10 Wrestlers WWE Gave Up On In 2019

5. Mustafa Ali

Mustafa Ali
WWE.com

Spare a thought for Mustafa Ali, whose 2019 could have gone a lot differently had injury not derailed him ahead of Elimination Chamber.

Ali was set to tangle with SmackDown's biggest and brightest and challenge for the WWE Championship on the show. He had to pull out, however. This led to Kofi Kingston coming in as his replacement, and we all know how that story goes, with KofiMania taking off, The New Day man starring in the year's most compelling main roster storyline, and that epic WrestleMania 35 title win on the back of a match destined to go down as a modern classic.

Mustafa, meanwhile, was a last-minute addition to a WWE Championship match between Kevin Owens and Daniel Bryan at Fastlane, then fell down the ladder. He was on Money in the Bank and remained a regular TV character afterwards, but hasn't come close to the World Title picture since.

None of this is to say that Ali would've enjoyed a similar year to Kofi had he not gotten injured, of course. Still, it definitely altered his trajectory, and that WWE abandoned (then restarted) a lazy Intercontinental Title feud with Shinsuke Nakamura and his positive reinforcement character in the summer further justifies his inclusion.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.