37-year-old former SmackDown star is surely heading to AEW following his release from WWE, says wrestling veteran

Wrestling veteran Vince Russo believes Mustafa Ali will sign with AEW following his WWE release.

After competing for several years on the independent circuit, Ali debuted in the Stamford-based company in 2016. The 37-year-old wrestled on 205 Live for a few years before moving to the main roster. Over the past five years, Ali competed on SmackDown and Monday Night RAW. He even challenged Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) for the WWE World Championship in a Triple Threat match that involved Kevin Owens in 2019. Nevertheless, he failed to capture the title.

Ali returned to NXT earlier this year and was scheduled to face Dominik Mysterio for the NXT North American Championship at No Mercy on September 30. However, he announced his release from his contract earlier today.

In a recent episode of his The Brand podcast on Twitch, Russo addressed Ali's future, stating that he would sign with AEW, dubbing him "tailor-made" for Tony Khan's promotion.

"AEW will actually treat him right" – Social media explodes over news of a Mustafa Ali's departure. Check out the details here.

---

Mustafa Ali was reportedly scheduled to appear on WWE RAW

Earlier this month, Mustafa Ali defeated Dragon Lee on NXT to earn a shot at Dominik Mysterio's NXT North American Championship at No Mercy. Ahead of his release, the 37-year-old was reportedly scheduled to appear on Monday Night RAW to work on his storyline with Dominik.

Mike Johnson of PWinsider recently reported on the company's plans for Ali before releasing him today.

"PWinsider.com has reached out to WWE to confirm the accuracy of the tweet. Ali was slated to appear on this Monday's RAW to continue his current storyline with Mysterio. More as we confirm."

A former champion made a surprising comment about Triple H minutes after his release. Check out the details here.