Former SmackDown star was backstage at AEW Dynamite: Beach Break, 9 months after his WWE release - Reports
A former SmackDown star was reportedly backstage at AEW Dynamite: Beach Break in Chicago this past Wednesday. The star was released from WWE back in September 2023.
The former SmackDown star in question is none other than Mustafa Ali. The 38-year-old star gained prominence during his time in the WWE where he performed from 2017 until his release in September 2023. Ali was one of the many superstars released at that time due to the budget cuts after the TKO merger.
He later moved on to wrestle on multiple independent promotions and currently performs on TNA. Ali was also rumored to sign with AEW after he was released from the Stamford-based promotion. Meanwhile, the latest report disclosed that the current TNA X-Division Champion was backstage on Dynamite this past Wednesday.
According to the latest report by PWInsider, the TNA X-Division Champion was spotted visiting AEW Dynamite: Beach Break in Chicago this past week. However, it is still unclear why he visited Tony Khan's promotion. It would be interesting to see if Ali will Compete in an All Elite ring in the future.
The former WWE SmackDown star on why he chose TNA
As mentioned earlier, the former WWE SmackDown star, Mustafa Ali currently wrestles on TNA and is also the current X-Division Champion. Speaking on Straight Talk Wrestling, Ali stated the following when asked why he chose TNA:
"TNA is obviously an amazing organization that has provided me with some dream matchups coming up, and the opportunity to even compete for the X-Division Championship was something that was interesting to me, so I'm very, very happy with TNA. I know they're very happy with me, and why would they not be? Sold out pay per views, no big deal!" [H/T: Comicbook.com]
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Moreover, the reports of Mustafa Ali being backstage in AEW surely gave some hope to the fans. Only time will tell what the future has in store for the 38-year-old star.