Eric Bischoff Calls Mustafa Ali An 'Amazing Talent, Thinks He Can Thrive Outside WWE

When Eric Bischoff left WWE, he stayed in contact with Mustafa Ali, sensing a certain drive in the cruiserweight. With news that Ali was among the myriad of releases last week, Bischoff has nothing but praise for the superstar.

"I think he's an amazing talent," Bischoff said on "Strictly Business" recently. "I think the world of him. He's an amazing talent. I know he [has an] amazing amount of drive and ambition. My guess...if anything, he will be even more motivated and inspired than he was two days ago." Ali's release was surprising due to him being scheduled for a match against WWE NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio at WWE NXT No Mercy on September 30 in Bakersfield, CA. Bischoff is surprised that TKO Group Holdings didn't wait until after Ali's match to release the star. Bischoff also notes that Ali had been wanting to change his character. Ali even asked for his release at the beginning of last year, a request which was not granted.

Ali's opponent Mysterio recently referred to Ali's release as "a very unfortunate situation," bemoaning the lack of control WWE superstars have over their careers and the careers of their colleagues, noting that he now has to "wait and see" who will be his challenger in just under a week.

Bischoff thinks that there are plenty of superstars that could be heading to AEW or other promotions, recently saying that Dolph Ziggler would be a great fit in AEW, and also noting that the recently released Shelton Benjamin was a one-of-a-kind utility player.