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What's the Story?
Speaking to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, Ali reveals that he was not supposed to get a full-time call up to SmackDown Live. It was supposed to be just a one-off match against Daniel Bryan to get a few eyes on 205 Live, but the management decided to move him to the Blue Brand the following week.
In case you didn't know...
Ali made his debut on SmackDown in December 2018 against then WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan, in a losing cause. The following week, he teamed up with AJ Styles to defeat Daniel Bryan and Andrade to get his first win in the brand.
Since then, he has been a regular in the show appearing in big matches like Royal Rumble 2019 and 'Andre the Giant' Battle Royal at WrestleMania 35. He has also been producing critically acclaimed vignettes on the show highlighting his journey.
The Heart of the Matter...
Speaking about his debut on SmackDown Live, Ali revealed that he was never supposed to become the member of the Blue Brand full-time. He said,
I had showed up for the Smackdown Live TV taping and was told that night that I would be having that match with Daniel Bryan. And I was assured it was just a one time deal. And I was just thinking, “Oh, let me use this moment to get some exposure for 205 Live. Maybe I’ll capture the [fans] and bring it over to 205.” And then the following week I showed up and was told that morning that, “Hey, you’re making the move to Smackdown. You’re teaming with AJ Styles versus Bryan and Cien (Andrade), and you’re on Smackdown now.”
Speaking about his vignettes, Ali said that he writes and produces them. No one from the company is involved in it. The management realized that if they get involved in them, it wouldn't have that unique feel.
What's Next?
Ali is currently participating in the on-going King of the Ring tournament and also seems to be involved in a rivalry with the Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura.
