WWE: Mustafa Ali recalls when Vince McMahon told him 'don’t know if you have it in you'

WWE superstar Mustafa Ali has revealed a conversation he had with WWE boss Vince McMahon when asked about him going up the ladder in WWE rankings. Mustafa Ali is all set to lock horns with Mansoor at the singles match during the WWE Crown Jewel 2021, pay-per-view event in Saudi Arabia on October 21. It would be the first-ever pay-per-view singles clash between two Muslim wrestlers in WWE. However, While speaking to Metro.co.uk, Ali has recalled his conversation with McMahon before he was named the leader of the Retribution and his Crown Jewel clash against Mansoor.

As per Metro.co.uk, while elaborating his talk with McMahon that took place in 2020, Mustafa Ali said, “Even pre-pandemic, I was struggling to maintain television presence – and I know it was all character-based. After sitting at home for seven months and then finally coming back to Monday Night Raw, only to pick up a few victories and then to go back to not being on Monday Night Raw and now being stuck on Main Event, you’re kinda scratching your head. Like, what have I gotta do? And then you realize, you’ve gotta go ask the hard questions. I went up to Vince McMahon himself and said, ‘What am I missing?’ [He said], ‘Too polished, too clean, too nice, I don’t know if you have it in you!’”

I was auditioning to turn heel, during the main event matches: Mustafa Ali

McMahon's words may sound disheartening to the WWE fans, but it worked for Ali as he found an ignited fire within himself to increase in dynamism. Ali added that he urged the WWE boss to leave him on the Main Event so that he could turn heels through the matches. Explaining further about it, Ali said, “And I did it! If you go back and watch these Main Event matches before I was revealed as the leader of RETRIBUTION, those were actually me auditioning to turn heel”. The pro-wrestler also added that he cut promos in McMahon’s office, in order to prove his worth for being more than just a polished, clean and talented performer. Meanwhile, apart from the Mustafa Ali vs Mansoor clash in the WWE Crown Jewel 2021, many other high-profile clashes are on the match card, set to take place at the Mohammed Abdu Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

(Image: AP)