NXT Vignette Could Be Behind Mustafa Ali’s WWE Release
Speculation has emerged that Mustafa Ali may have been released by WWE because one of the company’s most important business partners didn’t like one of his new creative ideas.
In an exclusive, Nick Hausman reached out to an unspecified source within the company to try and get some answers on why some wrestlers were released on September 21st.
This source theorized that Ali wasn’t all that surprised that he was given his walking papers. It was noted that while Ali was always smiling and professional in his interactions, he was known to be displeased with the creative ideas proposed to him.
This same source also speculated that one possible reason for Ali’s release was the content of one of his recent vignettes. The vignette in question showed Ali standing in front of a podium and cutting a promo clearly stylized after a political campaign speech.
The source noted that some people within the company “freaked out” once they saw the vignette because representatives from Fox, one of WWE’s most important broadcasters and business partners, bristled at the vignette’s content.
What did Mustafa Ali accomplish in WWE?
Ali, real name Adeel Alam, started his WWE career as part of the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic tournament, where he was eliminated in the first round by Lince Dorado.
Despite losing, Ali was signed to a full-time contract and spent several years wrestling on 205 Live and was mostly relegated to lower-card feuds and stories.
However, he ended up changing the course of company history in 2019 when a legitimate injury caused him to be pulled from that year’s Elimination Chamber match and was replaced by Kofi Kingston.
That event ended up being the catalyst that led to Kofi’s world title push and eventual win at WrestleMania 35.
Prior to this release, Mustafa Ali was scheduled to face one of his idols, Rey Mysterio, at No Mercy for the United States Championship.