Mustafa Ali fails to get a US Title shot after being pinned by WWE veteran

Mustafa Ali's return to RAW last week was triumphant as he confronted US Champion Theory and picked up a big singles win as well. While he received a championship contender's opportunity in a handicap match this week, a WWE veteran pinned Ali.

Last week on RAW, Ali returned, and several references were alluding to him publicly asking for his WWE release (which was subsequently denied). The same thing happened this week as he was a guest on Miz TV. While his mic was cut off at first, Ali justified asking for his release by stating that he went to the WWE Universe when he wanted to voice his concerns.

Theory soon interrupted Miz TV and informed Ali that he had a championship contender's match - but it wouldn't be a singles bout. Instead, Ali had to face the champ and The A-Lister in a handicap match.

As the dust settled, WWE veteran The Miz pinned Ali, exacting revenge for last week's insults.

Mustafa Ali's next feud is already lined up

After the match on RAW, Mustafa Ali was attacked by two-time NXT Champion Ciampa. Last week on RAW, the latter attacked Ali to seemingly kickstart his first rivalry on the main roster.

Unfortunately, the loss to The Miz and Theory means that Mustafa Ali will have to wait before getting into US Title contention again. However, being the first feud for Ciampa isn't too bad a spot. The only unfortunate aspect of the rivalry is that one of the two fan favorites will have to lose.

It will be interesting to see who wins the feud as the promotion is prone to criticism. If Ciampa loses, fans could criticize WWE for "burying" him fast, whereas if Mustafa Ali loses, they might get criticized for bringing him back only to lose to other superstars.

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Where do you see this rivalry going? Which side are you on? Sound off in the comments below.