Mustafa Ali Explained

Mustafa Ali
Birth Name:Adeel Alam
Birth Date:28 March 1986
Birth Place:Bollingbrook, Illinois, U.S.
Children:3
Billed:Chicago, Illinois
Names:Mustafa Ali
Ali
Height:5 ft 10 in[1]
Weight:182 lb
Debut:February 2, 2003

Adeel Alam (born March 28, 1986) better known by his ring name Mustafa Ali, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently performing as a freelancer, working for various promotions including New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is best known for his tenure in WWE from 2016 to 2023, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from January to August 2024, where he is a former TNA X Division Champion.

Prior to signing with WWE, Alam worked on the independent circuit after his debut in 2003, while also working as a police officer in a Chicago suburb for four years. In 2016, he competed in the Cruiserweight Classic as a replacement and through his performances, earned a full-time contract with WWE. He initially worked for their new Cruiserweight Division as part of the 205 Live brand. In December 2018, he was moved to the SmackDown brand, moving out of the cruiserweight division where his ring name would be shortened to Ali from March 2019 to November 2019. In July 2020, he was moved to the Raw brand. In October of that same year, he revealed himself as the leader of the villainous stable Retribution. He would be released from the company in September 2023, and returned to the independent circuit in December 2023. He made his debut for New Japan Pro-Wrestling and TNA in January 2024.

Early life

Adeel Alam[2] was born on March 28, 1986, in Bolingbrook, Illinois,[3] [4] to an Indian mother from New Delhi, and a Pakistani father from Karachi.[5] [6] [7] [8] He was raised in Chicago, Illinois. He has two older brothers.[9] Alam wanted to be a wrestler since his youth, idolizing first Bret Hart and later also Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Hardy Boyz, Chris Jericho, and Hayabusa.

Professional wrestling career

Independent circuit (2003–2016)

Alam made his professional wrestling debut on February 2, 2003. He worked in various promotions, including Dreamwave Wrestling, where he was a former Dreamwave Alternative Champion and Dreamwave Heavyweight Champion. He also appeared in other promotions, including All American Wrestling (AAW), Freelance Wrestling, GALLI Lucha Libre, IWA Mid-South, Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW), National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), Proving Ground Pro, and WrestleCircus. During his first six years as a professional wrestler, he used a mask so he would not face discrimination.[10] He did it all during the day while working night shifts as a police officer.[11]

WWE (2016–2023)

Cruiserweight division (2016–2018)

On June 25, 2016, after Brazilian wrestler Zumbi was not able to participate in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament due to visa issues, WWE announced that Mustafa Ali would replace him.[12] On July 20, Ali, representing his father's country of Pakistan, was eliminated from the tournament by Puerto Rican representative Lince Dorado in the first round.[13] Ali appeared on the October 26 episode of NXT, where he and Dorado entered the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, but were eliminated by Kota Ibushi and TJ Perkins in the first round.[14]

On the December 13 episode of 205 Live, Ali made his debut for the brand, as a face wrestling Lince Dorado to a double countout.[15] On January 23, 2017, Ali made his Raw debut, teamed with Jack Gallagher and TJ Perkins to defeat Ariya Daivari, Drew Gulak, and Tony Nese.[16] Ali began feuding with Drew Gulak, when Gulak began his "No Fly Zone" campaign on 205 Live.[17] [18] The feud culminated in a two-out-of-three falls match on July 18 episode of 205 Live, which Ali won.[19] In February 2018, Ali began participating in the Cruiserweight Championship tournament; he defeated Gentleman Jack Gallagher in the first round,[20] Buddy Murphy in the quarterfinals,[21] and Drew Gulak in the semi-finals to advance to the final at the WrestleMania 34.[22] At the event Ali lost to Cedric Alexander, thus failing to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.[23] Ali then started a rivalry with Hideo Itami, who interfered in his match against Buddy Murphy.[24] On the August 7 episode of 205 Live, Ali lost to Itami and collapsed afterwards, rendering him out of action for a short time.[25] On the October 24 episode of 205 Live, Ali defeated Itami in a falls count anywhere match to end the feud.[26] On the October 31 episode of 205 Live, Ali defeated Tony Nese to become the number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship,[27] but failed to win the title from Buddy Murphy at Survivor Series.[28]

Championship pursuits (2018–2019)

