4 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE 205 Live (Dec 27)
3. The Reorientation Of Mustafa Ali
A more contentious ‘Up’, this, but the progressive chord WWE struck deafened the bizarre execution of it.
On the 13 December edition of 205 Live, Mustafa Ali was introduced as Muhammad Hassan 2.0, in that he chastised American fans for automatically receiving him as a heel before reinforcing that perception by performing like one. Billed from Pakistan, the implication was clear: Ali, of Middle Eastern descent, was fated to be a villain. Apparently, the expansive transcontinental region somehow falls under one sole bad moon.
On this week’s episode, however, Ali was billed from Chicago, Illinois, and was received with some fanfare by his notoriously loyal hometown crowd. His ensuing match, opposite John Yurnet, was compromised immediately. Yurnet suffered what must have been a legit groin pull. The segment was designed to put Ali over, and having a babyface beat a one-legged man in an a*se-kicking contest isn’t the way to do that.
To Yurnet’s credit, he fought through the pain barrier in a match most in the arena were willing to give the benefit of the doubt. His post-match interview was similarly shaky - but irrespective of politics, WWE’s decision to retcon Ali’s gimmick is a sound one. The Middle Eastern market is an untapped resource. Alienating it makes little business sense.