12 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Feb 5)

11. Ali The Underdog

Mustafa Ali
WWE

Boy, were there a lot of backstage promos last night. Paige's aside, Mustafa Ali's was the least notable of the lot, though it still got the former 205 Live man's character over ahead of a big showdown with Randy Orton later in the evening.

Ali kept it simple, following the kind of determined blueprint we've come to expect from him since crossing over to the blue brand. After noting that few expected him to even be able to survive 'The Viper,' he threw out a couple of "what if?" scenarios: conquering his decorated opponent last night, then going on to take the WWE Championship inside the Elimination Chamber.

Leaving us on another "what if?", Ali made an impression with few words and a limited timeframe. This highlights the power of his babyface personality.

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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.