Mustafa Ali explains his role as “the disruptor”.
During an appearance on WWE After The Bell with Corey Graves, Mustafa Ali spoke about how he’s played a similar role since he arrived in WWE, and how it inspired a moniker and the name of his theme song.
“And then to go back to the Disruptor thing, that’s not a new thing. I think it’s a thing I’ve vocalized. But to me a disruptor is a guy that disrupts the plan. He’s not someone you plan for but he comes in and he messes everything up. That was me since I came into WWE in 2016 in the Cruiserweight Classic. I wasn’t supposed to be in the tournament. I was a backup. Then me and Lince Dorado had this match, like tear it up, then 205 starts. Not a main focal point, it was the whole top cast of 205, I was all the way at the bottom.
“I was even told when I signed with WWE that my job was to be kind of more of an enhancement guy on 205. And how did I leave that brand? I became the heart of 205 Live. Same thing on SmackDown. This guy’s small and he’s not… So I like to say I’m constantly messing up their plans or disrupting their plans. [The Disruptor] is kind of s moniker or term that we could play with because that’s the reality of the situation. I just come in and kinda mess things up and leave for a little bit.”
Ali also spoke about the importance of representation and how he wants to be United States Champion and break stereotypes because of what it would mean to so many people, including himself.
“When I grew up, my representation on TV was Apu from The Simpsons. That’s it. I didn’t have a guy, like ‘that’s my guy, that’s my guy and I can relate [to him], he’s from my city.’ I had nothing, man, especially in wrestling. I had nothing I’d go I aspire to be that guy. So I’m not saying that I’m this groundbreaking… but at the same time, who checks the boxes the way I do? So I just think it’s such a missed marketing concept or even good PR or whatever, but at the end of the day, it’s the message that’s important to me. And I’m not saying that because I’m from this background or because I have this name or religion it’s important. I’m saying none of that should define you. Because look in the real world, sometimes that stuff does define you. Sometimes it does limit you. I’m living proof that if you work ten times harder than everybody, you can make it.
“[Being] back in the fold and again, it’s just so much emphasis, I can’t stress enough what it would mean to not just me but I think a lot of people and people not just from my background but to hear the new United States Champion, Mustafa Ali. This is America, man. This is the United States. Like sometimes I don’t feel like I’m at home, even though I’m from Chicago, born and raised, a former police officer. When the national anthem plays, I stand up. But sometimes I feel like I’m not at home.”
Read More: Mustafa Ali Comments On Asking For His WWE Release, The Reason He Went Public
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