6 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (April 25)

3. Ali Ends Holdout, Returns… And Wins

Mustafa Ali wins
WWE.com

One of the more notable absences from WWE the past several months has to be Mustafa Ali, who sat out due to a dispute with management about his booking and even very publicly asked for his release.

Instead, Ali made his way back to Raw Monday night… inexplicably as a babyface. Thankfully, he was welcomed as such and was paired up with Miz and Theory as his verbal sparring partners, so that made it much easier to cheer him. The heels even referenced Mustafa’s discontent and absence, but Ali got the last laugh, toppling Miz in his first match back.

The bout itself was fine, but the aftermath could be more intriguing. Ciampa (yes, WWE shortened his name too) blindsided Ali on the ramp, setting up a potential program there that could be intriguing if both men are allowed to actually, you know, wrestle.

By the way, it’s worth noting that Ali used the word “wrestle” in his promo, making him one of a very few superstars who get to use that word unironically. Here’s hoping that it’s worthwhile for Ali to come back.

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Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.