Ranking 20 WWE Debuts And Returns In 2019
4. Mustafa Ali
Let’s be honest upfront: Mustafa Ali technically debuted on
the main roster last December. However, it was so late in the year that he didn’t
make the list for 2018, so we’ll include him here.
Ali joined the SmackDown roster in mid-December and made an immediate impact, confronting then-WWE Champion Daniel Bryan, even pinning him in a tag match. He looked to be destined for big things… and then was eliminated from the Royal Rumble by Nia Jax. Seriously.
Still, it looked like Ali was going to get a chance to shine in the Elimination Chamber for the WWE Championship, but his momentum was derailed by injury, and he was replaced by… Kofi Kingston. That story wrote itself from there.
Mustafa would get a title match at Fastlane alongside Kevin Owens, but he ate the pinfall. From there, Ali kind of got lost in the shuffle, getting occasional spots, like the Money in the Bank ladder match and King of the Ring tournament, but he was unsuccessful in those efforts and continued to flounder in the mid-card.
Despite that, Ali still made a positive impact in his first year on the roster and has enough charisma and talent to succeed if the opportunity presents itself.