Former WWE star Mustafa Ali wants to bring change to the industry following his release from the company last year.
On December 21, Mustafa Ali officially became a free agent after the end of his 90-day non-compete clause following his WWE release in September 2023.
On January 6, Ali wrestled in his first post-WWE match in a win over Aigle Blanc in the main event of APC 20th Anniversary in France. Following the bout, Mustafa Ali grabbed a microphone to address the fans and discussed what he plans to do now. He said:
“I’ve been thinking for more than the past 90 days, what’s the first thing I want to say?”
“And it’s as simple as this — and if I tear up, I apologize because I believe this from the bottom of my heart — every upper management person that I have ever worked for in this industry has told me to my face, ‘no one will ever cheer for someone named Mustafa Ali.'”
“[Crowd boos and says ‘f**k them.’] Nah, even better than ‘f**k them.’ Show them.”
“To those people watching, right now I’m in a sold out house at APC, and every single person in this building is chanting ‘Mustafa Ali!’ [Crowd chants ‘Ali.’]”
Ali continued on to state that he wants to inspire change within the business, saying:
“I’m going to leave the ring with one more note, and this is what I want in the industry.”
“I want change in the industry. I want guys that are at a certain level to reach down and pull people up.”
“The young man that I just shared the ring with, let me tell you something, I have been in the ring with Rey Mysterio, I’ve been in the ring with AJ Styles, you name them, I’ve been in the ring with them and you, my good man, are just as good as them.”
“It was an absolute honor to perform here. I landed this morning, and I have not slept, and I don’t give a shit cause this gives me life. Thank you all. Goodnight.”
Transcription via Fightful
@MustafaAli_X just gave a beautiful and powerful post-match speech to the APC audience here in Paris, France, 🇫🇷
Ali won his first post-WWE match against Aigle Blanc in a wonderful match that had the crowd hanging on the edge of the seat from start to finish. @APCcatch pic.twitter.com/I8B8HLlSSi
— Lucas Charpiot (@LucasCharpiot) January 6, 2024
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