Mustafa Ali would be a great surprise for Adam Copeland's open challenge

There’s always time for a good surprise appearance in professional wrestling. The pop that unannounced names get when they show up in a venue is one of the top moments in the industry and one of the biggest attractions in The Royal Rumble. AEW has done the same time and again, and there’s an opportunity for another big surprise on AEW Collision. Adam Copeland has issued an open challenge and imagine if that moment was answered by none other than Mustafa Ali. 

AEW social media promoted Copeland having an open challenge on the Saturday, Jan 13 edition of AEW Collision. There are several names on the roster that could answer the “Cope Open” but imagine if the company goes outside its walls to bring in a special talent. 

Ali is one of the hottest names in the industry. He was already a fan favorite when he was within WWE, and that support exploded when he dropped his promo video on December 21. He announced several matches for 2024, but there is an opening on January 13. He is competing against Gringo Loco on January 12 for GCW, so there’s time when he could fit in and travel to Norfolk, Virginia for the AEW show.

The pop for Ali in AEW would be huge and one of the early candidates for 2024 wrestling moment of the year. Fans have long wanted Ali to get an opportunity to show what he is fully capable of in wrestling, and now that he’s on his own path that door is wide open. 

Would fans want to see Ali signed exclusively to AEW, sure - but here’s to hoping that decision isn’t immediately made and he takes his time to continue with this dream match run that he’s on. Professional wrestling is always better when there’s competition and seeing Ali pop in to AEW for a one-time appearance is a perfect heat check to see where his next, long-term steps may be.