During his time in 205 Live, Ali gained the attention of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, who decided to put him on the SmackDown brand.[29] According to former WWE writer Kazeem Famuyide, then-WWE Champion Daniel Bryan was pushing hard backstage for a "hot young babyface" to be on television, arguing that all the babyfaces they had were pushing 40-years-old; this led to management choosing Ali for this push.[30] Ali made his first appearance on the December 11, 2018, episode of SmackDown Live, confronting Daniel Bryan and losing to him later that night and the next week was confirmed as a full-time SmackDown roster member.[31] [32] At the Royal Rumble on January 27, 2019, Ali competed in the eponymous match, lasting 30 minutes and eliminating Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe, before being eliminated by Nia Jax.[33] In February, Ali was scheduled to compete in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship at namesake event, which would have been his first world title match; however, he was pulled out due to a legit injury, and replaced by Kofi Kingston.[34] [35] Ali made his televised return at the Fastlane pay-per-view, as a last minute addition in the WWE Championship match between Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens, which Ali lost after being pinned by Bryan.[36] [37] On March 25, 2019, his ring name was shortened to "Ali".[38]

At the Money in the Bank on May 19, Ali competed in the ladder match,[39] which he failed to win, after a returning Brock Lesnar won the match.[40] According to Ali, he was originally booked to win the match, but before making his entrance to the ring, was instructed by Vince McMahon to not obtain the briefcase. This decision caused a lot of controversy amongst fans, but Ali admitted to have not been bothered by it.[41] The following month, Ali would compete in the 51-man battle royal at Super ShowDown, but would fail to win.[42] [43] At Smackville, Ali failed to capture the Intercontinental Championship, from Shinsuke Nakamura.[44] In August, Ali competed in the King of the Ring tournament, where he defeated Buddy Murphy in the first round,[45] but lost to Elias in the quarterfinals.[46] At the Hell in a Cell event, Ali lost to Randy Orton.[47] At the Crown Jewel event, Ali competed in a ten-man tag team match as a part of Team Hogan, coming out victorious against Team Flair.[48] On November 13, his name was reverted to "Mustafa Ali".[49] At Survivor Series, Ali competed as a member of Team SmackDown, and was eliminated by Seth Rollins, however, his team won the match.[50] Following this, Ali would be taken off television, wrestling primarily on dark matches and live events.[51]

Retribution (2020–2021)

See main article: Retribution (professional wrestling). After a seven-month hiatus from television, Ali returned on the July 20, 2020, episode of Raw, teaming with Cedric Alexander and Ricochet to defeat MVP, Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin,[52] thus moving to the Raw brand.[53] After moving to the Raw brand, Ali later began competing on WWE Main Event, trading victories in matches over the likes of Ricochet and Akira Tozawa. On the September 28 episode of Raw, Ali would return to in ring action by teaming with Ricochet and Apollo Crews and they would go on to defeat The Hurt Business after Ali used the 450 splash to pin MVP.

On the October 5 episode of Raw, Ali turned heel when he was revealed as the leader of the stable Retribution.[54] On the October 19 episode of Raw, Ali would reveal himself as the mysterious hacker that was sending messages on SmackDown for months. That same night, Ali and Retribution would be defeated by The Hurt Business in an eight-man tag team match.[55] [56] The following week on Raw, Retribution would once again lose to The Hurt Business in an elimination match, ending the feud. Following this, Retribution would set their sights on Ricochet with each member, including Ali, defeating him in singles matches over the next few weeks on Raw. Afterwards, Retribution would begin a feud with The New Day or more specifically, Kofi Kingston after Ali blamed Kingston for "stealing" his WrestleMania opportunity two years prior while he was injured. At the Royal Rumble, Ali would enter at number 4 and managed to eliminate Xavier Woods before being eliminated by Big E.

On March 15 episode of Raw, Ali faced Riddle for the United States Championship but was unsuccessful in capturing the title. He faced Riddle in a rematch for the title at Fastlane but was once again unsuccessful. Following the match, Reckoning and Slapjack walked out on him while Mace and T-Bar attacked him, effectively disbanding Retribution.

