WWE is reportedly not planning to grant Mustafa Ali his release.
As previously reported, Ali took to social media to request his release from the company. However, Fightful Select reports that it is not WWE’s plan at the moment to grant his request.
According to the report, WWE and Ali have been in communication, and Ali was told that he would not be granted his release. It was noted that Ali has years left on his current WWE deal.
The Fightful report noted that the term “value” was brought up a lot in their discussions, although there were not any specifics.
Mustafa Ali last wrestled on the October 29, 2021, episode of SmackDown, losing to Drew McIntyre. Ali took time off for paternity leave last November and welcomed his third child later that month. It was reported that Ali only asked for one show off for paternity leave.
Ali and Vince McMahon reportedly had a heated argument last fall, and the former Cruiserweight Champion hasn’t been attending shows since.
During an interview with Metro in October 2021, Ali discussed a past conversation he had with Vince McMahon before the COVID pandemic began. According to Ali, McMahon directly told him that he was, “Too polished, too clean, too nice. I don’t know if you have it in you!’”
“After sitting at home for seven months and then finally coming back to Monday Night RAW, only to pick up a few victories and then to go back to not being on Monday Night RAW and now being stuck on Main Event, you’re kind of scratching your head,” Ali said. “Like, what have I gotta do? And then you realize, you’ve gotta go ask the hard questions. I went up to Vince McMahon himself and said, ‘What am I missing?’ [He said], ‘Too polished, too clean, too nice, I don’t know if you have it in you!’”
