Mustafa Ali's Request to Be Released from WWE Contract Reportedly Will Not Be Granted

WWE isn't planning to release Mustafa Ali, according to Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp.

Ali announced Sunday he was requesting his release from the company because he "[has] a message that is much bigger than my dreams in pro wrestling" that can't be fulfilled while working in WWE:

Independent of his wider concerns, the announcement didn't come as a big surprise given his current usage—or lack thereof—by the promotion. The 35-year-old hasn't appeared on WWE programming since losing to Drew McIntyre on SmackDown on Oct. 29.

Like many others presently and formerly on the roster, Ali is finding himself lost in the shuffle at a company that seems to have little idea as to how to present many of its wrestlers. His ill-fated run as the mastermind behind Retribution was particularly ruinous for his upward mobility.

With pro wrestling, separating reality from kayfabe can always be difficult. Perhaps a faux contract standoff is all part of a larger storyline and meant to inject some momentum into Ali's on-screen character.

Assuming his request was genuine, many will see WWE's decision to keep him under contract as unnecessarily petty.

The company released 80 wrestlers across the NXT, Raw and SmackDown rosters. In some cases, the moves were totally unexpected because WWE had devoted screen time toward building their characters. In others, it was the case of a promising young talent who had seen his or her career stalled following a promotion to the main roster.

It appears WWE creative has nothing for Ali at the moment, but rather than letting him start anew at a different promotion, he's stuck running out his deal.