WWE Smackdown Superstar Mustafa Ali took to Twitter to request his release from WWE. The company hasn’t confirmed anything regarding his status while the superstar himself informed the news with the following statement,
“I have a message that is much bigger than my dreams in pro wrestling,” the WWE Smackdown Superstar wrote. “Despite my best efforts, I will not be able to deliver this message while working with WWE.
“Therefore, I am requesting my release from WWE.”
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i am requesting my release from wwe pic.twitter.com/Q1QP8SA5zV
— Mustafa Ali / Adeel Alam (@AliWWE) January 16, 2022
An update from Fightful noted that inquiries were made about Ali’s WWE status since he has been absent from TV in recent weeks. It was noted that Ali asked for only one show-off for paternity leave but he has not featured on WWE programming since November 2021. It led people within the company to believe that his paternity leave was eventually extended. But it appears that a lot of other reasons reportedly led to this extended absence from WWE Smackdown.
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Ali has been kept off WWE Smackdown since late 2021
In the first week of December 2021, a vignette was filmed for Ali with the “New America” gimmick on WWE Smackdown, but he hasn’t been pitched anything new to portray. The “New America” idea was apparently canceled because the higher-ups in the company were in doubt of whether that gimmick would be successful or not.
Vince McMahon wanted “something Mustafa Ali would never have done” instead of the usual character portrayed by Ali. This reportedly led to a “heated argument between the two” and the WWE star hasn’t been attending shows since. This is one of the reported reasons that the Pakistani star allegedly wanted to get released.
Ali was signed by the WWE in 2016 to wrestle in the Cruiserweight Classic. He last wrestled on the October 29, 2021, episode of WWE SmackDown, losing to Drew McIntyre. Ali then took time off for paternity leave last November and welcomed his third child. But no proper arrangements were done to ensure his return.
During an episode of WWE The Bump, Ali claimed that “I think I’m the most unheard voice in the history of WWE. With zero hesitation in my voice, with no flinch whatsoever, I will say pound for pound, I am the most underutilized talent in this company’s history. Does that put it into perspective for you?”