Alam began his professional wrestling career on theindependent circuit in 2003, while also working as apolice officer in a Chicago suburb for four years. In 2016, he competed in theCruiserweight Classic as a replacement and through his performances, earned a full-time contract withWWE. He initially worked for their newcruiserweight division as part of the205 Live brand. In December 2018, he was moved to theSmackDownbrand, moving out of the cruiserweight division, where his ring name would be shortened toAli from March 2019 to November 2019. In July 2020, he was moved to theRaw brand and in October of that same year, he revealed himself as the leader of the villainous stableRetribution. He would be released from WWE in September 2023, and returned to the independent circuit in December 2023. After briefly working withNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), he debuted for TNA in January 2024, and officially signed with the promotion in January the following year.
Alam made hisprofessional wrestling debut on February 2, 2003. He worked in various promotions, including Dreamwave Wrestling, where he was a former Dreamwave Alternative Champion and Dreamwave Heavyweight Champion. He also appeared in other promotions, includingAll American Wrestling (AAW), Freelance Wrestling, GALLI Lucha Libre,IWA Mid-South,Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW),National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), Proving Ground Pro, and WrestleCircus. During his first six years as a professional wrestler, he used amask so he would not face discrimination.[12] He did it all during the day while working night shifts as apolice officer.[13]
On the December 13 episode of205 Live, Ali made his debut for thebrand facing Lince Dorado in a rematch, which ended in a doublecountout.[17] On January 23, 2017, Ali made hisRaw debut, teaming withJack Gallagher andTJ Perkins to defeatAriya Daivari,Drew Gulak, andTony Nese, thus establishing himself as aface.[18] Ali began feuding with Drew Gulak, when Gulak began his "No Fly Zone" campaign on205 Live.[19][20] The feud culminated in atwo-out-of-three falls match on July 18 episode of205 Live, which Ali won.[21] In February 2018, Ali began participating in theCruiserweight Championship tournament; he defeated Gentleman Jack Gallagher in the first round,[22]Buddy Murphy in the quarterfinals,[23] and Drew Gulak in the semi-finals to advance to the final at theWrestleMania 34.[24] At the event Ali lost toCedric Alexander, thus failing to win theWWE Cruiserweight Championship.[25] Ali then started a rivalry withHideo Itami, who interfered in his match against Buddy Murphy.[26] On the August 7 episode of205 Live, Ali lost to Itami and collapsed afterwards, rendering him out of action for a short time.[27] On the October 24 episode of205 Live, Ali defeated Itami in afalls count anywhere match to end the feud.[28] On the October 31 episode of205 Live, Ali defeated Tony Nese to become the number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship,[29] but failed to win the title from Buddy Murphy atSurvivor Series.[30]
During his time in205 Live, Ali gained the attention of WWE ChairmanVince McMahon, who decided to put him on theSmackDownbrand.[31] According to former WWE writer Kazeem Famuyide, then-WWE ChampionDaniel Bryan was pushing hard backstage for a "hot youngbabyface" to be on television, arguing that all the babyfaces they had been trying to push were 40-year-olds; this led to management choosing Ali for thispush.[32] Ali made his first appearance on the December 11, 2018, episode ofSmackDown Live, confronting Daniel Bryan and losing to him later that night and the next week was confirmed as a full-timeSmackDown roster member.[33][34] At theRoyal Rumble on January 27, 2019, Ali competed in theeponymous match, lasting 30 minutes and eliminatingShinsuke Nakamura andSamoa Joe, before being eliminated byNia Jax.[35] In February, Ali was scheduled to compete in theElimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship atnamesake event, which would have been his first world title match; however, he was pulled out due to a legitimate injury, and replaced byKofi Kingston.[36][37] Ali made his televised return at theFastlane pay-per-view, as a last minute addition in the WWE Championship match between Daniel Bryan andKevin Owens, which Ali lost after being pinned by Bryan.[38][39] On March 25, 2019, hisring name was shortened to "Ali".[40][1]
