On today’s episode of WWE The Bump, Mustafa Ali spoke about his fight to get an opportunity during his time in WWE. Highlights of what he said can be bound below.
How a wrestler cannot adapt to the audience without an opportunity:
As far as adaptation, you can’t adapt without opportunity. If you don’t have the opportunity and you’re not given a platform, if you’re not included in a discussion, it’s hard. You can be the best in the world, but if you’re sitting in a dark room and no one sees you, no one sees you. I will always be ready and be prepared, so when that opportunity comes, I’m gonna hit a home run, but I need to be called up to bat.
Says he feels like he’s not gotten an opportunity to tell a story:
I’m a very unique superstar in the sense that it’s not about wins and championships for me. I don’t have the best win-loss record and I’ve never held a championship despite being with the company since 2016. That is not me complaining, the thing that I am craving for and asking for is to tell a story. I can sit here and tell everybody that I have not had that opportunity yet. Look at all the moments I’ve had in my career. From Money in the Bank with Brock Lesnar to the Ali-KofiMania switch, Randy [Orton] taking me out and costing me that opportunity. All these, I think layups, are a chance to tell a story and show who I am, (they) weren’t told. As a performer, that’s frustrating. I’m craving an opportunity to tell a story. I feel I’m the best in the world at it and once I get a chance to do it, it will be something people talk about for years to come.
On being passionate about the business:
Time off is hard when it’s not your choice. I want people to understand, this isn’t someone that is mad. This is someone that is so passionate and wants to perform and is trying to figure out why he’s not allowed to perform and there’s no real explanation given. To anyone who is passionate about something, you can understand how that’s frustrating.
Full episode of The Bump can be found below. (H/T and transcribed by Fightful)