Report Sheds Light On Mustafa Ali's Direction After Returning To WWE TV

Mustafa Ali made his long-awaited return to WWE programming on the most recent episode of Monday Night Raw, and it could be a sign of great things to come for his run in the company.

While The Miz and Austin Theory were in the middle of the ring for another edition of “Miz TV,” Ali interrupted the segment and made it clear that he was next in line for a title shot at Theory’s United States Championship.

Miz and Ali would get in the ring later, with Ali coming out the winner, but a new report suggested that he was supposed to lose the match before being attacked by Tommaso Ciampa.

“As of Sunday afternoon, plans actually called for Mustafa Ali to lose the match against The Miz, but virtually everything played out as it was planned,” as disclosed by Ringside News, citing an inside report from Fightful Select.

“Those that we’ve spoken to said that he was more than comfortable referencing his absence and why it happened. Several people on the roster and the staff were excited to see Mustafa Ali back at work,” the outlet added.

Having Ali back on TV was a massive win for him and his fans as he showcased his charisma during the “Miz TV” segment while also appearing to secure an upper mid-card spot in his feud with Ciampa, who had turned heel by attacking him.

Ali works best as a babyface as fans remember the disappointing run he had as the leader of the Retribution faction at the height of the WWE’s Thunderdome era in 2020.

Getting the clean pin on a highly respected superstar like Miz was a great way to kickstart his return to TV, while he will likely be paired with Ciampa first in a short program.

At first glance, the loser of the brewing feud between Ali and Ciampa will have a blemish on their main roster run, but it might be the perfect way to re-introduce them to the main roster crowd.

The WWE only needs to book both Ali and Ciampa strongly regardless of the winner of the feud, and they will have two respectable talents to put in even bigger matchups later on.

With how the angle is going to play out, Ali will be chasing after Theory’s title while Ciampa will continue to be a menace to every babyface on either the Raw or SmackDown rosters.