Had Mustafa Ali not suffered a concussion, it might have been him challenging Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at last year's WrestleMania instead of Kofi Kingston. Since that happened, Ali quickly slipped down the card, and while it looked like he might be behind that hacker gimmick, WWE appears to have dropped that storyline.
Up until July, Ali hadn't been used on WWE television since January, and while he scored a win upon his return, he was squashed by Bobby Lashley the next week and is now just working Main Event.
In an interview with WWE's The Bump, Ali talked about his absence from TV and wanting a chance. "As far as adaptation, it’s hard because you can’t adapt without opportunity, right? If you don’t have the opportunity, if you’re not given a platform, if you’re not included in the discussion, it’s hard. You could be the best in the world, but if you’re sitting in a dark room and no one sees you, no one sees you."
"The thing that I’m carrying forward with it is I will always be ready, I will always be prepared, so when that opportunity comes, I’m gonna hit a home run. But I need to be called up to bat. That is not me complaining at all. The thing that I am craving for, the thing that I am asking for, the thing that I want, is to tell a story. I could sit here and tell everybody, I have not had that opportunity yet."
Ali later went on to talk about being kept off television, and explained that it's "hard when it’s not your choice." He added: "It’s one thing to be injured, it’s one thing to be...whatever the situation is."
It's clear that he's frustrated with his position in WWE, but is still looking to make a go of it. Should that not happen, you have to hope that when his contract expires, he's able to head to a different wrestling company where he can be used in a much better way.