Various feuds (2021–2023)

In June, Ali began a storyline with Mansoor, trying to convince him that the rest of WWE superstars were "backstabbers", "would do anything just to get ahead", and "cheaters",[57] leading to a match at Crown Jewel, where he was defeated.[58] During his feud, as part of the 2021 Draft, Ali was drafted to the SmackDown brand.[59]

On January 16, 2022, Mustafa Ali publicly requested his release from WWE which was eventually declined by Vince McMahon.[60] A few months later, Ali returned to television on the April 25 episode of Raw, as a face, and defeated The Miz. after the match, he would be attacked by Ciampa.[61] On the May 2, broadcast of Raw, Mustafa Ali yet again interrupted Miz TV and requested a United States Championship shot. The Miz accepted the offer but turned the match into a 2-on-1 handicap match with The Miz's partner being Theory. Mustafa Ali was defeated via a Skull Crushing Finale by The Miz. Eventually however, Ali would face Theory for the United States Championship at Hell In A Cell, in an unsuccessful attempt. On the October 17 episode of Raw, Ali confronted Seth Rollins and unleashed an attack on him to end the show.

Heading into 2023, Ali started a program with Dolph Ziggler, with the two confronting each other backstage on several occasions. On the February 20, 2023, episode of Raw, Ali defeated Ziggler with a roll-up and sarcastically celebrated his win. On the May 15 episode of Raw, Ali won a No. 1 Contender's battle royal to face Intercontinental Champion Gunther at Night of Champions, but was unsuccessful at the event. Ali made a surprise return on the May 30 episode of NXT, appearing in the crowd just before North American Champion Wes Lee and Tyler Bate teamed up against The Dyad (Jagger Reid and Rip Fowler). Ali later helped Lee and Bate fend off Joe Gacy. At NXT The Great American Bash on July 30, Ali was unsuccessful in capturing the NXT North American Championship against Lee and defending champion Dominik Mysterio in a triple threat match after interference from Mysterio's Judgment Day stablemate, Rhea Ripley. On September 21, 2023, just 9 days before he was scheduled to challenge Dominik Mysterio for the NXT North American Championship at NXT No Mercy, Ali announced that he was no longer working for WWE as he was one of several wrestlers released that day.[62]

Return to independent circuit (2023–present)

On December 21, 2023, Ali announced that he would be taking independent bookings.[63] On January 6, 2024, Ali made his first post-WWE appearance at Association les Professionnels du Catch's (APC) 20th Anniversary show, defeating Aigle Blanc.[64] Ali also announced appearances with Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) at No Compadre on January 12, Progress Wrestling at Chapter 162: Light of The Dragon on January 28, and DEFY Wrestling on February 9.[65] [66] [67] On February 18, Ali made his debut for Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro) at High Stakes, in a winning effort against Robbie X.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2024–present)

At Battle in the Valley, Ali made his New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) debut in a pre-taped vignette, challenging Hiromu Takahashi to a match at Windy City Riot. At Windy City Riot, Ali defeated Takahashi.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2024)

Ali made his first appearance for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on the January 25 episode of TNA Impact!, in a pre-taped vignette. He made his in-ring debut at No Surrender, defeating Chris Sabin to win the TNA X Division Championship. This marked Ali's first championship in a major company (also being the first in TNA's history to win the title in his debut match).[68] He retained the title against Jake Something,[69] Ace Austin, and Trent Seven on TNA PPVs. At Slammiversary, he lost the title to Mike Bailey. On the August 1 episode of Impact!, Ali unsuccessfully challenged Nic Nemeth for the TNA World Championship. This would be Ali's final match with the promotion as on the same day, Ali announced that he would be leaving TNA.[70]

Professional wrestling style and persona

Ali uses a high-flying style of wrestling.[71] Ali's finishing maneuver was an imploding 450° splash named the 054, but he retired the move since he "wants to be able to play with his grandkids".[72] After his debut, Ali used characters different from Muslim stereotypes.[73] During his feud with Cedric Alexander over the Cruiserweight Championship, Ali was commonly referred to as "The Heart of 205 Live", while Alexander was referred to as “The Soul of 205 Live”.[74] [75] [76]

After his heel turn, he would add the Koji Clutch to his arsenal.

