An update shines some light Dolph Ziggler and Mustafa Ali‘s releases from WWE.
On September 21, WWE made a wave of cuts, and two of the most noteworthy names were Dolph Ziggler and Mustafa Ali. Ziggler is a former world champion, and he had been with the company since 2004. Ali was active featured on WWE NXT. He was set to challenge Dominik Mysterio for the NXT North American Championship at NXT No Mercy on September 30.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful (via Fightful Select) reports that Dolph Ziggler had been ready to leave WWE years ago. However, he was talked into staying. Sapp cited sources who noted that Ziggler’s WWE deal was originally set to extend into the summer of 2024.
As for Ali, he had asked for his release in WWE, but it was rejected. Per Sapp, sources stated that Ali’s deal had been set to expire in the spring or summer of 2024. NXT sources had no knowledge about the release ahead of time. Additionally, according to Sapp, they noted that he worked through an injury for his run on NXT.
Ali had been active on WWE NXT. However, Dolph Ziggler had not wrestled since the May 29 episode of WWE RAW. There, his match with JD McDonagh ended in a double count-out.