Tag: mustafa ali

Mustafa Ali confirmed for six TNA Wrestling shows

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Mustafa Ali has been confirmed for his first slate of TNA Wrestling appearances.

At the end of Thursday’s episode of Impact, a video aired teasing that Ali will be coming to TNA. Ali then posted his upcoming schedule today, revealing that he’ll be appearing at all six shows TNA is holding in February and March.

These are the TNA events Ali has been confirmed for:

  • Friday, February 23: No Surrender (TNA Plus special) at the Alario Center in New Orleans
  • Saturday, February 24: TV taping at the Alario Center in New Orleans
  • Friday, March 8: Sacrifice (TNA Plus special) at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  • Saturday, March 9: TV taping at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  • Friday, March 22: TV taping at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia
  • Saturday, March 23: TV taping at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia

Ali was released from his WWE contract in September 2023 during a round of roster cuts that were made after the company was acquired by Endeavor. 

Ali announced in December that he would be going on a “World Tour Campaign,” competing for promotions around the globe.

Mustafa Ali debut video airs on TNA Impact

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Mustafa Ali is on his way to TNA Wrestling. 

A video promo teasing Ali’s TNA debut aired on Thursday’s Impact episode following the post-show credits. 

In the video, a voiceover stated that TNA had recently undergone gradual changes that had been building for years, but that an “X-factor” would soon introduce a different kind of change to TNA. 

The video ended with Ali delivering his “I’m Mustafa Ali and I approve this message” catchphrase, part of the politician character that he has developed for his post-WWE run. 

Ali posted on X: 

next stop on the #MustafaAli2024 campaign

@ThisIsTNA

Ali departed WWE in September 2023 after a seven-year run with the promotion that included him requesting his release publicly in 2022. 

In December 2023, Ali announced his “world tour campaign” that has since seen him wrestle for GCW, plus at an independent event in France. 

His NJPW debut is also set for April 12 at Windy City Riot in Chicago where he will face former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi. 

Ali is a Chicago-area native and a former police officer in a Chicago suburb.

The Ali-TNA video is embedded below: 

Mustafa Ali vs. Hiromu Takahashi set for NJPW Windy City Riot

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Former WWE star Mustafa Ali is set to make his NJPW debut after issuing a challenge to Hiromu Takahashi. 

Ali threw down the gauntlet to Takahashi in a video airing during Saturday’s Battle in the Valley pay-per-view, challenging the former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion to a match at NJPW Windy City Riot in Chicago on Friday, April 12. NJPW confirmed that the match is official in a social media post. 

The video featured Ali delivering a promo from behind a podium in his politician character as he announced that he was bringing his “campaign” to NJPW and calling out Takahashi specifically for Chicago. Ali is an Illinois native and a former police officer in a Chicago suburb. 

Ali announced his departure from WWE in September 2023 after a tumultuous seven-year run with the company that included him publicly requesting his release in 2022. 

In December 2023, Ali announced his “world tour campaign” in a video where he established his crusading politician character. 

Ali had his first post-WWE match in France last Saturday, then made his GCW debut on Friday’s No Compadre event with a win over Gringo Loco.

The video featuring Ali’s challenge to Takahashi is embedded below.

Mustafa Ali cuts promo following first post-WWE match

Posted on by Ian Carey

Mustafa Ali wrestled his first match since being released from WWE on Saturday. 

Ali defeated Aigle Blanc in the main event of APC’s 20th Anniversary show in Nanterre, France. Following the match, Ali addressed the live crowd. 

Ali said:

I’ve been thinking for more than the past 90 days, what is the first thing I want to say? And it’s as simple as this – and if I tear up, I apologize because I believe this from the bottom of my heart – every upper management person that I have ever worked for in this industry has told me to my face ‘no one will ever cheer for someone named Mustafa Ali.’ Even better than ‘f**k them,’ is ‘show them.’

To those people watching, right now I’m in a sold out house at APC and every single person in this building is chanting ‘Mustafa Ali!’

I’m going to leave the ring with one more note, and this is what I want in the industry. I want change in the industry, I want guys that are at a certain level to  reach down and pull people up. 

The young man (Aigle Blanc) that I just shared the ring with, let me tell you something, I have been in the ring with Rey Mysterio, I’ve been in the ring with AJ Styles, you name them and I’ve been in the ring with them and you, my good man, are just as good as them.

