Mustafa Ali

2.1. Childhood and Background

Alam's mother is of Indian descent from New Delhi, and his father is of Pakistani descent from Karachi. He has two older brothers. From a young age, Alam aspired to be a professional wrestler, idolizing notable figures such as Bret Hart, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, the Hardy Boyz, Chris Jericho, and Hayabusa. Before achieving mainstream wrestling success, Alam dedicated four years of his life to serving his community as a police officer in Homewood, Illinois, a suburb south of Chicago. He worked night shifts as a police officer while pursuing his wrestling career during the day to support his family.

3.1. Independent Circuit (2003-2016)

Alam made his professional wrestling debut on February 2, 2003. During his initial six years in professional wrestling, he performed under a mask to avoid potential discrimination, a proactive measure he took to manage perceptions related to his ethnic background. He wrestled for various promotions, including Dreamwave Wrestling, where he notably held the Dreamwave Alternative Championship twice and the Dreamwave World Championship once. Other promotions he appeared in include All American Wrestling (AAW), Freelance Wrestling (where he won the Freelance World Championship), GALLI Lucha Libre, IWA Mid-South, Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) where he held the JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship, National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), Proving Ground Pro (where he was PGP Franchise Champion), and WrestleCircus. He also won the Elite Pro Wrestling's EPW Pro Television Championship and Midwestern States Pro Wrestling's MSPW Heritage Championship during this period. Throughout this early phase of his career, he balanced his wrestling ambitions with his demanding job as a police officer in Homewood, Illinois. In December 2023, after his WWE release, Alam announced his availability for independent bookings, returning to the circuit where he began.

3.2. WWE (2016-2023)

Ali's tenure in WWE marked a significant chapter in his career, featuring his rise through the Cruiserweight division, pursuit of main roster championships, a controversial heel turn, and eventual departure.

3.2.1. Cruiserweight Division (2016-2018)

On June 25, 2016, Mustafa Ali entered WWE's inaugural Cruiserweight Classic tournament as a replacement for the Brazilian wrestler Zumbi, who faced visa issues. Representing his father's country of Pakistan, Ali was eliminated in the first round by Puerto Rican representative Lince Dorado. Although he has roots in both Pakistan and India, he represented Pakistan because India already had two representatives in the tournament. On October 26, Ali teamed with Lince Dorado in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic on NXT, but they were eliminated by Kota Ibushi and TJ Perkins in the first round.

Ali made his debut on 205 Live on December 13, wrestling Lince Dorado to a double countout as a face. His Raw debut followed on January 23, 2017, where he teamed with Jack Gallagher and TJ Perkins to defeat Ariya Daivari, Drew Gulak, and Tony Nese. Ali then engaged in a rivalry with Drew Gulak, who promoted a "No Fly Zone" campaign on 205 Live. Their feud culminated in a two-out-of-three falls match on July 18, which Ali won.

In February 2018, Ali participated in the Cruiserweight Championship tournament. He advanced to the finals at WrestleMania 34, defeating Gentleman Jack Gallagher in the first round, Buddy Murphy in the quarterfinals, and Drew Gulak in the semifinals. However, he was unsuccessful in capturing the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, losing to Cedric Alexander at the event. Following this, Ali began a rivalry with Hideo Itami, who interfered in his match against Buddy Murphy. After a loss to Itami on August 7 that left him out of action for a short period, Ali defeated Itami in a falls count anywhere match on October 24 to end their feud. On October 31, Ali defeated Tony Nese to become the number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship, but he again failed to win the title from Buddy Murphy at Survivor Series. During his time in the Cruiserweight division, Ali was often referred to as "The Heart of 205 Live," signifying his importance to the brand.

3.3. Return to Independent Circuit (2023-present)

After his release from WWE, Mustafa Ali announced on December 21, 2023, that he would begin accepting independent bookings. His first post-WWE appearance was on January 6, 2024, at Association les Professionnels du Catch's (APC) 20th Anniversary show, where he defeated Aigle Blanc. He also announced appearances with Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) at No Compadre on January 12, Progress Wrestling at Chapter 162: Light of The Dragon on January 28, and DEFY Wrestling on February 9. On February 18, Ali debuted for Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro) at High Stakes, defeating Robbie X.

