20-year veteran breaks silence following in-ring return after WWE release

A former WWE Superstar has returned to the squared circle after being released by the company last year. He recently commented on his much-awaited in-ring comeback. The name in question is Mustafa Ali.

Ali made his pro wrestling debut in 2003. He initially performed in different independent promotions, including Dreamwave Wrestling, where he won the Heavyweight Championship. He gained popularity after joining WWE in 2016. However, the 37-year-old was released in September 2023, just a few days before his NXT North American Title match against Dominik Mysterio.

The star recently announced his Mustafa Ali 2024 campaign, where he would take independent bookings, including his arrival in Game Changer Wrestling. He locked horns with Aigle Blanc on January 6, 2024, at the APC 20th Anniversary. After winning the bout, the former RETRIBUTION leader sent a message on Twitter.

Ali wrote that the first match of his campaign was a massive success and revealed that his next bout would be in Chicago.

"We did it. Our first top for the #MustafaAli2024 campaign was a complete success. The people of Paris / @APCcatch have pledged their allegiance to Ali. Next stop: Chicago / @GCWrestling," Ali tweeted.

You can check out his tweet below:

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WWE reportedly had plans for Mustafa Ali until WrestleMania before his release

According to a recent report by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, the creative team already had plans for Mustafa Ali until the Road to WrestleMania 40 before his abrupt release from WWE.

“People I spoke to in NXT were unhappy about Mustafa Ali’s release. They had plans for him until almost WrestleMania season next year. I know a lot of people said, ‘Yeah, well, Mustafa Ali asked for his release.’ — Yeah, two years ago! Things change. He was working with Shawn Michaels now. Satisfying stuff. He was getting working on an injury to make this NXT run happen as well. He was banged up.”

Many expect Ali to have a stellar run on the independent circuit in the coming months. It will be interesting to see if he signs with a major promotion soon.

Do you want Mustafa Ali to return to WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.