I wanna talk a little wrestling today.
More so your entry into the Cruiserweight Classic.
Which is kinda the first time that most of the WWE universe got eyes on you.
And I didn't realize it, I remember watching it but I didn't realize until I
was doing a little homework this morning, you were actually an alternate.
You weren't originally supposed to be in the Cruiserweight Classic.
>> Right, man, as with anything that you're passionate about in life,
there's extreme highs and there's a lot more extreme lows.
And the Cruiserweight Classic was just a tumultuous thing for me.
It was that typical indie wrestler moment that anyone that's done
this can understand that it.
I thought this was the year that I'm gonna hang up the boots or
the kick pads or whatever you wanna call them.
Cuz I just wasn't getting any traction.
A lot of my friends were blowing up on the indie scene.
And like you mentioned, I was a police officer at the time.
So traveling all over the world,
doing these tours in the UK in Japan just weren't feasible.
>> Sure. >> The number one thing for
me at that time was providing for my family as a man should.
And so my dream came second.
Luckily, I just emailed WWE at the right time and the right place,
not knowing that there was a Cruiserweight Classic.
At the time was called the Global Cruiserweight tournament or something.
>> Right, right.
>> So I just emailed at the right time and the right place and was said, yeah,
we've got a spot for you.
And then William Rio called and explained to me the whole process.
And I was like, this is my opportunity, I'm in.
And a few weeks before the tournament, they released the list of
the 32 participants in the Cruiserweight Classic, and my name's not on the list.
And everything just comes crumbling down.
I told my wife, I told my friends.
I frantically call, I go, what happened?
And it was then explained to me that I'm not actually in the tournament.
I'm a backup, I'm an alternate.
And I said, well, how many alternates are there?
Ten.
>> Wow [LAUGH].
>> So now, and again I don't have no shame to say I'm a nobody at this point.
I have not traveled the world,
I'm not this world-class athlete like so many of the participants.
And it was just a hard pill to swallow, man.
I had this, and a lot of stuff was going on personally as we always have going on.
And I had to make a decision, do I still get on this plane and go and
kind of swallow my pride and stand there like a good boy, and hope to be called on.
And I said, you're always gonna ask yourself what if?
>> Right. >> Just go, and I went, and
there was an opening.
And Lince Dorado's opponent wasn't able to compete.
And Lince and I are old friends that have competed alot.
And I owe the world to him because he immediately stepped up and
said, give me Ali.
And we went out there and I think we tore it up.
I mean obviously I'm here now.
But yeah, that was my, they cracked the door open a little bit and
I kicked the damn thing down >> I have heard very little
about Mustafa Ali before this tournament.
He really impressed me with some of the things he could do
>> I never heard that story from you but
I can relate as far as the the doubts.
When you're on the independents so long and you haven't got that break.
And you're kinda like, yeah, I went through the same thing.
I'd had my first son was born.
And real life to your point came in and I got a job as a 911 dispatcher.
And I was like, man, I gotta provide for my family.
This wrestling thing probably just not gonna happen.
It's been fun, and the same thing, out of the blue I got booked as an extra at TV.
And my days off from 911 happened to be Monday and Tuesday.
And this is when Raw and Smackdown were back to back.
So I took the booking on my off days and
I went in there looking as normal as I had ever looked.
I had kinda grown my hair out and I was just kinda a normal guy so to speak.
>> Right. >> And they went, hey, what are you doing?
You interested in a job?
And I got a tryout and next thing you know, I'm working.
It's crazy how the world works, I can relate 100% on that.
>> It's insanity because at one point you kinda feel selfish
when you have a family and you're chasing this dream.
Because you realize, and a lot of people again on the independent wrestling team,
even musicans or anyone out there that's hustling.
You realize at some point that you're kinda spending money to chase your dream.
And at some point, I remember just, I'm like what are you doing?
You have a family, this isn't gonna happen [LAUGH].
And yeah, one thing leads to another.
I literally had to go up to Hunter and basically ask for my job.
Because as the Cruiserweight Classic concluded,
they were bringing guys back for NXT shots.
They were doing like a little dark match for NXT here and there.
Some guys were getting placed on the show.
And one by one, everyone starts getting contracts, like Tony Nese, Drew Gulack,
Lince Dorado.
And I'm just not getting a contract.
And I remember it was, I wanna say like the fourth or fifth time I was at NXT.
And I very sheepishly went up to Hunter.
And I was like, hey man, what's the deal?
You know when you know, you've seen me four or five times.
Am I not good enough to be here?
And Hunter gave me the whole, there's only so many bones and there's so many dogs.
And I can only give out so many bones.
It's a timing thing, just keep your head up.
And I was like, okay, he's politely telling me go way.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah, man, a week later I got a call, hey,
we'd like to sign you to a full-time deal.
And I was just like, it has to be correlated.
>> Yeah.
>> But yeah, [CROSSTALK].
>> This is not to encourage everyone to go up to Hunter and ask for a job.
>> Yeah [LAUGH].
>> Not what I'm saying, >> Like what you hear?
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