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What's the story?
Mustafa Ali is one of 205 Live's greatest competitors. Ali has won the hearts of the WWE Universe through his incredible in-ring skills and his heartfelt and emotional promos.
Ali began to connect with the fans during his run through the Cruiserweight Championship tournament before Mania, and now has a huge following, which he hopes will help him change the world.
In case you didn't know...
Ali is the first WWE Pakistani wrestler. Normally, being from there, he would have been, traditionally, booked as an anti-American heel.
However, Ali wanted to break this certain barrier. At first, he wore a mask to hide who he was, and to prevent himself from being booked in such a fashion.
Ali got his big break during the Cruiserweight Classic back in 2016. Originally, he wasn't supposed to be a part of it. However, Brazilian competitor Zumbi was not able to participate, giving Ali the chance to shine.
Though he was eliminated in the first round, he impressed the WWE officials enough to sign him to a contract. Since joining 205 Live, Ali has performed as one of the best high flyers in the business.
In 2018 alone, Ali was a part of multiple Match of the Year candidates involving Cedric Alexander, Buddy Murphy, and Hideo Itami.
The heart of the matter
In a recent interview with Wrestling Inc, Ali discussed his hopes of holding the Cruiserweight Championship in an effort to change the thoughts and feelings some Americans have towards Muslims in America.
When I'm making my entrance, some of the fans chant 'Ali.' One of my friends who was in attendance at the show went, 'It's about to be the 4th in America, and they're chanting Ali right now!' So it's kind of that instance for me, because it's what I'm going out there and fighting for, to be able to bring that change. I want to change how people perceived me when i came over here, change how people perceive South-East Asians or Middle Eastern or Muslim or Hindu or whatever their identity is. Treat the performer as a performer.
Ali continued on in the interview to talk about being a hero or someone to look up to for other Pakistani fans. You can check out the full interview here.
What's next?
Mustafa Ali's entire reasoning for working with the WWE has been to change the minds of those fans who have biases towards certain races or religions. The Heart of 205 Live earned his name, not just for his amazing performances in the ring, but for the positive impact he has had and continues to build while on 205 Live.
Mustafa Ali will look to challenge for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, should he defeat Tony Nese next week to become the #1 Contender. Ali earned the opportunity after an amazing showing against Hideo Itami, where he defeated the deadly striker after putting him through a table with the 450 Splash.
