WWE superstar Mustafa Ali reveals he was originally booked for a gimmick that required him to walk out to the ring to Hulk Hogan’s theme song.
“I’m a real American, fight for the rights of every man”. As wrestling fans, we remember this classic entrance music which is synonymous with none other than The Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Hogan is a household name in the world of pro wrestling because of his success in the business.
When his entrance music hit, the crowd popped and serenaded. Can you imagine anybody else walking from the ramp to the ring to the same entrance music? Strangely enough, There were plans for WWE superstar Mustafa Ali to use The Hulkster’s entrance music for a certain gimmick but never came to fruition.
The wrestler of Pakistani descent recently took to Twitter to explain how he has always conformed to being someone he’s not to be more marketable. He is now focused on embracing the veracity of his being and not toning himself down. He wrote:
“i’ve always found myself toning down who i am to be more “marketable”…and because of that i find myself trying to find myself. im pakistani. im indian. im american. im muslim. im mustafa ali. and im gonna embrace all that. screw being marketable. im gonna be a message.”
i’ve always found myself toning down who i am to be more “marketable”…and because of that i find myself trying to find myself.
im pakistani. im indian. im american. im muslim. im mustafa ali.
and im gonna embrace all that. screw being marketable. im gonna be a message. pic.twitter.com/e12PmPrmbl
— Mustafa Ali / Adeel Alam (@AliWWE) August 22, 2022
Responding to his Tweet, a fan suggested it would be great to see him walk out to Hulk Hogan’s “Real American” entrance music signifying that Real Americans come in different shapes, sizes, and skin tones. Surprisingly, Ali replied and revealed that WWE had actual plans for Ali to do just that.
Ali, however, did not go into the details and specify why it never happened. According to sources, WWE wanted to link the entrance music with a new gimmick as “New America” played by Mustafa Ali but the plan never materialized.
…at one point that was the plan! https://t.co/5PtuE1J9kc
— Mustafa Ali / Adeel Alam (@AliWWE) August 24, 2022
The reason behind Mustafa Ali’s brief absence from WWE TV
On January 16, 2022, Mustafa Ali took to Twitter to request a release from WWE. He wrote that he had a message that was much bigger than his dreams in pro wrestling and despite his hard work, he wasn’t able to deliver the message while working with WWE.
Ali was stopped being featured on WWE programming. It was later revealed by Fightful Select that Ali’s absence was a result of a creative disagreement he had with the former boss Vince McMahon. After Ali’s new gimmick “New America” was nixed, he was pitched an idea or a new gimmick by Vince McMahon that he didn’t like. The disagreement resulted in a heated argument between both men.
Ali consequently went missing from WWE TV in November. Another factor that might have contributed to his absence was that Ali had applied to be on paternity leave for one show. This led to the speculation that his gimmick as “New America” was dropped because he requested paternity leave.
As per the Chicago native, the gimmick was dropped because WWE deemed it too controversial. After a brief absence, Ali reappeared on WWE TV in April. Although his TV time is limited, it will be interesting to see if WWE will give the former Indie star a push in days to come.
