Mustafa Ali Invokes 9/11 While Discussing Importance Of WWE U.S. Title

WWE star Mustafa Ali has made his intentions of wanting to hold the United States Championship clear for years; however, it hasn't been until recently that he has come close to realizing that dream. Since Triple H took over as Head of Creative for WWE, Ali has faced off against talent in the U.S. Title picture, despite not receiving an actual shot at the belt itself.

Monday afternoon, Ali posted a video to Twitter explaining why the United States Championship means so much to him. In it, he acknowledged that over the past few weeks, the crowd reaction to him has not been boisterous — with some fans possibly giving up on him in WWE due to his booking the past few years, a major factor in him asking for his release from the company earlier in the year.

Following that, Ali, who is a Pakistani-American, called back to a moment in his classroom from September 11, 2001 — one of the darkest days in American history when a series of terrorist attacks against the United States left thousands dead. "The teachers thought it would be best to let the students talk and express their emotions," Ali said. "I remember raising my hand and saying, 'I can't believe this happened to us.' The kid in front of me turns around and he said, 'Us? What are you talking about? Your people did this.' I looked around at the class, I looked at the teacher," he continued. "I was hoping someone would say something to help me or defend me. No one said anything. Despite being born here in this country, despite being an American ... I'm not American enough. To me, [the United States Championship] means I belong."

they won’t care about you unless they know why you fight.

here’s my truth. here’s my why. pic.twitter.com/iaMBnqAdFV

— Mustafa Ali / Adeel Alam (@AliWWE) December 5, 2022