5 things you probably didn’t know about RETRIBUTION leader Mustafa Ali

#4 Mustafa Ali trained to become a wrestler while working as a policeman

It’s never a good idea to show up to work every other week with a black eye, but that’s exactly what Mustafa Ali’s life was like before he became a pro wrestler. Before joining WWE, Ali was a police officer who would try to fit in work and wrestling training into a 24-hour schedule

"Yeah, it sucked, man. There were days I'd wrestle at 9 o'clock, and afterward, I often didn't shower and would just throw on sweatpants. I had my police gear in the car and would rush to get to the station by 10:30, clean myself off as best I could and be ready for my shift by 10:59."

Ali's life changed when he participated in WWE's Cruiserweight Classic, a 32-man elimination tournament, in June 2016. He competed in his first-round match against Lince Dorado, and it was then that Daniel Bryan mentioned on commentary that Ali was a cop from Chicago.

Ali was eliminated from the competition by Dorado in the first round. However, that was just the beginning for Ali’s WWE career.