Mustafa Ali recently spoke with Matt Wilansky for ESPN.com; you can read a few highlights below:
Ali comments on breaking stereotypes about foreigners in wrestling:
“My name doesn’t exactly shout babyface. Just take a look at anything you do. Go to the movies and you see a guy with a turban. He’s a terrorist, right? We’re getting better, but we have so much more to do.”
“I’ve been told that to see someone like me on TV, someone [with a foreign name] who’s not the bad guy, but rather an American who comes out with a smile and high-fiving the fans is encouraging. It gives me hope.”
Ali on juggling wrestling and his career as a police officer:
“Yeah, it sucked, man. There were days I’d wrestle at 9 o’clock, and afterward I often didn’t shower and would just throw on sweatpants. I had my police gear in the car and would rush to get to the station by 10:30, clean myself off as best I could and be ready for my shift by 10:59.”
Three Matches Confirmed For The Wrestlemania 34 Kickoff Show
Ali comments on getting a chance with WWE in the Cruiserweight Classic, how his fellow policemen found out he was a wrestler on the side:
“When I eventually came back to roll call, everyone was staring and smirking at me. I said, ‘What’s going on?’ And they said, ‘How was your vacation?’ I told them it was a lot of fun, but they kept pressing. ‘Where did you say you went again? Who did you go with?’ She took a picture and sent it around to everyone, so yeah, they eventually found out.”
“But in those five minutes, I was determined to show the world what I can do. It was a wild experience.” He must have made an impression, because shortly thereafter, Ali signed a WWE contract, gave up his job as a cop after four years on the force and took a nosedive into the sports-entertainment business full time. “I knew that’s where my passion was.”
