Over the past couple of years, there has been an enhanced discussion about booking in WWE. With so many wrestlers asking for their release and others simply being released due to various reasons, it has spiked many to discuss how wrestlers aren’t given the opportunity to succeed. Creative may simply have nothing for them. Or someone angered the wrong people. And other’s did not like how they were being portrayed on television. This has led to legends and current wrestlers alike saying that you need to make something happen with any opportunity you do have. Easier said than done for those who are not at the top of the card. But the few times wrestlers do take it into their own hands in a way fans can see it, you notice and appreciate what they are doing. That is where we look at the feud between Mustafa Ali and Ricochet.
Over the past month, Mustafa Ali and Ricochet have made an effort to make their feud going down on WWE’s one-hour Hulu show, WWE Main Event, mean something. Main Event has not had serious care or a real look for nearly a decade — since its inception really. Yet, Ali and Ricochet have taken it upon themselves to tell a story. Through these raw, beautifully crafted promos that they post online, Ali and Ricochet are taking their careers into their own hands. That’s a move that any fan can appreciate.
Mustafa Ali and Ricochet Telling a Story Through Their Own Eyes; Adding Meaning To Main Event
If you haven’t been paying attention, there was a time on Raw where these two men were partners. And during that time, they even faced off on WWE Main Event. The beauty really is that most would agree that these two men are among the best performers not only in WWE but the world. But no one would see it. How could they? The last time Main Event was given hype on WWE television, well, you cannot really put a date on it. So when Ali turned on Ricochet and formed RETRIBUTION, it seemed as though these two former friends were destined to bring their improved in-ring action to the main show. After a few weeks, that faded. As did RETRIBUTION after a few months.
Left with nothing but each other, Mustafa Ali and Ricochet have turned to one another as rivals to tell their own story. A story of heart, soul, and the ultimate determination to show the world who the best is. They’ve been posting their own shot promos on Twitter, allowing people to get a view in their minds of where this is going. They haven’t help back on each other, but rather are shooting from the hip and giving the best promos of their lives.
Tomorrow @AliWWE we continue this battle forever proving to the world that we are in fact the best.
But don’t think I’ve forgotten about everything you’ve put me through. We settle this tomorrow at #MainEvent on @hulu. See you then homeboy. #WWERaw #SmackDown #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/oY7YKl2a2h
— Ricochet (@KingRicochet) April 28, 2021
.@KingRicochet lied to all of you…
So now we HAVE to run it back.#WWEMainEvent #AliVsRicochet @hulu pic.twitter.com/dN8ViAoc2w
— Mustafa Ali (@MustafaAli_X) May 3, 2021
The only person living a lie is you @AliWWE. Bet your ass we gonna run this back on #WWEMainEvent tomorrow on @hulu.
But I promise you, it won’t be me who gets embarrassed. Because honestly, at the end of the day everyone remembers Ricochet. #WWERAW #SmackDown #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/tGEoa9sJSl
— Ricochet (@KingRicochet) May 5, 2021
“You’re looking at a man who is willing to die for his truth.”
Proving to be the best. Showing the world that they know that they are among the elite. Making what they do matter. That’s how you take a hold of your faith and put it into your own hands. Ali and Ricochet have made it clear to one another that this is about nothing more than being better than the other. Ali made that perfectly known when he said he was willing to die for his truth. It’s a sense of care that fans want in their stories in professional wrestling. And they are telling it because they want to tell it that way.
For all the slack people around the world have given Ricochet for his promo work, citing that as the reason for him not being utilized to his full ability — did you watch this promo above? Ricochet has it. Allow him to bring it naturally, not forced. He’s telling a story that he has been the best in the world and can be once again. There’s no quit in him and these promos display that.
Then when you look at Ali. In the past year, he’s been vocal that he will not restrain, he will not be stopped, he will not be muted. He has a voice and he plans to use it to share his truth. Ali has used social media in his career to tell a story — his story. And this, like any other time, told his story.
When you get to the matches between these two so far, they sit at one apiece. Ali won the first one, Ricochet won the second. There’s going to be a third to break the score and show the world who is the best out of them. But they furthered the story in both of them. Ali escaped in the first one to best Ricochet, which is why they felt the need to run it back once again. In the second, Ricochet exploded out of the open with different fire in his eyes. A fire that fans have wanted to see in his eyes for a while now. It was the fire that we saw in him when he was “King” Ricochet around the world. And Ali gave it right back.
Neither match went over six minutes, but in that six-minute sprint, they managed to prolong their story which was of the most importance. In both wins for Ali and Ricochet, they took advantage of the ropes on their roll-ups to get the win. It’s a sort of one-upmanship that goes with what we have been hearing on social media for weeks now.
Don’t believe that they are taking each other to the limit? Witness:
Sometimes you have to take that leap of faith. pic.twitter.com/1vXrt53CdZ
— Ricochet (@KingRicochet) May 6, 2021
They’re telling a story worthy of Raw, worthy of SmackDown, worthy of the world’s attention. The ability to take what so many before them have said — taking it into your own hands — and putting it on display to the world is what makes this rivalry special. Taking their careers into their own hands, not caring what others may say, and showing the world that they are still at the top of their games even if that is being denied to be on national television is what is so important here. The promos are conveying, the matches are revealing, and it’s time everyone takes notice.
Mustafa Ali and Ricochet deserve the world’s attention because they are doing exactly what they need to do — take their careers into their own hands.
More from LWOS Pro Wrestling
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. WWE fan? You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the WWE Network.
Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? Head on over to the LWOS Boards to engage in conversation with fellow fans!
