WWE released several stars last month as part of a mass release that impacted both the main roster and NXT.
Mustafa Ali was one of the wrestlers released, despite the fact that he was scheduled to face Dominik Mysterio for the North American Title this past Saturday at NXT No Mercy. Instead, Dominik defended the title against Trick Williams, who won it. They will rematch on tonight’s episode of NXT.
According to reports on Monday, the original plans did not call for Ali to win the title, and the decision to award it to Williams was most likely made late.
That, however, is not the case according to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select. There were plans in place for Ali to have a run as the North American Champion. This is one of the reasons why NXT officials were reportedly dissatisfied with the decision to fire him.
While Mysterio was always set to defend his title against Dragon Lee on the September 25 episode of RAW, the original creative called for Ali to cost Lee the match. Following this, WWE would have booked a triple threat match at No Mercy, with Ali winning.
Shawn Michaels, Mustafa Ali, and NXT creative all said they had tentative plans for Ali on the brand until March 2024.