8 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Dec 18)

3. A Call Up We Can Get Behind

Mustafa Ali
WWE.com

It was revealed that Mustafa Ali is now officially a SmackDown Superstar.

This is a good decision: Ali’s act borders on the cornball, but he plays it very earnestly and credibly, and the gimmick is refreshingly inverse to how cynical and joyless this company is at its worst. We need a performer of his deep talent and ilk on main roster programming just as much as he needed to get out of that insulting 205 Live contract.

Once his mini-programme with Daniel Bryan runs its course, provided he gets booked—which on this show is no guarantee—Ali is going to make the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura and Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas look like deadly bastards when they kick the ever-loving sh*t out of him. A new breed of enhancement talent, in that he can put potential megastars over in electric contests, there’s scope for a future beyond that too: there are just enough dorky Bo Dallas vibes around Ali to act as a platform for a transition into an abrasively chirpy heel.

Let’s see if he gets booked!

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!