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I'm oddly comfortable in the ring.
My name doesn't exactly shout 'babyface.'
My favorite wrestler growing up was Bret 'The Hitman' Hart.
I always knew I wanted to be a pro wrestler for as long as I can remember.
Wrestling is a reflection of society, and it does have an impact on people.
People like things that make sense to them; your perspective is your reality.
All the love in the world for Kofi Kingston, but I'm coming back for my spot.
If anything, who I am and my background helped propel me and helped me stand out.
My mom said, 'You are reckless, and you need to get married.' And I was like, 'Okay.'
Instead of pondering about what if or what could have been, I'm just going to go out there and do.
It's very hard to be a family man, a father, a husband, an independent wrestler, and a police officer.
Embrace your colour, heritage, whatever you want, but don't let it confine you. Just live without labels.
The main events of '205 Live' are always among the discussion as far as top acts of the week in the world.
There are no limitations. There are no barriers. Nothing can stop you, and nothing can define you but you.
Nothing hits harder than that: nothing more frustrating than your body giving up on you before your heart does.
Everyone in the world, regardless if they're Muslim or not, does not have to adhere to the label society slaps on you.
I've always had faith in my ring ability, but sometimes it's how you are perceived, and how good you are doesn't matter.
I didn't get targeted in high school for being a Muslim - it wasn't that - but I always felt like an outsider in that sense.
A lot of people will comment, 'All the high flying will catch up to you.' I think any form of wrestling will catch up to you.
I've always had this sense of responsibility to do what I can to help fix the world and help make this a better place to live.
As a child, I was a victim of bullying because of my cultural background. I didn't look like all the other kids. I had a funny name.
I am the guy who always gets put in the tough spots. I'm the guy who gets put in these really dark spots, yet somehow, I shine through.
When 9/11 happened, it affected everything. It affected me. I'm an American, and I'm like, 'Oh my God, this is evil. This is terrible.'
Prior to the Cruiserweight Classic, I had a tryout with WWE in 2013 and was told that I wasn't what they were looking for at the moment.
There wasn't a defining moment or match or even a person that made me want to wrestle. It all just sort of happened. Kind of like puberty.
My daughter's absolute go-to is Sasha Banks. However, we did do the 'Dance Break' one time in Chicago, so she keeps talking about Carmella.
It doesn't matter if there are 500 people in the stands or 50,000 people, the '205 Live' guys stick to the script and tear it down each night.
I've seen guys get hurt from strikes. I've seen guys get hurt from flips. It's the risk we take. I feel the fear of getting hurt will get you hurt.
I am from Chicago, but my dad is from Karachi, Pakistan, and my mom is from New Delhi, India. So, I've got a little Paki-Indie fusion going on here.
I want people to hear the name Mustafa Ali and want them to know that I'm a proud American. I'm from here, I'm from Chicago; I'm just like one of you.
If there is ever a crew that goes out every night behind the eight-ball and have their work cut out for them to be respectable, it's the '205 Live' guys.
I'm a proud Muslim. I'm proud to have a Pakistani origin. And I want this country to accept me. I want to bring to light the fact that we are all the same.
I can't tell you the amount of support I'm getting from WWE. They're allowing me to express myself freely, they're promoting me, and they're letting me be me.
My dad is really the reason I have this hard work ethic. I can fully remember him leaving home at 5 o'clock in the morning and not coming back until midnight.
I feel it's a lot easier to hate or dislike someone that you see as different. It is a lot harder to hate them when you see they are just the exact same as you.
I feel like a lot of Indian fans don't know about my Indian background, so it's funny online that a lot of fans call me this Pakistani dude. No, I'm Indian, too.
Someone with my name and my appearance comes with preconceived ideas attached. My mission is to erase as many preconceived ideas, barriers, and stereotypes as I can.
I won't tell you that I'm lucky to be here because I know I'm skilled, and I know I'm talented in the ring. That doesn't mean that I don't appreciate the opportunity.
The biggest thing with the '205' guys is that we are trying to build the brand and each other, which makes it more difficult, but we are all stepping up to the plate.
Mustafa Ali is who I wanted to see when I was growing up. I'm not wearing anything on my head; I'm not saying anything in Arabic. I'm just going to come out as Mustafa Ali.
I think being the only Pakistani wrestler in WWE will bring some attention from the country as well. I'll do my best to do Pakistan proud and give them something to cheer about.
If anyone understands the enormous mountain that cruiserweights like myself have to climb, it's WWE champion Daniel Bryan - who not only climbed that mountain but now stands atop it.
I feel comfortable in the air, me as a person. I feel very in control of my body. You can toss me from the weirdest angle. I just know where I'm at. I don't even know how to explain it.
In the initial stages of my career, I was actually hiding behind a mask to hide who I was, but I was getting frustrated. I wasn't getting better bookings; I wasn't competing at bigger events.
I want to be the physical embodiment of light, you know? And I feel like now people know, when they see the lights go off and this light-up figure appear on stage, they know that's Mustafa Ali.
At a young age, I was very aware I was different and not perceived in a good way. For a lot of my adolescence, I struggled with that, trying to identify where I belong and who my real friends are.
There's a level of exposure that 'Smackdown' and 'Raw' get that other brands like 'NXT,' 'NXT UK,' and '205 Live' do not get. But at the same time, I feel like I would not be who I am without '205 Live.'
Every single person in the Chicago independent scene said, 'You've got to be a bad guy. You're a Muslim. We're gonna make money. We're gonna call you Sheik Abdullah something. You're gonna wear a turban.'
I will always rep '205 Live.' I will always support '205 Live.' I will always be the heart of '205 Live.' I will always be watching because you will never know when the heart of '205 Live' will beat again.
I want the next 16-year-old kid who looks like me to know he's not automatically the bad guy. Hopefully, that kid can look at Mustafa Ali and say, 'Hey, he's not the bad guy, and I don't have to be, either.'