Mustafa Ali

“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.”

“Lince Dorado and I go way back.”

“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.”

“Nothing hits harder than that: nothing more frustrating than your body giving up on you before your heart does.”

“People like things that make sense to them; your perspective is your reality.”

“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.”

“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.”

“I did not want people to know that I was a Muslim; I did not want people to know my name or that I did not have an American name. I did not want that. Because I knew if they knew that, they would cast me as the bad guy.”

“Wrestling is a reflection of society, and it does have an impact on people.”

“The way '205 Live' came about, there was a lot of trust put into our roster. Because if you look at it, the majority of our roster had not been in the developmental system and NXT. And the majority of us had not been on TV prior to that. So for WWE to trust us and literally hire us and throw us on live TV, it was very, 'Whoa!'”

“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.'”

“I was like, 'Prince, prince. Prince Ali. People know that from 'Aladdin.' I'm a big fan of Muhammad Ali. I can't be Muhammad Ali. I'm looking up royal - Mustafa. Mustafa's a royal name. Prince Mustafa, OK fine.' Prince Mustafa Ali came from that, and it's an easier name for people to remember, too: Prince Ali.”

“My message to everyone is that we truly are one, and the minute you see me as the person, not just as the Muslim - when you see me as Adeel Alam and not just the character on TV - when you see past all of that, we are all the same, and we are all just one.”

“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.”

“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.'”

“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.'”

“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.”

“One of the funny lines that Daniel Bryan said in a promo is that he made fun of me for driving in an SUV, and he asked why such a small man like myself needs to drive an SUV, but we're standing literally eye to eye, and I'm like, 'Ummm.'”

“I feel like I'm a guy you can give the ball to, and I'll run with it.”

“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.”