3.4. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2024)

On January 13, 2024, at Battle in the Valley, Ali made his New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) debut via a pre-taped vignette, issuing a challenge to Hiromu Takahashi for a match at Windy City Riot on April 12. At Windy City Riot, Ali successfully defeated Takahashi. However, in a rematch at Capital Collision on August 29, Ali lost to Takahashi.

3.5. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2024-present)

Ali made his first appearance for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on the January 25 episode of TNA Impact!, in a pre-taped vignette. He made his in-ring debut at No Surrender, defeating Chris Sabin to win the TNA X Division Championship. This marked Ali's first championship in a major company and also made him the first wrestler in TNA's history to win a title in his debut match. He successfully retained the title against Jake Something at Rebellion, and against Ace Austin and Trent Seven at subsequent TNA pay-per-views. At Slammiversary, he lost the TNA X Division Championship to Mike Bailey, ending his reign at 148 days and marking his first loss in TNA, as well as his first overall loss since 2023. On the August 1 episode of Impact!, Ali unsuccessfully challenged Nic Nemeth for the TNA World Championship. On the same day, Ali announced his departure from TNA. However, on the January 23, 2025 episode of Impact!, Ali made a surprise return to TNA, interrupting Mike Santana and announcing that he had signed a new contract with the promotion.

4.1. In-ring Style and Moves

Ali employs a high-flying wrestling style, characterized by acrobatic maneuvers and quick sequences. His former finishing maneuver was an imploding 450° splash known as the 054, which he retired in 2021, stating he wanted "to be able to play with his grandkids one day." He also utilizes a standard 450° splash. After his heel turn in 2020, he added the Koji Clutch, a foot-hooked variation of a shoulder hold, to his arsenal of finishing moves.

Other notable techniques in his repertoire include:

• Backstabber: Used in various forms, including traditional, counter, and avalanche versions.
• Rolling Thunder neckbreaker: A unique move where he dives between the top and second ropes, performs a rolling thunder forward roll to position himself behind an opponent, and then executes a neckbreaker.
• Sitout facebuster: Similar to his rolling thunder neckbreaker setup, but instead of a neckbreaker, he grabs the opponent's head with both hands, jumps and lands in a split-legged position, slamming the opponent's face into the mat.
• Reverse Frankensteiner
• Superkick
• Dropkick
• Tornado DDT
• Spanish Fly: From the corner top, he locks the opponent's head and performs a moonsault press, driving the opponent forcefully onto their back.

4.2. Character and Entrance Theme

In the early stages of his WWE career, Mustafa Ali was deliberate in presenting a character that diverged from common Muslim stereotypes often seen in professional wrestling. He sought to portray himself as a positive and relatable figure, a stark contrast to the villainous, often terroristic, Muslim characters that had been historically depicted. His dedication to this positive portrayal earned him the moniker "The Heart of 205 Live" during his time in the Cruiserweight division.

After leaving WWE, Ali developed a new gimmick in which he portrays a politician, often accompanied by bodyguards resembling members of the United States Secret Service. His catchphrase for this persona is "In Ali We Trust!" Interestingly, Ali had previously pitched this politician gimmick to WWE's creative team, but it was reportedly rejected.

Throughout his career, Ali has used several entrance themes:

• "Put Em Up"
• "Go Hard" (feat. Maino)
• "Disruptor" (currently in use)

5.1. Video Games

Mustafa Ali has been featured as a playable character in several professional wrestling video games. He made his debut in WWE 2K19 and has since appeared in subsequent titles such as WWE 2K20, WWE 2K22, and WWE 2K23.

5.2. Documentary

In 2009, Mustafa Ali was the subject of a documentary that explored the significant issues and pervasive stereotypes faced by Muslim wrestlers within the industry. The film specifically highlighted the challenge of being frequently booked as villainous characters and often typecast as terrorists, addressing the broader implications of such portrayals.