Popular former WWE Superstar claims he “expected” his release

WWE has made several rounds of talent releases in recent years, and there will always be concern in the locker rooms once the departures start happening. One of the most popular superstars to be recently released says he was expecting the dreaded phone call.

Mustafa Ali debuted for WWE in the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic. He went on to work the RAW cruiserweight division, 205 Live, and some NXT dates but then received somewhat of a stop-and-go main roster push in 2018 and 2019. Ali later led RETRIBUTION during the pandemic era, which failed to get over, following which he spent working in mid-card. Last May, the company decided to send the 37-year-old star back to NXT, and a few months later, he was released on September 21, 2023, along with other budget cuts.

The current TNA X-Division Champion recently spoke with Straight Talk Wrestling and claimed he expected the company to fire him. Ali added that he had no emotional sadness associated with the departure. The 37-year-old also pointed to how WWE missed an opportunity a few years back.

"Expected, but there was no emotional sadness associated with it. I’m a very business-oriented person. I know what I’m capable of. WWE is a huge entity, it’s a promotional machine, and oftentimes what happens is, guys at the top of the card are in those positions for a reason. Obviously, we always hear about the revenue, breaking records, so they obviously know what they’re doing. I as an individual always believe in the mantra of, ‘If you really believe in it, you’re willing to bet on yourself,’ and I was willing to bet on myself a year and a half or two years ago, whenever it was, and that’s all it really came down to," Ali said. [H/T to Fightful]

Prince Ali continued, saying that betting on himself paid dividends. The Chicagoan claimed he had already taken over the pro wrestling industry.

"I know what I’m capable of. In two months, I’ve already taken over the industry, sold-out show after sold-out show. I can’t keep up [with the] merchandise. It’s like the hottest free agent in the world right now, and that’s in 60 days. So I bet on myself, it’s already paid dividends, and I’m excited for what the future holds," Ali said.

Ali's final WWE match came on September 5, 2023. He defeated Dragon Lee in a five-minute match on NXT TV that night, with Dominik Mysterio as the special referee.

Mustafa Ali to make an announcement on his post-WWE career

WWE released Mustafa Ali in September 2023. He officially became a free agent when his non-compete clause expired in December.

The former RETRIBUTION leader made his surprise TNA debut at No Surrender on February 23, defeating Chris Sabin to capture the X-Division Championship in historic fashion. Since then, he has retained in the rematch and won a non-title bout over Kevin Knight.

Prince Ali took to Instagram to announce that he will be making his "In Ali We Trust" announcement tomorrow, Thursday, March 28. No time was given.

Ali also teamed up with The Grizzled Young Vets to defeat KUSHIDA and The Motor City Machine Guns at TNA Sacrifice this month. He continues to take indie dates, and since leaving WWE, he has worked for GCW, PROGRESS, RevPro, and HOG, among others.