Mustafa Ali: I Was Told I Was Winning Money In The Bank 2019, The Plan Changed Right Before The Match

August 22, 2021

Brock Lesnar is back in WWE, and he has already (seemingly) reentered the title scene.

Lesnar’s return at WWE SummerSlam wasn’t the first time he came back in a big way; his surprising victory at Money in the Bank 2019 comes to mind as another example. While this pay-per-view propelled “The Beast Incarnate” back to the top of the card, it wasn’t as beneficial for Mustafa Ali. At the time, the fan-favorite star was a dark horse favorite to win the bout, and as it turns out, WWE management actually told him he was winning the Money in the Bank briefcase the day of the show.

In an interview with Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT, Ali looked back on this missed opportunity and explained how he learned that Lesnar would going home with the briefcase instead.

“We got nothing other than ‘you’re in the match’ the week-of [the MITB match],” said Ali. “Day-of, I’m winning it! Man, this is my moment, this is everything I’ve been working for, I can’t believe it, this is awesome.

“Then the match is about to start, so the entrances have started. I may be wrong about this, but Baron Corbin is making his entrance and I’m soon to be making my entrance, and that’s when I get pulled that I have to go see the boss.”

During this backstage meeting, McMahon told Ali that the plan changed, as he wanted Lesnar to win the match. Because the bout would be starting momentarily, Ali knew it wasn’t the right time to argue. He then shared his thoughts on the situation and stated that he was focused on doing his job, no matter what.

“You’re getting a direct order about what is to be expected of you,” said Ali. “I know some people say ‘why didn’t you just grab the briefcase!’ [laughs]. I was more concerned with grabbing my check that week! So I grabbed my check.

“At the end of the day, it’s not my show. The guy who writes this, who owns this, who decides what happens told me specific instructions and I said ‘OK, not a problem boss.’ And I went out there and did exactly what I was asked to do.