It was an absolute honor to perform here. I landed this morning and I have not slept and I don’t give a s**t cause this gives me life. Thank you all. 

Ali’s post-WWE career is off to a busy start. On December 21, he announced a world tour that includes bookings with GCW, Demand Lucha, C*4, NSPW, Progress, DEFY, RevPro, Prestige Wrestling, and Destiny Wrestling. 

Former WWE wrestler Mustafa Ali announces ‘World Tour Campaign’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Mustafa Ali is about to embark on a world tour. 

Ali’s non-compete period with WWE expired today and several promotions have announced him for upcoming events. 

Ali teased his next steps in a social media post last week.

After the clock hit 12:21 p.m. Eastern time today, Prestige, GCW, and many more companies revealed Ali has been booked for future events. 

GCW has booked Ali vs. Gringo Loco for its January 19 show. 

Three Canadian promotions announced Ali for events next month. Ali will wrestle in Toronto for Demand Lucha on January 18, in Ottawa for C*4 on January 19, and in Quebec City for NSPW on January 20. 

Progress Wrestling revealed today that Ali will be on its January 28 show from London in what is being advertised as his UK indie debut. 

DEFY announced Ali for its seventh-anniversary show on February 9 in Seattle.

Ali will wrestle Robbie X for RevPro on February 18. 

Prestige Wrestling posted that Ali will wrestle Mike Bailey at its event on February 25 in Hollywood.   

Ali has also been announced for “Trouble Brewing” in Chicago on March 1. The event is being promoted by the people behind Warrior Wrestling. He will wrestle Trey Miguel on the show. 

Destiny Wrestling is bringing in Ali for its March 3 show at the Don Kolov Arena in Mississauga, Ontario. 

Dominik Mysterio reacts to Mustafa Ali’s WWE release

Posted on by Joseph Currier

At NXT No Mercy later this month, Dominik Mysterio was scheduled to defend his NXT North American Championship against Mustafa Ali.

Plans for that match changed on Thursday when Ali announced that he’s no longer with WWE. A round of roster cuts were made that day, with the releases coming after Endeavor’s acquisition of WWE was made official.

While being interviewed on In The Kliq, Dominik was asked about Ali’s departure and the other releases. He responded:

Yeah, it’s a very unfortunate situation that very talented people have to go through situations like this. But at the end of the day, it’s out of our control. We just do whatever we can to put our best foot forward. But as far as No Mercy goes, I’m just going to have to wait and see who my opponent will be.

Dominik is defending the NXT North American Championship against Dragon Lee on Raw this coming Monday. Ali was scheduled to appear on the episode prior to his departure.

Dominik retained the North American title against Ali and Wes Lee in a triple threat match at NXT Great American Bash this July.

NXT No Mercy is being held in Bakersfield, California on Saturday, September 30. The show will air live on Peacock/WWE Network.

Mustafa Ali announces he’s ‘no longer working with WWE’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Mustafa Ali says he is no longer working with WWE. 

The 37-year-old announced the news in a social media post on Thursday morning. He had been scheduled to face Dominik Mysterio for the NXT North American Championship at No Mercy. 

Ali was interviewed on NXT this week. He told McKenzie Mitchell he was upset about Dragon Lee getting a title shot before him and vowed to be on Raw next week to confront both Lee and Mysterio. 

Ali had previously requested his release from WWE in January 2022. In a social media post, Ali wrote at the time, “I have a message that is much bigger than my dreams in pro wrestling. Despite my best efforts, I will not be able to deliver this message while working with WWE. Therefore, I am requesting my release from WWE.” 

Figthful would later report Ali’s request came after a “heated” meeting with Vince McMahon over a pitch regarding Ali’s on-screen character. WWE is said to have denied Ali’s request for a release. He would return to the company three months later. 

Ali had been with the company since debuting in 2016’s Cruiserweight Classic and becoming part of the 205 Live brand.

North American title match official for WWE NXT No Mercy

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Mustafa Ali will get the NXT North American Championship match at NXT No Mercy later this month.

Ali defeated Dragon Lee in a match that was set to determine the number one contender to Dominik Mysterio’s title. The finish had Mysterio, who was the special guest referee for the match, fast counted Lee when Ali rolled him up.

