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Several WWE Superstars have undergone name changes over the years, including Mustafa Ali. In an exclusive interview, the former RETRIBUTION leader revealed why his name was shortened at one stage of his career.
The 37-year-old, real name Adeel Alam, made his WWE debut as Mustafa Ali in July 2016. WWE shortened his name to Ali in March 2019 before changing it back to Mustafa Ali in November of the same year.
Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling's Riju Dasgupta, the storyline free agent explained the logic behind his brief name alteration:
"You just roll with the punches," Ali said. "The biggest thing in WWE, and I think in entertainment in general, maybe life in general, is that I think people take things too personally. There's a personal attachment to my name, right? Mustafa. It means something to me, but it wasn't like they just sat around and said, 'Hey, we're gonna mess with this guy.' It was a calculated decision." [1:09 – 1:28]
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At the time, WWE fans did not know whether to chant "Mustafa" or "Ali" in support of the former 205 Live star's babyface character. The confusion led WWE's decision-makers to remove his first name:
"I went and asked why," Ali continued. "I said, 'I'm not fighting it, just why?' So, what happened was, during the time I was a good guy, on the live events, as the fans wanted to cheer for me, one half of the fans started chanting 'Mustafa' and the other half started chanting 'Ali' and they just couldn't get on the same page, and this happened over and over and over again." [1:29 – 1:47]
Watch the video above to find out why Ali was not allowed to use Hulk Hogan's "Real American" as his entrance theme.
Mustafa Ali's honest thoughts on his WWE name change
Following his name adjustment, fans began chanting "Ali" instead of "Mustafa" during his matches.
Mustafa Ali clarified that the removal of his first name was not a punishment. The company's higher-ups simply wanted to make live event experiences better for fans:
"The resolution was, well, if they only have one name to chant, that's what they're gonna chant," Ali said. "I had pleaded my case, 'If you just refer to me as Ali, but I have a full name...' It was a decision that was made and it worked. Literally, the next couple of weeks when I was on live events they were just chanting Ali. So, it worked. Ultimately, I was able to get the name back through discussions and why I thought it was important. Again, there was no malice behind it. There's nothing personal to take. It was just a decision made for my benefit, in their eyes." [1:48 – 2:19]
Many other superstars have had their names altered in the past. Like Ali, Austin Theory and Matt Riddle are now known by their full names again after briefly losing their first names.
Ali or Mustafa Ali – which name is better? Let us know in the comments section below.
Watch the LIVE coverage of WWE RAW every Tuesday on Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi) & Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels at 5.30 am IST.
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