At theMoney in the Bank on May 19, Ali competed in theladder match,[41] which he failed to win, after a returningBrock Lesnar won the match.[42] According to Ali, he was originally booked to win the match, but before making his entrance to the ring, was instructed byVince McMahon to not obtain the briefcase. This decision caused a lot of controversy among fans, but Ali admitted to have not been bothered by it.[43] The following month, Ali would compete in the 51-man battle royal atSuper ShowDown, but would fail to win.[44][45] AtSmackville, Ali failed to capture theIntercontinental Championship, from Shinsuke Nakamura.[46] In August, Ali competed in theKing of the Ringtournament, where he defeated Buddy Murphy in the first round,[47] but lost toElias in the quarterfinals.[48] At theHell in a Cell event, Ali lost toRandy Orton.[49] At theCrown Jewel event, Ali competed in a ten-man tag team match as a part ofTeam Hogan, coming out victorious againstTeam Flair.[50] On November 13, his name was reverted to "Mustafa Ali".[51] AtSurvivor Series, Ali competed as a member of Team SmackDown, and was eliminated bySeth Rollins, however, his team won the match.[52] Following this, Ali would be taken off television, wrestling primarily on dark matches andlive events.[53]
After a seven-month hiatus from television, Ali returned on the July 20, 2020, episode ofRaw, teaming withCedric Alexander andRicochet to defeatMVP,Bobby Lashley andShelton Benjamin,[54] thus moving to theRaw brand.[55] After moving to the Raw brand, Ali later began competing onWWE Main Event, trading victories in matches over the likes of Ricochet and Akira Tozawa. On the September 28 episode ofRaw, Ali would return to in ring action by teaming withRicochet andApollo Crews and they would go on to defeatThe Hurt Business after Ali used the 450 splash to pin MVP.
On the October 5 episode ofRaw, Ali turned heel when he was revealed as the leader of the stableRetribution.[56] On the October 19 episode ofRaw, Ali would reveal himself as the mysterious hacker that was sending messages onSmackDown for months. That same night, Ali and Retribution would be defeated by The Hurt Business in an eight-man tag team match.[57][58] The following week onRaw, Retribution would once again lose to The Hurt Business in an elimination match, ending the feud. Following this, Retribution would set their sights on Ricochet with each member, including Ali, defeating him in singles matches over the next few weeks onRaw. Afterwards, Retribution would begin a feud withThe New Day or more specifically,Kofi Kingston after Ali blamed Kingston for "stealing" his WrestleMania opportunity two years prior while he was injured. At theRoyal Rumble, Ali would enter at number 4 and managed to eliminateXavier Woods before being eliminated byBig E.
On March 15 episode ofRaw, Ali faced Riddle for the United States Championship but was unsuccessful in capturing the title. He faced Riddle in a rematch for the title atFastlane but was once again unsuccessful. Following the match, Reckoning and Slapjack walked out on him while Mace and T-Bar attacked him, effectively disbanding Retribution.
In June, Ali began a storyline withMansoor, trying to convince him that the rest of WWE superstars were "backstabbers", "would do anything just to get ahead", and "cheaters",[59] leading to a match atCrown Jewel, where he was defeated.[60] During his feud, as part of the2021 Draft, Ali was drafted to theSmackDown brand.[61]
On January 16, 2022, Mustafa Ali publicly requested his release from WWE which was eventually declined byVince McMahon.[62] A few months later, Ali returned to television on the April 25 episode ofRaw, as a face, and defeatedThe Miz. after the match, he would be attacked byCiampa.[63] Heading into 2023, Ali started a program withDolph Ziggler, with the two confronting each other backstage on several occasions. On the February 20, 2023, episode of Raw, Ali defeated Ziggler with a roll-up and sarcastically celebrated his win. On the May 15 episode ofRaw, Ali won a No. 1 Contender's battle royal to face Intercontinental ChampionGunther atNight of Champions, but was unsuccessful at the event. Ali made a surprise return on the May 30 episode ofNXT, appearing in the crowd just beforeNorth American ChampionWes Lee andTyler Bate teamed up againstThe Dyad (Jagger Reid andRip Fowler). Ali later helped Lee and Bate fend offJoe Gacy. AtNXT The Great American Bash on July 30, Ali was unsuccessful in capturing theNXT North American Championship against Lee and defending championDominik Mysterio in atriple threat match after interference from Mysterio'sJudgment Day stablemate,Rhea Ripley. On September 21, 2023, nine days before he was scheduled to challenge Dominik Mysterio for the NXT North American Championship atNXT No Mercy, Ali announced that he was no longer employed by WWE as he was one of several wrestlers released that day.[64]
On December 21, 2023, Ali announced that he would be taking independent bookings.[65]On January 6, 2024, Ali made his first post-WWE appearance at Association les Professionnels du Catch's (APC) 20th Anniversary show, defeating Aigle Blanc.[66] Ali also announced appearances withGame Changer Wrestling (GCW) atNo Compadre on January 12,Progress Wrestling at Chapter 162: Light of The Dragon on January 28, andDEFY Wrestling on February 9.[67][68][69] On February 18, Ali made his debut forRevolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro) at High Stakes, in a winning effort againstRobbie X.
