10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Dec 21)

10. Mustafa Ali Had A Mini-Panic Attack 15 Minutes Before 'Mania 34

Mustafa Ali
WWE.com

First up, it's new SmackDown man Mustafa Ali.

The ex-205 Live star has earned his stripes and deserves his recent push, but he wasn't exactly feeling on top of things in 2018. In fact, mere moments before he went through the curtain as the first match on WrestleMania 34's pre-show, Ali was doubting himself, his ring work and whether he belonged.

On Lilian Garcia's Chasing Glory pod, Mustafa admitted that he had a panic attack in the locker room as he counted down to the biggest moment of his career. Thoughts of botches, failure and embarrassment crossed his mind, and it took a pep talk from WWE referee Jason Ayers for Ali to get his head back in the game.

Ayers advised his friend to think of family, think of his childhood dreams and said he'd go into auto pilot when he went through the curtain. He was right. By the time Ali made his Mortal Kombat-inspired entrance, he was more excited than anxious.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.