Ali Appreciation Thread

[Badger]

Was reading an interview with him this morning:

https://www.cbssports.com/wwe/news/w...-on-smackdown/

The last excerpt is particularly powerful:

""There is plenty of misconceptions and opinions out there. What I want to do is strip away all the notions and all the preconceived ideas. I want people to know there is no difference between you and I. We are all the same and we all bleed the same blood. We all have the same soul and same organs. My message to everyone is that we truly are one and the minute you see me as the person, not just as the Muslim -- when you see me as Adeel Alam and not just the character on TV -- when you see past all of that, we are all the same and we are all just one. That's my message, that's my goal and that's my motto."

I hope this man goes far and his rise continues. Also I hope WWE does one of those interview specials like they did with the likes of Balor and Roderick Strong

Appreciate him!

[Psycho666Soldier]

Mustafa Ali is the man. I'll admit to not thinking much about him in the CWC, but since his arrival as a part of the cruiserweight division, I've been all in. He has a good look, great moveset, smart ring psychology, and he can fucking talk. Some of his promos on social media have been new-level riveting stuff.

I think he has a pretty high ceiling, and WWE seems to love him. He could really help change some racial perceptions.

[Badger]

Yeah he took a little bit of time to grow on me too even though he was/is talented. I think it was the build-up to the Mania match with Cedric that he really stàrted to grow on me. I had no idea he was such a good promoer.

Putting the title on Cedric then was so the wrong decision. Ali ticks all the boxes whereas Cedric ticks only one with in-ring abilitye

[mth]

Fucking love him. He started standing out to me when I was watching 205 Live and my fandom's only grown since. He's right in my top 4 favorite guys right now. So goddamn refreshing to see a dude like him not playing the standard, outdated heel. Love what he's doing as it pertains to representation and breaking stereotypes. We need this. On top of that, dude's killer in the ring. You need only look at Fastlane: he came out in a terrible spot, taking Kofi spot in the triple threat, getting booed...and through in-ring effort alone he had the crowd cheering him by match's end. And on top of that, the dude can work a mic pretty well, too. Handsome chap, as well, I might add.

I also really liked how he came to SD and kicked off right near the top of the card. So many guys get the call up and flounder around in meaningless midcard feuds but coming in like he did, it makes him feel worthwhile, like he's got value, and his feuds matter right off the bat. Gives people an immediate reason to care when he's tangling with and pinning the WWE champ rather than farting around with Dolph Ziggler for a month.

[Badger]

You must spread some reputation around before giving it to mth again.

[Badger]

Okay perhaps we need to edit the Mustafa part out now lol!

Anyways, I saw on my FB feed that WWE shared a video of a great promo from Ali then him having a heart-to-heart with Kofi. Here's a video of the "heart-to-heart" video from YouTube:



I hope this leads to a good-natured competitive match for the title if Kofi becomes champ.

[Psycho666Soldier]

Also saw this on Reddit. Orton's comment on the video:



- - - Updated - - -

Not quite related to Ali, but still really cool.

[mth]

The Chronicle on him was one of the best of those they've done. Also recommend you check out his Celtic Warrior Workout with Sheamus on that youtube channel. The Ramadan stuff is very interesting and respectable. The dude is so goddamn inspiring, so positive and fighting with such a great message. A genuinely admirable human being. I'll gladly go on record as saying he's my favorite guy in WWE right now and I can see big stuff happening for him in the future.

Also, Tweeted a sick burn on Lesnar:
"Look at the bright side, @brocklesnar climbing a ladder is the most wrestling he's done all year."

Oh and worth mentioning in here, it was awhile back, but there was this cool thing he did where this girl saw him on TV with his mask and she had some awful disease that requires her to wear a respirator that resembled it. So she really appreciated seeing someone rocking a mask like hers and thanks to social media, he heard about it and sent her one.

[Ringo]

If I was booking WWE, Ali would be one of the first guys I'd push to the top. Great look, super exciting modern style in the ring and he's proved he can talk well too. He's also essentially a WWE original as even though he wrestled on the independents for 13 years before signing he wasn't nearly as well known as most of the other talent that came through NXT or the CWC. Most importantly though, what he represents. A practicing muslim, born and raised in America. A guy that comes across very well when out of character and embodies the notion that hard work pays off regardless of who you are (Muslim, Pakistani background) or where you came from (started on the company's least watched brand when no one seemed to have any hope or expectation for him).

Also, Orton is one of the last people I could ever imagine using kissing emojis.

[Bagel]

Ali has grown on me. Prefer they have stuck with Mustafa Ali for a name. Wasn't sure how he was going to do being on the main roster but he's exceeded expectations and been a treat to watch. I don't he's complete of what he's capable of just yet but he deserves to be where he is, and not some push just because someone wants him to be that guy.

[BGMaverick]

He's really good in the ring. He can sell pretty well and he's offense is different enough compared to what we usually see. That pop he got when he broke the 10 count on Tuesday against Andrade just goes to show how much he can get a crowd behind him. It goes without saying his uniquely gritty promos only help him as well.

