Mustafa Ali returned to WWE Raw on the April 25 episode, ending a six month absence following a creative disagreement between he and Vince McMahon.
We're told the week prior creative came up with ideas to bring Ali back to WWE television. As of the Sunday afternoon before, plans actually called for Mustafa Ali to lose the match against The Miz, but virtually everything played out as it was planned. Ali was scheduled to be at Raw Monday, and meet with Johnny Ace according to people within the company, and had yet to be informed of the creative plans at that point. Those that we've spoken to said that he was more than comfortable referencing his absence and why it happened.
Several people on the roster and the staff were excited to see Mustafa Ali back at work.
Ali's contract is up in mid-2024 as he's hinted in the past, which we were able to confirm. WWE had the contractual ability to freeze his deal, but hadn't to this point. There is a possibility they could still extend it due to inactivity, but thus far we've been given no indication by the company that would happen.
This article first appeared on our premium service, Fightful Select and was republished here on Fightful. If you complain about it being "old news," you have to buy Sean Ross Sapp a Jeep. Subscribe to get exclusive news every day, and a half-dozen weekly podcasts.
To directly support us and our continuing breaking news, interviews, and the like, subscribe to FightfulSelect.com. You'll get exclusive news sent to you directly before anyone else, and dozens of podcasts monthly including Alex Pawlowski's Sour Graps, Sean Ross Sapp's Q&A, Retro Reviews and more