What's the story?
Brock Lesnar won the Money in the Bank briefcase but that wasn't the original plan. Ali was pencilled in to win the coveted contract before the plans were changed the night before the PPV.
Ali may have lost the big match but that doesn't mean that WWE has nothing in store for the man formerly known as the 'Heart of 205 Live'.
On the Barnburner Radio Network, Joe Peisich revealed that WWE still views Ali highly and have planned a 'big, big push' going forward,
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The main event of Money in the Bank was the men's MITB match itself and Ali put on a solid performance in the fast-paced showcase of high-risk spots.
The former 205 Live Superstar was whiskers away from unhooking the briefcase before Brock Lesnar crashed the party and ended Ali's dream for good.
Ali was naturally frustrated and channelled all his displeasure on Twitter. He took a vicious shot at Brock Lesnar with the following tweet:
Randy Orton approved of Ali's ruthless barb as well...
Ali has been one of the fastest rising superstars on SmackDown Live over the past few months. He was originally scheduled to have a WWE title feud with Daniel Bryan heading into Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania before he got injured. His spot was taken by Kofi Kingston, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the WWE.
Ali may have had his injury troubles but he is still well-liked by the fans and the WWE management.
The heart of the matter
Ali may have lost the opportunity of winning the MITB briefcase after coming painstakingly close but WWE does have big things lined up for the high-flying Superstar.
Joe Peisich said, "Ali is still gonna get a big, big push in WWE despite losing in Money In The Bank.”
Ali has been getting a solid push ever since he swapped 205 Live for SmackDown Live but it could get even better in the near future.
What's next?
As mentioned earlier, Ali was due for a WWE title shot before he suffered an untimely injury, so, the company could revisit that angle again. However, a feud against a babyface Kingston seems highly unlikely at this point.
We still don't know what this 'push' entails but it will be interesting to see how WWE maximizes the potential of the incredibly talented superstar.