Mustafa Ali, along with seven other blue brand Superstars, was announced for the WWE SmackDown World Cup on Friday night, but he is not yet a full-time SmackDown roster member.
Ali is currently working a program on RAW with WWE United States Champion Seth Rollins, and the World Cup announcement last night fueled speculation that WWE might move him to SmackDown. However, according to a new report from Fightful Select, sources have confirmed that Ali is still a member of RAW and will work both shows during the three-week tournament.
There has been no word on why Ali was chosen for the tournament rather than a SmackDown Superstar. It was previously reported that Rey Mysterio was set to compete in the tournament, but WWE ended up replacing him with Ali.
Ali, who is still listed as a RAW Superstar on the official WWE website roster, commented on representing Pakistan in the tournament on Twitter.
“incredible opportunity. proud to be american. proud to be indian. and proud to be representing pakistan in this tournament!,” he wrote.
Ali will take on Ricochet in the first round next Friday night. After night one, you can find full tournament details, as well as footage and a look at the World Cup trophy, by clicking here.
The following is Ali’s full tweet:
incredible opportunity. proud to be american. proud to be indian. and proud to be representing pakistan in this tournament! pic.twitter.com/roNxyAMnNz
— Mustafa Ali / Adeel Alam (@AliWWE) November 12, 2022
