Mustafa Ali was back in the ring over the weekend, marking his first match not held in a WWE ring since 2017. Ali had been released by WWE in September alongside several other stars due to budget cuts. He had to wait 90 days to work for another promotion due to his non-compete clause.
Return
Now, he’s working on a slate of independent shows with multiple dates already confirmed. He worked in France for APC (Association les Professionnels du Catch) where he beat Aigle Blanc in the main event.
Following the bout, he put over the young star before recalling how every executive in every company he has worked for has told him that no one will ever chant for his name. Check out his speech here:
The speech
“I’ve been thinking for more than the past 90 days, what’s the first thing I wanna say? It’s as simple as this, and if I tear up, I apologize because I mean this from the bottom of my heart. Every upper management person that I have ever worked for in this industry has told me to my face, ‘No one will ever cheer for someone named Mustafa Ali.’ No, even better than, ‘F*ck them,’ show them, and to those people watching, right now I’m in a sold-out house at A.P.C., and every single person in this building is chanting ‘Mustafa Ali.’
I’m gonna leave the ring tonight with one more note, and this is what I want in the industry: I want change in the industry. I want guys that are [at] a certain level to reach down and pull people up. The young man, the young man that I just shared the ring with, let me tell you something, I have been in the ring with Rey Mysterio, I have been in the ring with AJ Styles, Randy Orton, you name ‘em. I’ve been in the ring with them, and you, my good man, are just as good as them.
It was an absolute honor. This was for me more than you, trust me. It was an absolute honor to perform here. I landed this morning, and I have not slept, and I don’t give a sh*t because this gives me life. Thank you all, good night, I love you.”
@MustafaAli_X just gave a beautiful and powerful post-match speech to the APC audience here in Paris, France, 🇫🇷
Ali won his first post-WWE match against Aigle Blanc in a wonderful match that had the crowd hanging on the edge of the seat from start to finish. @APCcatch pic.twitter.com/I8B8HLlSSi
— Lucas Charpiot (@LucasCharpiot) January 6, 2024