Other media

Ali made his video game debut as a playable character in WWE 2K19 and has since appeared in WWE 2K20, WWE 2K22, and WWE 2K23.[77] He was the subject of a 2009 documentary focusing on issues that Muslim wrestlers face when booked as villainous characters and stereotyped as terrorists.[78]

Personal life

Alam is a Muslim. He married his wife Uzma in January 2011, and they have two daughters and a son.[79] [80]

Despite having Pakistani and Indian roots, Alam only represented Pakistan in his WWE debut at the Cruiserweight Classic as there were already two Indian representatives competing.[81] He was criticized for not displaying a Pakistani flag and representing the country by his Pakistani fans in January 2017. He stated, "I don't care for nationality. I care for unity. I don't mean to offend anyone. This is just me stating that I feel nationality doesn't define us as people, it separates us."[82]

Alam spent four years serving as a police officer in Homewood, Illinois, a suburb south of Chicago, in order to support his family before being signed to WWE.

Championships and accomplishments

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mustafa Ali. WWE. January 17, 2017.
  2. Web site: Mustafa Ali Profight profile. January 1, 2019. The Internet Wrestling Database.
  3. Web site: Mustafa Ali. Cagematch. January 17, 2017.
  4. Web site: Mustafa Ali Gerweck.net. Gerweck.net. August 25, 2017.
  5. News: Rahul Ramakrishnan . Mustafa Ali: The police officer who became a WWE superstar . January 1, 2019 . . October 17, 2018.
  6. Web site: WWE star Mustafa Ali reveals his softer side. March 17, 2018. The Express Tribune. en-US. January 14, 2019.
  7. Web site: WWE star Mustafa Ali opens up about his life. Zaheer. Komal. March 17, 2018. Daily Pakistan. en-US. December 28, 2018.
  8. 205 Live Superstar - Mustafa Ali . spreaker.com. Garcia, Lilian. December 17, 2018. 32:20. December 28, 2018.
  9. 205 Live Superstar - Mustafa Ali . spreaker.com. Garcia, Lilian. December 17, 2018. 33:20. December 28, 2018.
  10. Web site: Mustafa Ali On Facing Discrimination In Wrestling, Why He Doesn't Promote Himself As WWE's First Pakistani Star: "Division Does No Justice" . . December 21, 2018 . January 3, 2018.
  11. Web site: Mustafa Ali's journey from police officer to performing at WrestleMania 34. April 3, 2018. ESPN. en. December 23, 2018.
  12. Web site: Triple H – WWE to hold future editions of Cruiserweight tournament, why did one wrestler miss inaugural tourney?. Caldwell. James. Pro Wrestling Torch. June 25, 2016. June 27, 2016.
  13. Web site: 7/20 WWE Cruiserweight Results – Caldwell's Week 2 Report on Akira Tozawa, Tajiri, TJP, excellent Dorado vs. Ali match. Caldwell. James. July 20, 2016. July 21, 2016. Pro Wrestling Torch.
  14. Web site: Melok . Bobby . TJ Perkins & Kota Ibushi def. Lince Dorado & Mustafa Ali (Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round Match) . WWE. October 26, 2016.
  15. Web site: 12/13 Powell's WWE 205 Live TV Review: Rich Swann vs. TJ Perkins in a non-title match. December 13, 2016. Powell. Jason. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. January 20, 2020.
  16. Web site: 1/23 Powell's WWE Raw Live TV Review: Goldberg appears, final hype for the Royal Rumble. January 23, 2017. Powell. Jason. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. January 20, 2020.
  17. Web site: 3/28 Powell's WWE 205 Live TV Review: Akira Tozawa vs. Brian Kendrick, the final push for Neville vs. Austin Aries at WrestleMania. March 28, 2017. Powell. Jason. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. January 20, 2020.
  18. Web site: 4/4 Powell's WWE 205 Live TV Review: Austin Aries vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Jack Gallagher vs. TJ Perkins to determine the No. 1 contender, Neville's championship celebration. April 4, 2017. Powell. Jason. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. January 20, 2020.
  19. Web site: 7/18 Moore's WWE 205 Live review: Mustafa Ali vs. Drew Gulak in a best of three falls match, Akira Tozawa vs. Ariya Daivari, Brian Kendrick vs. Devin Bennett. July 19, 2017. Powell. Jason. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. January 20, 2020.
