WWE: Rejoice, It Looks Like Mustafa Ali Is Coming Back To SmackDown From Injury
Mustafa Ali is one of WWE’s fastest-rising stars, and after missing the Elimination Chamber with an accumulation of injuries, he’ll look to continue his momentum on the road to WrestleMania 35.
Since joining the SmackDown Live roster in December after being arguably 205 Live’s best wrestler (Buddy Murphy and Cedric Alexander were, of course, right there with him), Mustafa Ali has been an absolute revelation. One of WWE‘s best athletes in the ring and an elite babyface promo, Ali looks like a future world champion, and he even pinned WWE Champion Daniel Bryan in a tag match shortly after debuting on the main roster.
Unfortunately, Ali’s momentum was halted a bit by injuries, as he was unable to compete in the Gauntlet Match or the Elimination Chamber match. Since then, Kofi Kingston took that opportunity to replace Ali, creating the #KofiMania movement that could lead to a WWE Championship victory in April.
Despite the absence from television, Ali is still in a great place for when he returns to television, and it looks like that return could come soon. Ali is back in the ring, as he competed at a WWE Live Event in Minneapolis on March 2.
Photos of his appearance can be viewed here, with a hat tip to Wrestling Inc.’s Joshua Gagnon.
Ali even faced Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship, and his return certainly made the crowd’s night. The fact that Ali faced Bryan for the title bodes well when projecting his role at WrestleMania and his fit in the title picture. Kevin Owens has a match against Bryan at Fastlane, courtesy of Vince McMahon’s interference on last week’s SmackDown, and Kofi will surely get his one-on-one opportunity against Bryan after his impressive performances.
However, Ali is lurking in the picture, too, though he could be considered a darkhorse for the United States Championship. Rey Mysterio and Andrade seem to be the favorites for R-Truth’s title, but since Truth has another “Open Challenge” scheduled this Tuesday, perhaps Ali could jump in and steal the title away from the WWE veteran.
Regardless, it’s fantastic to see Ali back in the ring after dealing with injuries, because the ring is where he belongs. He’s one of WWE’s best performers already, and wrestling fans cannot wait to see what’s in store for him on the main roster in 2019.