After the match, Ali seemed happy to have won at first, but then laid out Dominik Mysterio with a punch, not wanting to have won that way. He and Lee then left the ring as Mysterio recovered.

Mysterio last month successfully defended the North American title against Lee on an episode of NXT. However, Lee and Lyra Valkyria picked up a mixed tag team win over Mysterio and Rhea Ripley later in August. Ali later confronted Lee, saying Lee had his shot and now he wanted to be the next person to challenge Mysterio. 

In a video, Ripley and Mysterio said that they would let the two battle it out to determine the next challenger, with Mysterio serving as a special guest referee.

Here is the updated card for NXT No Mercy on September 30:

  • NXT Championship: Carmelo Hayes defends against either Ilja Dragunov or Wes Lee
  • NXT North American Championship: Dominik Mysterio defends against Mustafa Ali
  • NXT Heritage Cup: Noam Dar defends against Global Heritage Invitational Tournament winner

Mustafa Ali announcement set for WWE NXT

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Mustafa Ali has an announcement to make.

In a post on Monday night, Ali hyped that he’ll be making a “very important announcement” on tonight’s episode of WWE NXT. Ali is currently on a mission to win the NXT North American Championship.

Ali challenged for the North American title at NXT Great American Bash last month, but it was in a triple threat match that ended with Dominik Mysterio pinning Wes Lee to retain. Ali was on the verge of winning the title but was pulled out of the ring by Rhea Ripley as he was about to beat Dominik.

Last week’s NXT featured a singles match with Ali defeating Axiom. Near the finish, Ali nearly pulled off Axiom’s mask on accident. Ali then took advantage of the situation, pushing Axiom off the top rope and hitting a 450 to get the victory.

Ali then looked into the camera after the match and declared that he’s starting a campaign to become the new North American Champion.

Dominik retained the North American title against Dragon Lee on NXT last Tuesday. Ripley again interfered to help Dominik keep his championship.

Here’s the updated lineup for tonight’s NXT:

  • NXT Championship number one contender’s match: Wes Lee vs. Dijak
  • Trick Williams vs. Drew Gulak
  • Dana Brooke vs. Blair Davenport
  • Mustafa Ali will make a “very important announcement”
  • NXT Tag Team Champions Tony D’Angelo & Stacks defend against The Dyad

The Tag Team title match between D’Angelo & Stacks and The Dyad will kick off tonight’s episode.

NXT North American title match official for Great American Bash

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE has officially announced an NXT North American title match for the Great American Bash. 

Wes Lee will defend his title against Mustafa Ali on the show. Ali issued a challenge to the champion on last week’s edition of NXT after defeating Tyler Bate in singles action. WWE made the match official on Sunday. 

Lee won the title in a five-way ladder match at Halloween Havoc 2022. Since then, he has successfully defended it 11 times, including his most recent defense against Bate on the 6/20 Gold Rush episode. 

NXT Great American Bash 2023 will take place on Sunday, July 30 from the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas. The only other match announced for the show thus far is NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes defending his title against the winner of Bron Breakker vs. Ilja Dragunov, which takes place on the 7/11 episode. 

WWE NXT 7/11 lineup:

  • Number one contender’s match: Bron Breakker vs. Ilja Dragunov
  • Finn Balor & The Judgment Day appear
  • Stacks vs. Joe Coffey – if Stacks wins, Tony D’Angelo is freed from jail and they earn NXT Tag Team title match
  • Cora Jade vs. Kelani Jordan
  • Tiffany Stratton vs. Ivy Nile
  • Andre Chase & Duke Hudson vs. Charlie Dempsey & Drew Gulak
  • Bronco Lima & Lucien Price debut

Mustafa Ali vs. Joe Gacy announced for WWE NXT

Posted on by Josh Nason

After making a surprise appearance on last Tuesday’s WWE NXT, Mustafa Ali will make his official in-ring return to the promotion this Tuesday against Joe Gacy.

Ali, a free agent in WWE storyline, appeared last Tuesday during the Wes Lee & Tyler Bate vs. The Dyad match. Gacy attacked Lee and Bate after they won which brought Ali out of the commentary booth to even the odds and put this match into motion.

Gacy is coming off a loss in a three-way for the NXT North American title to champion Lee and Bate at last weekend’s Battleground. 

This will be Ali’s first match in NXT since an April 2017 house show. He was part of the black and gold brand for a short run from July 2016 through that aforementioned house show match.

