Entertainment
WWE’s Mustafa Ali explains powerful response to toxic social media racism
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
WWE superstar Mustafa Ali has revealed how his creative freedom lets him address racial injustice in his promos.
The 35-year-old star – a Muslim wrestler of Pakistani descent – understands the position he’s in to be a voice for change, and he has explained how he manages to deal with potentially sensitive issues on global television.
He exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘I still can’t believe I got away with saying it. But, one of the first RETRIBUTION promos I ever said, one of the lines was, “This company couldn’t figure out how to make a buck off of someone named Mustafa Ali”.
‘The weight of that line is a lot. It kinda got glossed over in the grand scheme of things ’cause we’re talking about so much. But, if you really go back and watch all the promos and what I said, how I explained the names and the masks – that was me just feeling in the blanks.
‘Anytime I have an opportunity to shed light on real life issues, I’m gonna do it.’
Ali – who worked as a police officer in Chicago before signing with the company after competing in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament in 2016 – noted how he has earned the trust of the writing team and owner Vince McMahon himself, which in turn gives him the opportunity to touch on real life issues on screen.
He explained: ‘I am very fortunate. I have a pretty good relationship with the creative writing team and with Vince himself as far as when it comes to what I wanna say.
‘I believe a lot of that’s trust, because some of the things I bring up are controversial and there’s ways to say it. So, talking blatantly about racial discrimination probably won’t be approved.
‘But, saying “you can’t figure out what to do with a guy named Mustafa Ali” – there’s some room. It’s on you as a viewer to gravitate and connect the dots. I have the ability to bring up things without punching you in the face with it.’
Ali – who was ousted as the on-screen leader of the RETRIBUTION group earlier this month at Fastlane – is often the subject of vile racist abuse on social media, but takes a measured approach with his response.
He said: ‘If you – not you, but you bad troll online that tweets at me – and you say these horrific things about me because of my religion.
‘You see the brown skin, you see the name, and you go, “Oh because of this, that means you’re a barbarian, you’re uncivilised, you wanna wish harm upon everybody”. And you say all of these terrible things about me.
‘Now, if I respond and yell horrific things at you and I insult you – I’ve kinda proved your point. But if I respond in kindness and I clarify you and I sound intelligent and articulate, not only have I defeated your point, I’ve made you look like an idiot.’
‘Yeah, here and there someone deserves a clapback and they’ll get it,’ he laughed. ‘My whole thing is, I know what you’re saying is not true, so why would I let that interrupt me?
‘I live a very blessed, happy life. In the confines of these walls in my home, everyone’s got a smile on their face, my kids are upstairs playing right now, my wife is sitting on this couch. Everything’s great!’
Indeed, even with a mixed response to the RETRIBUTION faction – which had an inconsistent run on screen despite the undeniable talent of everyone involved – Ali still sees overwhelming benefits to the way he’s now presented on television.
He pointed out: ‘I’m forever thankful for the RETRIBUTION opportunity because I think a lot of people didn’t see me as this promo guy before, but now my name’s up there as far as, “Oh who can cut a promo?” You’re definitely gonna mention my name.’
While time constraints – as well as having to bare in mind sponsors and the TV audience – make it a challenge to inject depth into often brief moments, Ali has learned from fellow superstar Sami Zayn about making the most of his minutes.
‘Sami Zayn told me this one time, and it’s really stuck in my head. It’s not hard, it’s not – if you’re an amazing performer, it’s not hard to go out there and have a 25-minute match, and have a great match. It’s not hard,’ he laughed.
‘Now, have a six minute match, can’t use any weapons, and you can’t say this or that… that’s where the true artistry comes out. Try to perform within this box.
‘And I’m not knocking the longer matches – don’t get me wrong, I want 25 minute pay-per-view matches. That’s where you get to show your best work. But on a weekly basis, the true artistry comes in, getting the most out of so little.’
Ali is excelling despite often limited television time, and people around the world – including WWE’s NXT UK superstar Jinny – hailing him as a big influence, which is something he embraces.
‘There’s people out there that feel like their name, their identity, their culture and their religion define them in a bad way, and they’re hesitant to chase their dreams,’ he said.
‘So I’m here to be like, “no, no, no! Don’t let any of that discourage you! Don’t let people that say this stuff discourage you”. You can be whatever you wanna be, you can be wherever you wanna be. Where you’re from, what you believe in, doesn’t define you.’
*WWE Raw airs Mondays at 1am on BT Sport.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
