Mustafa Ali made an appearance on WWE After The Bell with Corey Graves to discuss a wide range of topics including his issues with WWE earlier this year. Ali publicly asked for his WWE release in January, but the company had no intentions of giving it to him.
He had an argument with Vince McMahon over his creative direction that led to him being off television. Ali did ask for a week off for the birth of his child last year but was kept off TV for two months despite him being willing to work. Here are the highlights:
Why he chose to air his grievances with WWE publicly:
“I believe private conversations are meant to be private. The reason it went public is because that private conversation went nowhere. So anyone that truly knows me, and I know there’s a portion of the audience that was like, ‘How unprofessional’, but anyone that’s ever worked with me or dealt with me as a human being knows how much I love this place, how much I love sports entertainment, and how much I love wrestling. This is the only thing I ever want to do. For me to even get to that point, that’s the issue. Everyone’s judging the action. They’re not judging the intention behind the action. Corey, you know me. Imagine how much it would take for me to try to leave. So I think that’s the conversation. That’s the hot topic. There’s situations that I can’t publicly discuss, but that’s what I would want to say about that whole issue. The only reason it got to that point was because there was no other option. It’s incredible the things that you’ll do when you’re back is against the wall and you’re fighting for survival. I wouldn’t have done something unless I believed in it, I still stand by that choice. I did what I had to do.”
What he discovered about this situation:
“The reality of it is I’ve just realized my problem was that I care too much. I’m this super passionate guy. I’m the guy that goes, ‘Oh, we can make this guy look even bigger if we shot it this way. And what about this?’ I’m like the mad scientist sometimes. The majority of the guys that I get to perform with, they’re kind of like, ‘So what are we doing?’ That’s the trust level I have now with the performers and the producers. So when you have this super passionate guy that just feels like he’s running into wall after wall after wall, the sad reality is, and it’s probably not something I should say, but I’ve just controlled my passion now. I’m just like, ‘Ok.’”
H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription