"People are gonna talk about that!" - Former writer pitches how WWE should have used Mustafa Ali [Exclusive]
Vince Russo has revealed how he would have presented Mustafa Ali to the WWE Universe, utilizing his real-life history as a police officer.
On the latest episode of Writing with Russo, the former WWE writer said he would have written Mustafa Ali as a babyface, drawing sympathy from fans thanks to his police service. However, Russo was quick to mention he would have eventually turned Mustafa Ali heel, going as far as implying he would have made the star a racist character in a surprising twist.
Russo was also critical of Ali's recent involvement with RETRIBUTION, saying fans were not interested in him being shown as the leader of a pack of "monsters".
Here's what Vince Russo had to say on Mustafa Ali's character:
"From what I understand, the guy (Mustafa Ali) was a former cop. He was right slap bang in the middle of everything when we wanted to abolish the police department! Remember all that? He was there! Could you imagine if he’s the babyface, talking about what being a cop meant to him? “You have no idea, we go out, our lives are on the line. We’ve gotta make pinpoint decisions. Yeah, we make some mistakes.” Really getting that sympathy and telling that side. But then, when he’s wrestling and in the locker room, we see shades of the guy really being a racist?!... Stuff like that? People are gonna talk about that! They’re not gonna talk about a guy coming in with these monsters, you know… come on! There is some stuff that is right in front of their face!"
Vince Russo served as Head Writer for WWE from 1997 to 1999 before leaving to join World Championship Wrestling.
Vince Russo on WWE's financial affairs influencing storylines
Vince Russo also pointed out how WWE's creative may be suffering due to a lack of inspiration, stemming from the company's financial success.
"If they’re gonna find these knucklehead companies to pay them millions and billions of dollars, they’re not gonna put thought into anything! “We’re gonna keep this simple, we’re gonna keep this straight forward, we’re gonna keep putting it out there, as long as they continue to pay us.” That’s why discussions like this never take place at WWE headquarters."
WWE's recent deal with Peacock is reportedly worth over one billion dollars.
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