Mustafa Ali was a prominent WWE Superstar for almost seven years. He was part of the 205 Live Cruiserweight Classic and rose to become a main card wrestler. Joining the SmackDown roster in 2017, he came close to winning the WWE Championship from Daniel Bryan.
Ali was released by WWE in 2023 and recently, the winner of the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble match, Cody Rhodes, has praised Mustafa Ali and congratulated him for his success after debuting in two of the most popular wrestling promotions in the world.
Cody Rhodes lauds Mustafa Ali
After his departure from WWE, Mustafa Ali has embarked on a world tour campaign, wrestling for various promotions across the globe. He has also formed strategic alliances with NJPW and TNA, two of the biggest wrestling companies outside of WWE.
Yesterday, Ali took to Twitter/X to share some of the highlights of his world tour, specifying the breaking attendance records due to his presence. He used the hashtag #InAliWeTrust to express his confidence and vision.
As a reply to Ali’s tweet, Rhodes added, “So happy for you. Move your own goal posts further and further back – they’ll doubt you, but leave em’ the receipts!”
So happy for you. Move your own goal posts further and further back – they’ll doubt you, but leave em’ the receipts! https://t.co/uAIxGGhd5y
— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) January 31, 2024
Both wrestlers have faced challenges and setbacks in their early days of their career. Rhode’s wrestling career is very similar to Ali, as he also left the WWE in 2016 and became one of the founding members of the AEW. However, his growth in AEW surpassed expectations, and his return to WWE was met with fanfare, elevating him to the status of the WWE’s top-rated superstar.
Mustafa Ali’s record-breaking success in TNA and NJPW
Mustafa Ali’s exit from WWE occurred at an unfortunate time, as he was slated to challenge Dominik Mysterio for the NXT North American Championship, just a week before his departure. Nevertheless, Ali remained unfazed by his exit and began making appearances in various wrestling promotions.
On January 28, Ali made his appearance to NJPW, through a video clip, where challenged the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Hiromu Takahashi for a match, at the Windy City Riot event. Ali and Takahashi shared a mutual respect and agreed to face each other in a match at NJPW Sakura Genesis on April 1, 2024.
Days before his NJPW appearance, on January 25, Ali made a shocking appearance to the TNA. Ali has since been involved in several high-profile matches with TNA World Heavyweight Champion Moose and also faced Ace Austin for the TNA X Division Championship
in one month: every single show consecutively sold out, record breaking attendance for promotions, strategic alliances with TNA and NJPW, and most importantly, giving you a reason to believe that IN ALI WE TRUST.
— Mustafa Ali (@MustafaAli_X) January 30, 2024
📸 @nathersonn pic.twitter.com/o5wmjXvBny
Ali’s arrival in TNA and NJPW sparked significant interest among fans, and tickets for the upcoming TNA and NJPW events sold out quickly, creating high demand and a buzz in the wrestling industry. Despite setbacks in his early wrestling career, Ali is ready to make a name for himself.