[mth]

Ali has grown on me. Prefer they have stuck with Mustafa Ali for a name. Wasn't sure how he was going to do being on the main roster but he's exceeded expectations and been a treat to watch. I don't he's complete of what he's capable of just yet but he deserves to be where he is, and not some push just because someone wants him to be that guy.

He's actually taken a positive spin on the name change now as he's said it seems like it's easier for the crowd to chant (not having to disagree on whether they're chanting Mustafa or Ali) and that it's lead to increased/louder chants during his matches.

[Badger]

Ali donating his Super Showdown earnings to CharityWater:

https://twitter.com/AliWWE/status/11...855148032?s=19

Ali is a class act.

[mth]

Can we please get Ali back on TV doing something worthwhile....

[JP]

He has to be turning heel with that bollocks.

[Badger]

That was like a bad Oxfam advert.

[JP]

It's genuinely one of the worst things I've ever seen.

The petrifying thing is, I think it's meant to be serious.

[Damien]

[JP]

Yep.

Former Gang Member Fatu x Kurt Angle arrogant debut character = that godawful vignette.

[mth]

Yeah, seeing at again during Stomping Grounds and it really is pretty bad. They lean into this stuff too hard and it could backfire.

[Bagel]

I'm interested, mostly just to give it a chance to see where it goes. Could become a vigilante character. Didn't see any need to reboot or change the character he's going with right now though. If it's for a heel turn I'd rather just see him snap on someone like Balor.

[Hero!]

I liked it

[Kdestiny]

I liked it

I dug it too. Makes it seem like they know there's potential there

[Spudz Mackenzie]

WWE can never seem to keep their minority wrestlers babyfaces, can they?

Ali is a legitimately good guy, a former cop, an underdog against everybody who's bigger than him, and they want him to work heel?

Stupid.

[Badger]

If it ain't broke.....

If it makes him a tougher face character then it could have a chance. If they turn him arrogant heel, then they're bloody foolish.

[mth]

I don't hate the video but upon second viewing, it did come off as a bit cringey to me. Just seemed a like a bit of a jump from what he's been doing to a bit too produced and try-hard and "look at me, I'm a hero!" or whatever, not seeming as natural as he's been about the topic otherwise.

WWE can never seem to keep their minority wrestlers babyfaces, can they?

Ali is a legitimately good guy, a former cop, an underdog against everybody who's bigger than him, and they want him to work heel?

Stupid.

Who said they want him to work heel? JP is not a credible source.

[Hero!]

That wasn’t a heel video at all...he’s helping an alcoholic, a guy getting mugged, and a woman getting abused. They’re trying to make him like a superhero.

[JP]

Exactly.

[JP]

Who said they want him to work heel? JP is not a credible source.

I am the most credible of all credible sources. I'm like Heinz.

Obviously it's just my opinion, but it has to be a heel seed, surely? It's so preachy and self-aggrandising.

[3puppies]

The way Vince thinks, Ali's a foreigner, so he has to be a heel by definition

[Peter Griffin]

The way Vince thinks, Ali's a foreigner, so he has to be a heel by definition

Apart from his first two years with the company of course.

[Damien]

As an addition to "Make a difference" Ali's promo, they should have used Men on a Mission's entrance theme in the background.

[Hero!]

I shouldn’t be surprised that British JP would think that helping someone quit the booze is a heel move.

[Peter Griffin]

I shouldn’t be surprised that British JP would think that helping someone quit the booze is a heel move.

Well I mean there was Punk and his SES

[Nash Diesel]

Yeah, seeing at again during Stomping Grounds and it really is pretty bad. They lean into this stuff too hard and it could backfire.

That's the thing. I didn't take it as some heel shit like old New Day or old school Kurt Angle. I took it as the WWE going "Oh this guy used to be a cop and save people" then they go that extra mile of corniness.

A good example of the WWE taking shit the wrong way, Daniel Bryan. They took people calling him "the GOAT" as literally him being a goat. Next thing you know he's wearing fur on his boots, his shirts have goats on them, what the fuck????

It never works for a babyface. Heel, much easier. Daniel Bryan as the Planet's champion is a good example of taking shit to the extreme but in a good way because DB is a heel. If they tried this shit as a face, he'd get booed. We have a serious issue with being told we're doing actual real shit that's actually harmful to our bodies, our planet. But roll out Jeff Hardy and we're blowing up the place with joy lol.

[mth]

Dude, you forget that the goat thing came from Punk calling him "goat face" .

[Hero!]

Yeah, Bryan was called a goat because of his beard. He did the GOAT thing with Punk during his last few months.

The fur boots have also been explained countless times as having been a Brody tribute. Bryan picks his own gear and was not made to wear furry kickpads.

[Nash Diesel]

Does he also pick his own merchandise? Because I have a hard time thinking that a bunch of goat-inspired merchandise was his doing.