Should WWE Release Mustafa Ali?

By
Jim LaMotta
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Mustafa Ali requested his release from the WWE and made it known publicly with a post on social media, explaining that he thought he couldn’t accomplish his goals. Earlier today, “#FreeAli” was trending on Twitter with the thought that the public pressure might persuade the company to grant his request, which was reportedly denied. Will this social media campaign actually work?

Ali, who initially inked a WWE contract in 2016, is rumored to have at least a few more years on his current deal so unless the organization decides to release him, there might be a stalemate, similar to the Pac situation from a few years ago. From an in-ring perspective, Ali is a very talented athlete, but there are many talented performers among the current sports entertainment landscape so that alone isn’t necessarily going to ensure success. However, from a corporate perspective, Ali has all the tools that the publicly traded company wants with its talent. He’s well spoken and as a former police officer, he can have a role as a community ambassador with the company. Despite that, for whatever, reason WWE brass hasn’t found anything meaningful for him in the past five years.


If I had to guess, I would say that he was typecast from the start of his tenure because of his in-ring style and that skewed the office’s view point of him. Keep in mind, Ali began his WWE career on 205 Live most of the time, which offers as much exposure as the witness protection program. Even when he wasn’t in 205 Live purgatory, his appearances on Raw and Smackdown usually didn’t involve a storyline. Did Ali have more to offer? Sure, but the same can be said for the majority of those that were stuck in the cruiser weight division.

After several months away from television, Ali resurfaced as the leader of Retribution, a stable that might end up ruining more careers than the Spirit Squad. The angle seemed more like a way for the company to try to get cheap heat based on the tension of society at the time, and despite the amount of television time it was given, I find it hard to believe that the writing team actually thought there was any longevity for the gimmick. Aside from the premise being lowbrow, the entire presentation was so goofy that again, it’s doubtful anyone in the office thought that names like Slap Jack, T-Bar, and Mace would draw money. Granted, the potential of athletes behind the gimmick might be a different story, but that’s also the entire point of how far off the mark the portrayal of the faction was on Raw. Aside from the premise that Slap Jack in a hockey mask trying to take down the entire WWE was a tough sell, the fact that Retribution were booked like jobbers in almost every match on TV tells you that management didn’t have any solid plans for the faction. The group stated they wanted to bring down the WWE and then lost most of their matches so how exactly was the writing team trying to sell the angle to the audience?

The group disbanded after a few months on television and some of its members were eventual released, while the others, including Ali have more or less been lost in the shuffle. Ali hasn’t been on Smackdown since October, and there were rumors of an argument with Vince McMahon, but that has to be taken with a grain of salt. In reality, the story is probably a lot less interesting and the writing team simply doesn’t have anything for Ali to do. The whole “#FreeAli” trend on social media might be a way for jaded fans to think they’re getting over on the WWE while they still spend money on the product so who actually got over? Don’t get me wrong, Ali is a very good talent and has supporters, but you can’t put too much stock into social media outrage because most of it is quite literally based on what’s trendy at the moment. No Way Jose never has as many fans as he did after he got fired. Would the same people tweeting shade at the WWE watch every week if Ali was pushed to the moon?


As far as Ali getting a release from the company, my opinion of it is rather simple, if they aren’t going to use the guy for anything, why keep him under contract? Sure, Ali will make his downside money to stay home, but for a company that released dozens of wrestlers for “budget cuts” why continue to pay Ali just to keep him on the roster? No disrespect intended, but it’s not as though Ali has the star power to be a game changer somewhere else at this point so management doesn’t have to keep him away from the competition. How the deck is stacked against the talent when they sign these deals and what would have to be done to change it is a completely different discussion for a different time. The bottom line is, the WWE has a contract and if they don’t want to terminate the agreement early, its within their legal right to retain him on the roster.

So, why keep him under contract?

Obviously, this is just a guess on my part, but I would say that this has more to do with the WWE maintaining control of not only its leverage, but also of public perception. Within the past year, several talents have opted to simply walk away from WWE and sign with the competition. Keep in mind, All Elite Wrestling didn’t just get talent that the WWE cut, there were key guys that allowed their deals to expire so they could work for another company. Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole, and others decided they didn’t want to work for Vince McMahon. That’s not to say there was any malice involved, but when so many guys jump to another group, it begins to send the message that perhaps there’s a reason for it. Should Ali get the release? Sure, but if the company caves to any social media pressure, what message does that send to the other talent? Just complain on social media and you can get what you want? I’m not saying Ali’s complaints aren’t valid, but rather to point out that from the office side of the scenario, the attempt to go public with the release request might not be effective. If I had to guess, I would say that this will be a situation where the company will keep Ali under contract for several months, specifically to wait until the social media buzz quiets and then release him with as little hype around him as possible. That being said, Ali is a talent performer and will have offers somewhere else. The usual guess would be AEW, but with how bloated the roster is, New Japan might be a better option for Ali to rejuvenate his career.

What do you think? Comment below with your thoughts, opinions, feedback and anything else that was raised.

Until next week
-Jim LaMotta

E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Twitter @jimlamotta

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