Mustafa Ali has been vocal on WWE TV about some of his experiences in life, and the inspiration for it comes from a very real place. Ali recently spoke with Scott Fishman of TV Insider and discussed his recent run on WWE RAW. Ali serves as the leader of Retribution, an opportunity that he says gives him the chance to finally address things he experiences in real life as a Muslim.
“My first few years I was portrayed as the good guy. They take one on the chin, get knocked down, and get back up. When the [Retribution] role was introduced, there’s the opportunity to complain. I can bring to light what people might not normally see. When I go to the airport, I have real life issues. I have real issues with people pronouncing my name correctly,” Ali said, “or telling me my name is much too complicated to pronounce, and I should change it. To me these are normal things and I address them whenever I do a promo or have an interview. I tell people just because it doesn’t happen to you, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.”
Ali said beating Riddle for the WWE United States Championship would mean more to him than it would to a lot of people. He pointed out that he’s also and American, but that’s not how people always treat him and thinks it would go a long way in inspiring young WWE fans with similar backgrounds.
“My name is Mustafa Ali. Yes, I’m an American. But I feel people don’t look at me as an American. When I go to the grocery store with my wife she wears a hijab scarf over her head, and I notice the glares she gets. Pre-pandemic when we went out to dinner,” Ali explained, “ she would get the same looks. I’m always conscious that it doesn’t feel like home. Why do I feel like a visitor? I was born and raised here. I do love this country and what it can be. Growing up [in Chicago], I didn’t have someone that looked like me that represented as being American. I think it would be wild for a kid named Mohammed or Saʽid or a girl named Sara watching Raw seeing a guy named Mustafa Ali holding the United States Championship.”
Read More: Mustafa Ali Working With Torn PCL, Reveals Worst Bump He’s Taken
