Mustafa Ali: “I’ll see ya all in 2 1/2 years”

Mustafa Ali versus the WWE continues as Ali has taken to social media once again to comment on his place in the company.

“I’ll see ya all in like 2 ½ years,” Ali posted early Saturday afternoon.

In January, Ali requested his release from WWE, making a very public statement. The WWE did not grant his release and it was reported first by Fightful Select that the company had no intentions to do so at the time as multiple years remained on his contract. This came shortly after a period where WWE continued to release multiple performers and backstage personnel throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic, citing budget cuts along the way.

The response, or lack thereof, from the WWE has caused fans to take up the Free Ali hashtag across social media. Thousands of individuals within the wrestling space continue to tweet about the frustrations of Ali not being released. Signs for Free Ali are even appearing on camera in other promotions such as a recent taping of AEW Dynamite.

At the latest quarterly earnings call, WWE reported massive revenue growth in 2021, shattering company records. A part of the reason this was possible is due to the frequent talent cuts which saved the company expenses. If cutting major talent like Braun Strowman, Mickie James, Keith Lee, and others were an acceptable cost-cutting move, it’s inexcusable or the company to sideline Ali as he’s made it clear he doesn’t want to be employed with the organization. WWE sees enough value to keep him away from competitors, but not enough to suitably utilize his talent before things reached this point.

This is akin to the situation the WWE faced with PAC back in 2017-2018. Frustrated with his direction in the company, PAC (then known as Neville) walked out of WWE in October of 2017. One full year would pass before he would show up in professional wrestling again, opting to sit out his contract rather than continue to work with the WWE. Since then, he’s gone on a successful run in other companies before ending up in All Elite Wrestling.

This is yet another example of the problematic working nature of the WWE. News continues to flow about low morale in the locker room and even an entire Twitter thread with negative Glassdoor comments from previous employees. Unfortunately, changing the culture doesn’t seem to be in minds of leadership within the company.

Fans are potentially in for a long wait before they get the opportunity to see Mustafa Ali doing what he loves once again.