When Mustafa Ali was released from WWE last September, it genuinely took the professional wrestling world by surprise.
Now granted, it wasn't surprising that Ali's name was on the promotion's hit list, as he'd been used sporadically since his time in Retribution and wasn't even particularly successful in that faction, but the timing of the news was far more eyebrow-raising, as he was literally days away from a match against Dominik Mysterio at NXT No Mercy, a spot that was eventually replaced by Trick Williams.
Discussing his exit from the promotion on Straight Talk Wrestling, Ali noted that personally, he wasn't too surprised to be handed his walking papers, as he felt as though his time in the promotion had run its course. Still, he's not exactly hurting due to their decision, as he's become one of the hottest free agents in professional wrestling and has built up his personal brand on his own terms.
“Expected, but there was no emotional, like, sadness associated with it. I'm a very business-oriented person. I know what I'm capable of. WWE is a huge entity; it's a promotional machine, and oftentimes, what happens is guys at the top of the card are in those positions for a reason, and obviously, we always hear about the revenue-breaking records that they're making. So they obviously know what they're doing,” Mustafa Ali told Straight Talk Wrestling via Post Wrestling. “I, as an individual, always believed in the mantra of if you really believe in it, you're willing to bet on yourself, right? And I was willing to bet on myself a year-and-a-half or two years ago, whenever it was (that I first asked for my release), and that's all it really came down to. I know what I'm capable of. In two months, I've already taken over the industry. Sold-out show after sold-out show. I can't keep enough merchandise. It's like I'm the hottest free agent in the world right now… in like 60 days? So, I bet on myself, it's already paid dividends, and I'm excited for what the future holds.”
Since his exit from WWE, Ali has wrestled 22 matches, going 22-0 for his troubles, and has won the X-Division Title in TNA as one of the promotion's hot new faces. If Ali keeps putting in the work and shining, who knows, maybe WWE will ask him back in a year or two, not that he'd necessarily want to return, but hey, I'm sure the “Prince” would be happy to be asked.
Mustafa Ali is proud to be a member of TNA.
Elsewhere in his conversation with Straight Talk Wrestling, Mustafa Ali was asked about his new home in TNA, where he's the new X-Division Champion after defeating Chris Sabin at No Surrender back in February.
After watching the promotion growing up and seeing some of the greatest high flyers in wrestling today compete in a TNA/Impact wring, joining the promotion is “surreal.”
“Amazing. I grew up as a TNA kid, if that makes sense, so guys like Will Ospreay, Ricochet, myself, this is what we grew go watching coming up in the industry,” Mustafa Ali told Straight Talk Wrestling via WrestleZone. “So I kind of had a surreal experience my first night in TNA. I made my entrance and I do my signature pose, and when I looked down, I saw TNA in the ring, I had these goosebumps, like oh man, this happening. It hit me there. So it's an honor and privilege to step into a TNA ring.”
Asked specifically about his X-Division crown, Ali noted just how surreal it is to join such a prolific fraternity, as some of the best wrestlers of all time have held the same belt before him.
“Again, another surreal moment because the X-Division Title meant so much to guys like me, junior heavyweights. You get to see guys like AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, the Motor City Machine Guns, Amazing Red, guys that I now get to share the ring with as well in the future,” Ali noted.
“So to hold that championship, what a prestigious championship, the lineage with it. I'd say gonna go ahead and become the best greatest X-Division Champion of all time, but that's me being humble when I say it, obviously. But it is a privilege and honor to hold such a prestigious championship.”
With just one successful title defense under his belt so far, Ali is a long way away from becoming the most prolific X-Division Champion of all time. Still, considering the most prolific title holder, Austin Aeris, only held the belt for 298 days, who knows? Maybe Ali could hold the best for the rest of the year and etch his place in history alongside those legends, too.
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