  20. Web site: 2/20 WWE 205 Live Report: Daivari vs. Buddy Murphy, Mustafa Ali vs. Gallagher, Metalik & Dorado in tag. February 21, 2018. Heydorn. Zack. Pro Wrestling Torch. February 21, 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180222044655/https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2018/02/21/2-20-wwe-205-live-report-daivari-vs-buddy-murphy-mustafa-ali-vs-gallagher-metalik-dorado-tag/. February 22, 2018.
  21. Web site: 3/6 Moore's WWE 205 Live TV Review: Drew Gulak vs. Mark Andrews and Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy in the last quarterfinal matches, Hideo Itami and Akira Tozawa become a tag team. March 7, 2018. Moore. John. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. March 7, 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180307181002/https://prowrestling.net/site/2018/03/07/3-6-moores-wwe-205-live-tv-review-drew-gulak-vs-mark-andrews-mustafa-ali-vs-buddy-murphy-last-quarterfinal-matches-hideo-itami-akira-tozawa-become-tag-team/. March 7, 2018.
  22. Web site: 3/20 WWE 205 Live Report: Mustafa Ali vs. Drew Gulak in the cruiserweight championship tournament semifinals. March 20, 2018. Heydorn. Zack. Pro Wrestling Torch. March 21, 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180321130723/https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2018/03/20/3-20-wwe-205-live-report-mustafa-ali-vs-drew-gulak-cruiserweight-championship-tournament-semifinals/. March 21, 2018.
  23. Web site: Powell. Jason. Powell's WrestleMania 34 Kickoff Show live review: WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal, Cedric Alexander vs. Mustfa Ali for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. April 8, 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180409013225/https://prowrestling.net/site/2018/04/08/powells-wrestlemania-34-kickoff-show-live-review-wrestlemania-womens-battle-royal-cedric-alexander-vs-mustfa-ali-for-the-wwe-cruiserweight-championship-andre-the-giant-memorial-battle-royal/. April 9, 2018. April 8, 2018.
  24. Web site: 6/5 Moore's WWE 205 Live TV Review: Buddy Murphy vs. Mustafa Ali, Lio Rush debut video package, Lince Dorado vs. Brian Kendrick. June 6, 2018. Moore. John. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. January 20, 2020.
  25. Web site: 8/7 Moore's WWE 205 Live Review: Mustafa Ali vs. Hideo Itami, Lucha House Party vs. Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese, Noam Dar training video. August 8, 2018. Moore. John. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. January 20, 2020.
  26. Web site: 10/24 Anish V's WWE 205 Live TV Review: Hideo Itami vs. Mustafa Ali in a Falls Count Anywhere match, Mike Kanellis vs. Lince Dorado. November 1, 2018. Vishwakoti. Anish. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. November 8, 2018.
  27. Web site: 10/31 Anish V's WWE 205 Live TV Review: Mustafa Ali vs. Tony Nese to become No. 1 contender to the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, Jack Gallagher vs. Brian Kendrick. November 1, 2018. Vishwakoti. Anish. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. November 8, 2018.
  28. Web site: Powell. Jason. Powell's WWE Survivor Series live review: WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. WWE Champion Daniel Bryan, Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair in a non-title match, Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs. U.S. Champion Shinsuke Nakamura. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. November 18, 2018. November 18, 2018.
  29. Web site: Mustafa Ali: 'Cuando me dijeron que lucharía en SmackDown Live, creía que era una cámara oculta'. Solowrestling. January 14, 2019. solowrestling.mundodeportivo.com.
  30. Web site: Episode 90: Kaz Byke. The Daily Smark.
  31. Web site: Benigno . Anthony . WWE Champion Daniel Bryan def. Mustafa Ali . WWE. December 11, 2018.
  32. Web site: Pappolla . Ryan . AJ Styles & Mustafa Ali def. "The New" Daniel Bryan & Andrade "Cien" Almas . WWE. December 18, 2018.
  33. Web site: Powell. Jason. Powell's WWE Royal Rumble 2019 live review: Men's and Women's Royal Rumble matches, AJ Lee vs. AJ Lee for the WWE Universal Championship, AJ Lee vs. Not AJ Lee for the WWE Championship, AJ Lee vs. AJ Lee for the Raw Women's Championship. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. January 27, 2019.
