Mustafa Ali on Being Told He’d Win Money in the Bank 2019, Vince McMahon Changing the Finish to Brock Lesnar Winning

– Speaking to talkSPORT’s Alex McCarthy, Mustafa Ali revealed that he was told on the day of WWE Money in the Bank 2019, he was told he’d be winning the Money in the Bank contract. However, in a last-minute change, he was informed by Vince McMahon that the finish was changed to having Lesnar win. He also discussed how McMahon wanted him to act frozen and shocked when Lesnar came to the ring to steal the win. Below are some highlights:

Mustafa Ali on originally thinking he would win it: “We got nothing other than ‘you’re in the match’ the week-of [the MITB match]. Day-of, I’m winning it! Man, this is my moment, this is everything I’ve been working for, I can’t believe it, this is awesome. Then the match is about to start, so the entrances have started. I may be wrong about this, but Baron Corbin is making his entrance and I’m soon to be making my entrance, and that’s when I get pulled that I have to go see the boss. [Vince says] ‘This is what I want. Grab the briefcase. Shock. Then you’re frozen. This is what I want.’ And you have to realize, right before you’re about to go out through the curtain is not the time to argue. You’re getting a direct order about what is to be expected of you. I know some people say, ‘Why didn’t you just grab the briefcase!’ [laughs]. I was more concerned with grabbing my check that week! So I grabbed my check.”

Ali’s thoughts on what happened: “At the end of the day, it’s not my show. The guy who writes this, who owns this, who decides what happens told me specific instructions and I said ‘OK, not a problem boss.’ And I went out there and did exactly what I was asked to do. At the end of the day, like, hey, it worked right? People are still talking about that moment years later. Everyone’s sad about it, but guys, we got Brock listening to the briefcase like a boombox and dancing – I gave you that gift! [laughs].”