WWE: 5 reasons shelving the hacker gimmick is a mistake

Mustafa Ali returned to WWE this week, appearing on RAW, and he quickly made an impact by picking up a victory over MVP, Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin, in tag team action. While the victory was a great way to reintroduce him to the roster and help the team of Cedric Alexander and Ricochet, it also held another meaning.

Unfortunately for the WWE universe, the reintroduction of Mustafa Ali to the roster pretty much ensures that the hacker character has been shelved and that the WWE will not be following up on it. Maybe that's for the best, especially with how surrealistic some of it was, but fans are still left wondering what could have been.

With that being said and the hacker character pretty much shelved going forward, here are five reasons why giving up on the character wasn't a good idea. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and whether you think the company will revive the character or not.

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#5. Could have been a great reveal

WWE had a great reveal on their hands with the hacker

While rumor had it that Mustafa Ali would eventually be revealed as the hacker, it would have still be great to watch that process play out. In fact, between how popular the character was in its short time on Friday Night SmackDown and the thrill of a reveal, it had all the makings of ratings gold for the company.

Beyond that, Mustafa Ali was one of those Superstars that fans believe has been held down for a long time, especially since being replaced for the WWE Title match by Kofi Kingston. Fans were desperate to see the high flyer finally reach his true potential.

Whether the hacker character would have done that or not will never be known and will forever be debated, but it would have given Ali a running start. Of course, one could say that Ali got a sort of running start by coming up with a big win on Raw, but it seems bittersweet thinking about what could have been.

#4. Created fan buzz

WWE fans were all in on the hacker character.

Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, the hacker character was one of the most talked about storylines in WWE earlier this year. Maybe that was due to the plethora of Superstars that were rumored for the role, or how it broke reality and was something that resonated with fans.

While the hacker bordered on the same kind of supernatural element that Bray Wyatt's Fiend character did, it was much more grounded in reality. Furthermore, it gave the company a chance to reveal things that fans may have originally missed, which was a part of the charm of the character.

In the end, there was just so much buzz around this character and Mustafa Ali that it's amazing the company decided not to move forward with it. Of course, WWE has done a great job with storylines over the past couple of months and are perfecting The Fiend character, but it would have been nice to have this as well.

#3. Brilliant storytelling device

WWE could have done so much with the hacker character played by Ali

Just think about everything WWE could have accomplished with the hacker character and you can start to see why it being shelved is a little disheartening. Not only could it have been a great storytelling device that eventually exposed the wrongdoers of WWE, but also could have helped bring justice to those that were telling the truth.

Sure, there were problems with the character and some simple logic would be able to tell you that no one can see everything, but part of pro wrestling is the suspension of disbelief. Furthermore, if fans can believe in The Fiend character that capitalizes off of the fear of their victims, the hacker one is far more real, and possible.

WWE could have used this character for so many reveals and created many new storylines. It was almost a get out of jail free card and a way to reconstruct narratives, but it ended up getting shelved for reasons that fans do not know of.

#2. Added another unpredictable element

The hacker was that bit of unpredictability that WWE needed

WWE has been experimenting with cinematic and paranormal storytelling over the last couple of months, which is why the hacker character was so intriguing to watch. Of course, a lot of that had to do with the mystery of who the person actually was, but also due to how brilliantly it was implemented.

WWE had fans lost in confusion for weeks as they told the love story between Mandy Rose and Otis. It was almost as if the fans weren't seeing a critical part of the story that would fill in the blanks and that's exactly what the hacker character ended up doing.

He/she was that extra set of eyes. That little secret play WWE had in the back of their book of tricks to swerve fans. It was just so powerful of a character and deserved some kind of worthwhile conclusion. Why the company would want to drop something like that is hard to understand as it had the unpredictable element that fans seemed to enjoy.

#1. Could have helped Mustafa Ali

The hacker character could have reinvigorated Mustafa Ali's career in WWE

It's no secret that Mustafa Ali being revealed as the hacker would have helped his career immensely and perhaps ended with a future world title opportunity. Unfortunately for WWE, they decided to abandon the hacker character after the Sonya Devile and Mandy Rose storyline, which was disheartening to see.

With that being said and some storylines just being too difficult to keep going, it's easy to see why WWE would choose to abandon the character. Not only would continuing it take away from the uniqueness of Bray Wyatt's character, who was also on SmackDown, but also eventually force a reveal that would end the gimmick.

In the end though, those few months as the hacker could have done wonders for Mustafa Ali's career. It could have made him that independent variable that would have exposed WWE's nefarious heels and brought justice to those that deserved it. Heck, he could have been the voice of the voiceless, but now the chance is gone.