Here’s the current lineup for Tuesday:

  • NXT Women’s Championship number one contender battle royal
  • Eddy Thorpe vs. Damon Kemp
  • The Schism (Jagger Reid, Rip Fowler & Ava) vs. Diamond Mine (Ivy Nile, Brutus Creed & Julius Creed)
  • Mustafa Ali vs. Joe Gacy
  • Ilja Dragunov returns

‘Free agent’ Mustafa Ali appears on WWE NXT

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Mustafa Ali made an appearance on Tuesday’s NXT, involving himself in the North American title situation.

During a Wes Lee & Tyler Bate vs. The Dyad match, Ali entered throughout the crowd, eventually joining the commentary team during the match. After Lee and Bate won, Joe Gacy entered the ring and attacked both. Ali exited commentary and attacked Gacy, raising the hand of both Lee and Bate.

On commentary, Ali said that since he was named a free agent as a part of the 2023 WWE Draft, he could go anywhere. He also mentioned that after facing and losing to Gunther at Night of Champions this past Saturday, he’s still looking to win a championship.

In recent months, Ali had been doing a “positive” gimmick as a heel, feuding with Dolph Ziggler. After he won a battle royal to become the new number one contender for the Intercontinental title on an episode of Raw earlier this month, he dropped the gimmick, saying that he had been dreaming about this opportunity since he was a kid. The interview was cut short when Brock Lesnar walked past Ali and told him to get a life.

Wrestling Weekly: Vince sued, CM Punk meetings, new WWE World title

Posted on by Victor Sosa

Note: this show was recorded before Friday’s WWE SmackDown & AEW Rampage.

Vince McMahon got sued, CM Punk met with Chris Jericho (and Paul Levesque), and a new World title is unveiled in WWE which might undercut the best thing they’ve got going.

We discuss it all (and more) on this week’s show. 

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click Here To Listen for free

Dolph Ziggler vs. Mustafa Ali set for next week’s WWE Raw

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A new match has been added to next week’s WWE Raw in Ottawa.

Mustafa Ali challenged Dolph Ziggler to a match following the events of Monday’s Raw, where Ali lost to Bronson Reed.

In a segment that aired on social media, Ziggler asked Ali how he was doing following his loss. Ali said he was fine and attempted to say something, but Ziggler cut Ali off, telling him to stop with the excuses and make something happen for himself. Ali said he was right, then sarcastically said maybe he should smile more. The two continued to argue until Ali put out the challenge for next week. Ziggler agreed.

Ali and Ziggler have been feuding for the last several weeks, with Ali upset that Ziggler keeps getting opportunities while Ali feels he doesn’t get any. The two had another confrontation last week, with Ali saying if he had faced Reed, he would have won and advanced to the Elimination Chamber. Reed overheard Ali and set up the match for Monday’s Raw.

Bronson Reed vs. Mustafa Ali announced for WWE Raw

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE has announced a new match for next week’s Raw. 

Bronson Reed vs. Mustafa Ali is now scheduled for the show. 

The match was set up in a WWE digital exclusive video published after Raw on Monday. Ali was shown talking in the back with Dolph Ziggler, who had been defeated by Reed in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match the week prior. Ali then said he would have defeated Reed if given the same opportunity. Reed then appeared and suggested Ali face him next week.  

This will be Reed’s fourth match since returning to the company. He’s 3-0 with wins over Ziggler and against Akira Tozawa twice. 

The last time Ali wrestled on Raw he was defeated by Solo Sikoa on January 16, 2023. He hasn’t won a match on Raw since defeating The Miz on October 31, 2022. 

WWE.com wrote:

Enraged over comments made by Mustafa Ali regarding Dolph Ziggler’s match with Bronson Reed, Reed confronted Ali backstage. With Ali asking for opportunities every which way, Reed granted Ali a match with him next week.

WWE Raw on Monday, February 13, 2023, will take place from the Barclay’s Center in New York. The advertised lineup for the show is as follows: 

  • Brock Lesnar-Bobby Lashley contract signing
  • Miz TV with Seth Rollins
  • Asuka, Liv Morgan & Nikki Cross vs. Raquel Rodriguez, Natalya & Carmella
  • The Miz vs. Rick Boogz
  • Mustafa Ali vs. Bronson Reed