Booker T didn’t expect to see Mustafa Ali’s release from WWE last week but isn’t too surprised by the ex-Superstar’s exit.
Ali was one of several names cut from WWE, joining a list that includes Dolph Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, Aliyah, Emma, Riddick Moss, Mace, Mansoor, and others.
On the latest edition of his “Hall of Fame” podcast, Booker addressed the recent wave of releases and spoke at length about Ali. He said,
“Did I see it coming? No. But, I’m not surprised by anything that happens when it comes to guys getting released. It’s just like Mandy Rose, I didn’t see that coming, but when it happens, it happens quick. It’s always been that way in this business as far as guys being on that list of guys getting released.
“I didn’t see Mustafa’s name come up or anything, it wasn’t like, oh this guy is rocking the boat, I didn’t see that or anything. But you never know what’s going on behind the scenes, as well as with this merger they’re going to be looking to trim a lot of fat, do we really need these guys?”
Ali had requested his release from WWE in 2022 but his request was denied. Prior to his release, Ali had been scheduled to compete at this weekend’s WWE NXT: No Mercy pay-per-view event.
