Ali never gave up on his dream to be a wrestler.
Before he became a star on SmackDown Live, Ali was working as a police officer while also taking dates with NXT and Independent companies. In an interview with The Independent, Ali revealed that he thought his life would be in police work. But he couldn't give up on his dream of being a wrestler.
"That was it - I went into it with the intention of making it my career and retiring at whatever [age] and having a full law enforcement career. But, for some reason, I couldn't let go of wrestling," revealed Ali. "While I was a police officer, I'd do independent wrestling shows on the side. That was a crazy schedule."
Ali continued, discussing how he juggled his police responsibilities with being an Independent wrestler.
"I was working as a cop the entire time I was doing the Cruiserweight Classic and the NXT stuff, and, on the side, I was doing independent wrestling shows! I'd do a show at 9pm, jump in my car and race to the police station to make it for 11pm for when my shift started. I always showed up for the roll call with a minute to spare and I'd be sweaty and have a black eye, and guys were like 'what is wrong with this kid?!' I left the law enforcement career behind, but my last day at work was a Friday, and the following week I came to TV on the Monday to start [with WWE,]" said Ali. "I worked all the way up to when my contract started and left nothing to chance. Somehow I held on to the dream and, in the end, I'd say it all worked out."
Ali became one of the top stars on 205 Live before moving to SmackDown Live at the end of 2018. In his first match on SmackDown, he pinned then-WWE Champion Daniel Bryan. Ali recently competed in the Men's Money in the Bank ladder match, but came up short in his efforts to secure the briefcase thanks to Brock Lesnar.
