WWE: Ali vs the New Day is the feud he needs to rise to the main event

Mustafa Ali has everything needed in being a main event player and this feud with the New Day is the first step to help him get to where he should be on the roster.

Mustafa Ali is a talent on the WWE roster that has a wealth of momentum behind him, even if WWE creative continues to ignore him. This could translate in an unexpected star for the promotion if they were willing to get out of their own way. Ali’s transcending into a star begins with the New Day and hopefully, that storyline is getting started with what occurred on Monday Night Raw.

Mace from RETRIBUTION defeated Xavier Woods in a singles match, a week after T-Bar did the same. All the while, Ali made it clear that his real target is none other than Kofi Kingston. This is one of the rare moments in recent times when WWE has looked at leveraging a real-life situation into long-term storytelling. Back in 2019, it was Kingston who replaced Ali in a gauntlet match, leading to the push that became KofiMania and his securing the WWE Championship. Almost two years to the day Ali is out for revenge and this is a moment that must be used to its fullest extent.

The RETRIBUTION faction has been a failure. Even as Ali and the rest of the members attempt to salvage what they can on social media, WWE almost purposely sabotaged the group from the start. The reveal of Ali being the leader sparked some interest, but that was budding flame was put out with all the fire extinguishers available. There is an opportunity to get things partially right with this coming feud with the New Day.

The New Day are always going to have the interest of viewers. Kingston’s injury creates the opportunity to shine the light on Woods, who has been putting in great work in the ring since his return from an injury last year. Unfortunately, WWE booking has already created the situation where he is losing to what seems to be all the members of RETRIBUTION, but that’s just how WWE continues to book their characters. Still, when fans get a match between Ali and Woods, they will undoubtedly put on a strong showing. This should string out the battles until Kingston can return to active competition, where things should really pick up.

The focus of this needs to be on Ali having to sit on the sidelines and watch an opportunity that was his go to someone else. Ali has been fire on the microphone for months, so much so that it seems like the things he says are hitting too close to home for some. But that is what is going to make more people want to see and hear him. He should go over both members of the New Day clean, defeating Kingston at an upcoming PPV. RETRIBUTION can still be booked as a threatening stable to Drew McIntyre if WWE takes the time to do so around Ali as the uber-intelligent heel.

2021 can be a breakout year for Mustafa Ali. He has everything that WWE consistently looks for in main event players and champions. Plus, his real-life story has all the elements that translate into him being a spokesperson for the organization. This angle with the New Day is an opportunity to get Ali to that level. The question is whether WWE can be trusted to do what needs to be done for this storyline to elevate everyone involved.