Mustafa Ali reflects on how his rivalry with Ricochet on WWE Main Event came to be and why he believes as long as he is applying his craft in any way, he will continue to impress the right people within WWE.
Mustafa Ali was revealed as the leader of RETRIBUTION last autumn and for a brief moment, it seemed as though he was poised to be the leader of the top heel faction on Monday Night Raw.
Ultimately, his run with RETRIBUTION fizzled out, coming to a close at WWE Fastlane 2021 and with the exception of MACE and T-BAR, there is no remnant of RETRIBUTION still active on the main roster. Currently, Mustafa Ali has all of his focus on the Hulu-exclusive program WWE Main Event and his rivalry with ricochet which has culminated in the most recent episode with a Two-out-of-Three Falls bout.
Speaking about his program with Ricochet on the oft-forgotten WWE show, Mustafa Ali told Sean Waltman on his most recent Pro Wrestling 4 Life podcast that it is all about making the most of every opportunity, and for him, this was something he knew would allow him to continue to work while also giving him the opportunity to impress those that might have already forgotten what he can bring to the table.
“The Main Event stuff happened because, after the fallout with RETRIBUTION, which was kind of like, you know, again, plans changed with that. I'm kind of sitting there for a few weeks realizing they don't really know where to put me and the request was simple. I just knocked on Vince's office and said, ‘Hey, if you don't have something for me right now, I get it. I'm the type of talent where if I don't use it, I'm gonna lose it. You got to get me in the ring. I need to perform. Can I just have Ricochet for four weeks on Main Event?’ [Vince] goes, ‘What's the story?’”
Ali answered back, “‘That's it. Doesn't need to be anything elaborate. We don't need any gimmick matches. I go in, you know me, boss, we will carry it. We'll do all our own promos. It wasn't like, ‘Sure.’ It was like, ‘Okay, we'll see.’ The first match happened. Then the second match happened And now the third match happened. Maybe there's a fourth match coming, we'll see.
He continued, “It was one of the things where we went and just did it ourselves and, as much love as the matches are getting, I think the promos that we're doing on our own are getting just as much, if not more, maybe. It's this kind of thing where I just wanted to, ‘Oh, y'all forgot about it for a sec, let me remind you real quick. Put me in the ring and you guys will go, ‘wow.’ Give me a microphone or a camera and you will go, ‘wow.’ That's what it is sometimes, man. There's so much content that comes out. So you have to be able to constantly engage the audience and remind them because once you're not in the mix, man, you guys will go, ‘We love Ali,’ but after a while, if Ali's not on your screen. If I'm not on Twitter or Instagram. You're gonna forget about me. It's just natural. So that was just my way of reminding people just who the hell I am.”
Ricochet has gotten back on Monday Night Raw and has regularly been interacting with WWE United States Champion, Sheamus but Mustafa Ali continues to look for a way back to the main roster.
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