Mustafa Ali took to social media on Sunday with a message — “I have a message that is much bigger than my dreams in pro wrestling. Despite my best efforts, I will not be able to deliver this message while working with WWE. Therefore, I am requesting my release from WWE.” The announcement came as a surprise, though Ali hadn’t been used much on WWE TV since his brief program with Mansoor ended last October. His last match was on the Oct. 29 episode of SmackDown, he popped up a couple of times backstage in November and requested one week off for the birth of his third child. 

a few weeks ago, i made a statement that some deemed controversial. my intentions were to bring a beautiful vision to life. unfortunately, for reasons beyond my control, i won’t be able to make that vision a reality. but i can share with you what could have been. pic.twitter.com/V2bKzYJUrw