‘Sad’ Real Story Behind ‘Funny’ Brock Lesnar WWE Moment

Published: Mar 5, 2026 by Liam | Last Updated: Mar 5, 2026 by Liam

Liam has been reporting & analyzing wrestling news for over eight years, and is currently the Managing Editor at WrestleTalk.com. Immersed in wrestling for 18 years, he has over 11,000 published articles in addition to leading and overseeing WrestleTalk.com's coverage.

‘Sad’ Real Story Behind ‘Funny’ Brock Lesnar WWE Moment

A former WWE star has recalled the real “sad” story of a self-admittedly “funny” Brock Lesnar backstage moment.

In 2023, Mustafa Ali was in flux on the WWE roster, but had a moment backstage with Brock Lesnar where, after Ali cut a passionate promo, Lesnar simply told him, “Get a life, kid.”

While it may have seemed like a throwaway funny moment, Ali has opened up about the true story behind it.

Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, he said:

“I was sent to go do media, public relations for an upcoming event in Saudi Arabia called Night of Champions. So I go there. I’m not on the show. I’m going as ‘token brown guy.’ Just because, you know, you’re always going to relate to someone that looks like you.

“I do these little events. Obviously, very appreciative of the turnout here. But the turnout there was insane. They’re expecting 500 people. There was like 3,000 people.

“So the guy’s like ‘Oh, this Mustafa Ali, maybe he does the show.’ I was like, ‘It’s the Night of Champions. You have to be a champion to be on the show. I’m not a champion.’ I didn’t realize I was talking to the President of the GEA, which is the General Entertainment Authority that basically runs the shows in Saudi Arabia.

“He goes, ‘You leave it to me, I’ll talk to Vince.’ I go, ‘No, no!’ He goes ‘I’m going to request that you’re on the show.’ I think what happened was someone told Vince what to do. And he’s like, ‘Oh. Okay.’

“So the whole day, I could sense the nervous tension about something was going to happen. I had this promo, but I’m reading it, and it was like, ‘And then what happens?’ They go, ‘Well, Brock’s just gonna walk by.’ And I go, ‘Yeah?'”

“Let me ask you guys this question to preface this. When someone’s doing a backstage interview, where does it happen? Backstage. Not by the Gorilla entrance. So they go at the last second, I’m getting ready. ‘Oh, we’re moving the shot to Gorilla now.’ And I go, ‘Right, okay, here it comes.’

“So I didn’t know he was gonna say that. So when he said that and he walked off, there was this dead silence, because everyone that was there, they knew what happened. They’re trying to send a message, but it’s like, why does it have to be at my expense?

“So it’s just one of those things. I think, because of the frustration and because of what had happened, I think that’s why Shawn had reached out to Hunter about NXT, because right after that is when I made my NXT appearance.

“But again, not to cry over it like that. It is what it is, the cookie’s gonna crumble the way it crumbles. I know when I look at WWE, I know that I knocked on every door, I presented every idea, I never said no for the most part, and I did good work, man.

“I’m never gonna look in the mirror and feel like, ‘Oh man, I failed.’ I talk to a lot of my peers that have unfortunately got let go. I go, ‘Are you doing okay?’ And they all said the same thing. They go, ‘Man, I just wish I tried a little harder.’

“When I got let go, I just said, ‘Well, there’s nothing else I could have done.’ I tried everything. Comedy, serious, being the little guy, this guy, whatever the hell.

“So I walked away with that. And then, you know, when Brock said, ‘Go get a life kid,’ I quite literally did that. I’m the f**king man now.”