The Visionary at WWE Survivor Series: WarGames.
Constantly beaten down by Bobby Lashley, Austin Theory and Seth Rollins every week, with no signs of a rebuttal, the WWE Universe believes Ali is being buried on television. Scroll down to read potential reasons for the same.
#4. Punishment for publicly announcing request for release from WWE
In January 2022, Ali announced his request for release from WWE via Twitter. He posted a video with words that read:
"I have a message that is much bigger than my dreams in pro wrestling. Despite my best efforts, I will not be able to deliver this message while working with WWE. Therefore, I am requesting my release from WWE."
The reason Ali requested for release may have been related to Vince McMahon, based on a report. During an interview with Metro in October 2021, Ali stated that even during the pre-pandemic, he was struggling to maintain TV presence.
Ali further revealed that he walked up to Vince McMahon and asked the former chairman what he was missing:
"After sitting at home for seven months and then finally coming back to Monday Night RAW, only to pick up a few victories and then to go back to not being on Monday Night RAW and now being stuck on Main Event, you're kind of scratching your head," Ali continued. "Like, what have I gotta do? And then you realize, you've gotta go ask the hard questions. I went up to Vince McMahon himself and said, 'What am I missing?' [He said], 'Too polished, too clean, too nice, I don't know if you have it in you!'"
Ali has not recovered since his request for release, albeit sporadically appearing on television. He competed in a United States Championship match vs. Austin Theory at Hell in a Cell 2022 in a losing effort.
#3. Setting up an underdog story for Mustafa Ali
In 2019, Ali was pulled from the elimination chamber match that saw Kofi Kingston replace him, which led to what we know today as KofiMania.
He challenged Daniel Bryan to a triple-threat match with Kevin Owens for the WWE Championship at Fastlane. The same year, he competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match, in which he was slated to win. Later that same year at Hell in a Cell, he fought in a singles match against Randy Orton.
Perhaps 2019 was the best year for Ali, as he was not featured like this ever since. However, his career could see some change in 2023, as WWE could pull off a surprise by giving Ali a big moment.
#2. Responding to Braun Strowman with a call-back to release request
After his match against Omos at Crown Jewel, Braun Strowman took to Twitter and sent out a tweet which stated:
"Holy hell @TheGiantOmos can you believe we got 47 and reminded the people that no one cares about all these floppy floppers. Giants and Monster > flippy flipper bag your grocery’s at @kroger #AirportTest #SizeIsThePrize #SwoleIsTheGoal."
Ali responded to the tweet by saying:
"can you teach me how to get fired?"
People on Twitter weighed in on the exchange between the two wrestlers, and for the most part, there seems to be only minimal support on Mustafa Ali's side. With fans mocking him that he might threaten to quit again if he doesn't get what he wants – which is a title.
After receiving backlash from fans, Strowman deleted the tweet and apparently got backstage heat.
This could be a reason for his recent decline, with WWE scrapping plans for a feud between Seth Rollins and Ali that was teased.
#1. Delayed gratification for a United States Title win
Seth Rollins' United States title run is fresh, so having him defend it for a while makes sense before he drops it to someone deserving of a big moment.
Triple H was the ultimate villain of the Yes Movement between 2013-14, so The Game knows what it means to delay the eventual feel-good moment.
Ali could end up stealing the show in a match against Seth Rollins down the line that sees the former dethrone The Visionary.
How do you feel about Ali's current situation in WWE? Do you see him winning a championship down the line? Let us know in the comments section below.
