Ali is grateful to have been a part of it.
WWE's 205 Live brand lasted from November 2016 to February 2022. Names that competed on the brand include Mustafa Ali, KENTA, Lio Rush, Buddy Matthews, Cedric Alexander, Rich Swann, and Swerve Strickland, among others.
Ali was dubbed the 'heart' of 205 Live, and he reflected on that period of his career during an interview with The Wrestling Classic. Ali said one of his goals is to organize a 205 Live roundtable.
“I mean, if you look at what 205 did, it springboarded so many people’s careers whether they’re in WWE, AEW, TNA. It was a huge launching pad, it was a huge risk that Triple H and WWE took and obviously, we can always go back and wish that things were a little different but at the end of the day, I’m forever indebted because that gave me a platform. I doubt most of the people in the room would even know who I am if it wasn’t for that initial opportunity. My big hope one day is just because we’re all so spread out and we have so many fun -- not necessarily crazy but just fun stories of that and one of my goals in the next few years is to figure out a way how we can get like a 205 Live roundtable. Just all the OGs sitting down and talking about crazy nights and crazy match stipulations that got changed and storylines, because we all have so many interesting stories about that time. But yeah, hopefully, one day, some sort of Cruiserweight, 205 Live roundtable…”
While Ali was billed as the heart of 205 Live, Cedric Alexander was billed as the soul of the brand. Their careers crossed paths once again in TNA as Alexander arrived to the company and confronted Ali.
If the quote in this article is used, please credit The Wrestling Classic with an H/T to Fightful for the transcription.