  34. Web site: Barnett. Jake. 1/29 Barnett's WWE Smackdown Live TV Review: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. R-Truth for the U.S. Championship, Shane McMahon and The Miz celebrate their Smackdown Tag Title win, the build to WWE Elimination Chamber. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. January 29, 2019. January 30, 2019.
  35. Web site: 2/12 Barnett's WWE Smackdown Live TV Review: Daniel Bryan vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles to determine who will enter last in the Elimination Chamber match, McMiz TV with The Usos, final hype for Elimination Chamber. February 12, 2019. Barnett. Jake. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. February 13, 2019.
  36. Web site: Benigno. Anthony. March 10, 2019. WWE Champion Daniel Bryan def. Kevin Owens and Mustafa Ali (Triple Threat Match). WWE. March 10, 2019.
  37. Web site: WWE Minneapolis live results: Mustafa Ali returns. March 3, 2019. WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results.
  38. Web site: Mustafa Ali Undergoes Name Shortening . March 25, 2019 . ProWrestlingSheet . Ryan Satin . March 30, 2019.
  39. Web site: 4/30 WWE Smackdown Live Results: Barnett's review of Becky Lynch vs. Bayley in a non-title match, Kofi Kingston addresses being attacked by Kevin Owens, the announcement of the Smackdown Money in the Bank ladder match participants. April 30, 2019. Barnett. Jake. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. April 30, 2019.
  40. Web site: Powell. Jason. WWE Money in the Bank results: Powell's live review of Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles for the WWE Universal Championship, Kofi Kingston vs. Kevin Owens for the WWE Championship, Becky Lynch defends the Raw and Smackdown Women's Titles, two Money in the Bank ladder matches. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. May 19, 2019. May 19, 2019.
  41. Web site: 411Mania.
  42. Web site: Powell. Jason. WWE Super ShowDown results: Powell's live review of Undertaker vs. Goldberg, Seth Rollins vs. Baron for the WWE Universal Championship, Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Championship, Triple H vs. Randy Orton, Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. June 7, 2019. June 7, 2019.
  43. Web site: P.. Leon. There Were Actually 51 Competitors in the Super ShowDown Battle Royal, Complete List. PWInsider. June 8, 2019. June 10, 2019.
  44. Web site: MacDonald. Josiah. WWE Smackville live results: Kingston vs. Joe vs. Ziggler. Wrestling Observer. July 18, 2019. July 19, 2019.
  45. Web site: Barnett. Jake. 8/27 WWE Smackdown Live Results: Barnett's review of Ali vs. Buddy Murphy and Chad Gable vs. Shelton Benjamin in first round King of the Ring matches, Daniel Bryan and Rowan demand an apology from Roman Reigns. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. August 27, 2019. August 27, 2019.
  46. Web site: Powell. Jason. 9/3 WWE Smackdown Live Results: Powell's review of Ali vs. Elias and Chad Gable vs. Andrade in quarterfinal King of the Ring tournament matches. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. September 3, 2019. September 3, 2019.
  47. Web site: Powell. Jason. WWE Hell in a Cell results: Powell's live review of Seth Rollins vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt in an HIAC match for the WWE Universal Championship, Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks in an HIAC match for the Raw Women's Championship, Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair for the Smackdown Women's Championship. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. October 6, 2019. October 6, 2019.
  48. Web site: Team Hogan faces Team Flair in Superstar-studded tag team match. WWE. en. November 27, 2019.
  49. Web site: Ali's Name Has Apparently Been Changed Again. November 13, 2019. wrestlinginc.com. January 8, 2020.
  50. Web site: Powell. Jason. WWE Survivor Series results: Powell's live review of Brock Lesnar vs. Rey Mysterio in a No Holds Barred match for the WWE Championship, "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE Universal Championship, Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Bayley in a non-title match. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. November 24, 2019. November 24, 2019.
  51. Web site: Report: Mustafa Ali Moved To WWE Raw. Fightful. June 17, 2020.
