Mustafa Ali appeared on the August 15th episode of NXT and seemed to re-debut a previously scrapped gimmick.
Mustafa Ali delivered a passionate speech on NXT declaring himself as the NXT North American Champion the people deserve. Ali called out current champion Dominik Mysterio for disrespecting family values and emphasised the need for a better representative.
Ali asserted that he would elevate the North American Championship to unparalleled heights and inspire millions across the continent. He urged the audience to embrace change and believe in him as a trustworthy champion.
Ali’s New America storyline had previously faced controversy and was shelved by WWE, but the return to this gimmick marks a renewed opportunity to showcase his vision for his character.
Why Was Mustafa Ali’s Gimmick Scrapped?
Ali’s journey to this moment began on the October 29th, 2021, episode of SmackDown, where he introduced a similar character after a match against Drew McIntyre. He confronted fans for not accepting him due to his last name and later shared an unreleased vignette on X, advocating for a “New America” while dressed in a suit.
Unfortunately, the political nature of his character was deemed controversial by WWE, leading to its cancellation. Ali reportedly had a heated argument with Vince McMahon and requested his release, which was not granted. As a result, he remained absent from WWE programming until his return on April 25th, 2022, on Raw.
Since then, Ali has become a prominent figure on the NXT brand, a move which WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels was in favour of, as he advocated for Mustafa Ali to be moved to NXT.