Ali made his first appearance forTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on the January 25 episode ofTNA Impact!, in a pre-taped vignette. He made his in-ring debut atNo Surrender, defeatingChris Sabin to win theTNA X Division Championship. This marked Ali's first championship in a major company (also being the first in TNA's history to win the title in his debut match).[70] He retained the title againstJake Something,[71]Ace Austin, and Trent Seven on TNA PPVs. AtSlammiversary, he lost the title toMike Bailey, ending his reign at 148 days and marking his first loss in TNA, as well as his first overall loss since 2023. On the August 1 episode ofImpact!, Ali unsuccessfully challengedNic Nemeth for theTNA World Championship. On the same day, Ali announced that he would be leaving TNA.[72]
On the January 23, 2025 episode ofImpact!, Ali returned to TNA, where he interruptedMike Santana and announced that he had signed a contract with the promotion.[73][74] Following his return, Ali would form a stable withTasha Steelz and The Good Hands (Jason Hotch and John Skyler) called "Order 4" and would enter a feud with Mike Santana, where Ali would mock Santana for his past as a former alcoholic. This would lead to a match atSacrifice,[75] where Ali would cheat to defeat Santana. Due to this, it would lead to a rematch on the following episode of Impact!, where Mike Santana would defeat Ali by countout. AtRebellion, Santana defeated Ali in a Falls Count Anywhere match to end the feud.[76]Ali appeared on the September 30, 2025 episode ofWWE NXT, where he confrontedNXT North American ChampionEthan Page and challenged him to a title match the following week atShowdown, a TNA/NXT crossover event.[77]
Ali uses a high-flying style of wrestling.[78] Ali's finishing maneuver was animploding 450° splash named the054, but he retired the move since he "wants to be able to play with his grandkids".[79] After his debut, Ali used characters different from Muslim stereotypes.[80] During his feud with Cedric Alexander over the Cruiserweight Championship, Ali was commonly referred to as "The Heart of 205 Live", while Alexander was referred to as "The Soul of 205 Live".[81][82][83] Following his heel turn, he would add theKoji clutch to his move set.
After leaving WWE, Ali began a new gimmick, where he portrayed apolitician and would walk around with bodyguards dressed as members of theUnited States Secret Service. He would also use the slogan "In Ali We Trust!" as his catchphrase. Ali had previously tried to use this gimmick in WWE but was rejected by the creative team.[84]
Prior to signing with WWE, Alam spent four years serving as apolice officer inHomewood, Illinois, a suburb south of Chicago, working nighttime shifts while competing on the independent circuit in order to support his family.[13]
Despite havingPakistani andIndian roots, Alam only representedPakistan in his WWE debut at the Cruiserweight Classic as there were alreadyThe Bollywood Boyz as Indian representatives competing.[86] He was criticized for not displaying aPakistani flag and representing the country by his Pakistani fans in January 2017. He stated, "I don't care for nationality. I care for unity. I don't mean to offend anyone. This is just me stating that I feel nationality doesn't define us as people, it separates us."[87]
Alam is a devoutMuslim.[10] He has been married to his wife Uzma since January 2011, and they have two daughters and a son.[88][89]
In 2024, Alam opened his own professional wrestling school called Chicago Wrestling Center inForest Park, Illinois.[90]
^Thompson, Andrew (January 24, 2025)."Mustafa Ali signs with TNA Wrestling".POST Wrestling | Podcasts, News, Reviews | WWE AEW NXT NJPW. RetrievedJanuary 24, 2025.
^Kreikenbohm, Philip."TNA X Division Championship". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database.Archived from the original on August 22, 2025. RetrievedFebruary 23, 2024.
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