  52. Web site: Raw results, July 20, 2020. WWE. July 20, 2020. July 20, 2020.
  53. Web site: Mustafa Ali Returns On WWE Raw, Shelton Benjamin Joins The Hurt Business. Fightful.
  54. Web site: Mustafa Ali Revealed As Leader Of RETRIBUTION On WWE Raw. October 5, 2020. Fightful. en-US. October 6, 2020.
  55. Web site: Mustafa Ali Reveals Himself As The Famous SmackDown Hacker On WWE Raw. Fightful.
  56. Web site: WWE Raw 10/19/20 Results: Women's Title Match, El Grand Gordo Debuts & An Elias Concert. Fightful.
  57. Web site: Defelice. Robert. Mustafa Ali Returns To Monday Night Raw On Memorial Day, Warns Mansoor That Nobody Is To Be Trusted. May 31, 2021. July 7, 2021. Fightful.
  58. Web site: Powell. Jason. October 21, 2021. WWE Crown Jewel results: Powell's live review of Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship, Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair for the Smackdown Women's Championship, Big E vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship, Edge vs. Seth Rollins in a Hell in a Cell match, Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley in a No Holds Barred match. October 30, 2021. Pro Wrestling Dot Net.
  59. Web site: Guzzo. Gisberto. Toni Storm, Apollo Crews, Zelina Vega, And More Selected In 2021 WWE Draft. Fightful. October 2, 2021. October 3, 2021.
  60. AliWWE . January 16, 2022 . Mustafa Ali via Twitter: i am requesting my release from wwe . 1482767832567930885 . May 27, 2022.
  61. News: Jenkins . M . April 26, 2022 . Mustafa Ali Returns During WWE RAW This Week . April 28, 2022 . Ringside News . en-US.
  62. Web site: Winnard . Liam . September 21, 2023 . Mustafa Ali Gone From WWE . September 21, 2023 . WrestleTalk . en-US.
  63. Web site: Mutter . Eric . December 21, 2023 . Former WWE Star Mustafa Ali Announces His Future Plans . Wrestling Inc. . December 21, 2023.
  64. Web site: January 7, 2024 . Mustafa Ali Cuts Passionate Promo Following First Post-WWE Match . January 8, 2024 . Yahoo Entertainment . en-US.
  65. Web site: December 23, 2023 . Mustafa Ali vs. Gringo Loco Announced For GCW No Compadre On January 12th . December 23, 2023 . www.wrestling-news.net . en-GB.
  66. Web site: Casey . Ross . December 23, 2023 . MUSTAFA ALI TO DEBUT IN PROGRESS WRESTLING . PROGRESS Wrestling . December 23, 2023.
  67. News: Lowson . Thomas . December 21, 2023 . The Mustafa Ali World Tour Has Begun: Ex-Superstar Set for DEFY, PROGRESS, GCW & More . SE Scoops . January 20, 2024.
  68. Web site: Defelice. Robert. Mustafa Ali Captures TNA X-Division Title From Chris Sabin In Main Event Of TNA No Surrender 2024. Fightful. February 23, 2024. February 24, 2024.
  69. Web site: TNA Rebellion results (4/20): Powell's review of Moose vs. Nic Nemeth for the TNA World Championship, Jordynne Grace vs. Steph De Lander for the Knockouts Title, Josh Alexander vs. Hammerstone. Powell. Jason. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. April 20, 2024. April 20, 2024.
  70. Web site: Carrier . Steve . 2024-08-02 . Mustafa Ali Wrapping Up His Tenure with TNA Wrestling . 2024-08-02 . Ringside News . en-US.
  71. Web site: Mustafa Ali: "No sé qué hago cuando aplico mi finisher" . SoloWrestling . Sergei Peralta . December 17, 2018 . January 3, 2019.
  72. AliWWE. 1366839216777400326. Because I wanna be able to play with my grandkids one day.. March 3, 2021. March 3, 2021.
  73. Web site: 5 Things you need to know about Mustafa Ali . . Anirban . December 19, 2018 . January 3, 2019.
  74. Web site: WWE 205 LIVE REPORT: LOOKING BACK AT 2018 AND MORE . Richard Trionfo . . December 26, 2018 . January 3, 2019.
  75. Web site: Mustafa Ali Gets Respect From WWE Stars After First Match on SD Live (VIDEO) . . Ryan Satin . December 11, 2018 . January 3, 2019.
  76. Web site: Una lucha nunca vista antes tendrá lugar hoy en SD Live . . Self High Five . December 11, 2018 . January 1, 2019 .
  77. Web site: 'WWE 2K19' Roster: Complete List Of Every On-Disc Superstar In The Game. Mazique. Brian. September 6, 2018. Forbes. en. December 28, 2018.
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  81. News: Dasgupta . Riju . October 20, 2018 . Exclusive: Mustafa Ali Discusses His Indo-Pakistani Roots, Why He Didn't Get To Represent India In WWE & More . Spostskeeda . April 28, 2024.
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