Cedric Alexander On Why He Is Excited That Mustafa Ali Is Leading Retribution

Since shining in the 2016 WWE Cruiserweight Classic, Cedric Alexander has seen varied success within WWE. From a 181-day reign as Cruiserweight Champion to joining The Hurt Business a few weeks ago, Alexander has been a staple of WWE programming for a few years now.

Alexander was a recent guest on Table Talk w/DVon, where he spoke highly about joining the aforementioned faction and how appreciative he was for the opportunity.

"It's humbling," Alexander said. "It's something I never thought would happen, which is true, but at the same time, it was one of those things it was meant to be because I've known Shelton [Benjamin] for almost 10 years now. I've known Bobby [Lashley] and MVP for a few years just off and on, and now, seeing that I'm able to – and I said it before, being able to learn from the three physically gifted and talented athletes in WWE, words can't really describe it. I feel like I've been given the golden ticket to success and there's no way I can mess it up."

Due to the pandemic, Alexander says he doesn't travel with The Hurt Business much, but that doesn't stop them from staying in contact outside the ring. He says whenever he talks with MVP, Lashley, and Benjamin, he feels like he's on another level.

"Traveling together doesn't happen much, but we have group chats where we constantly go over ideas, possible opportunities that we can make happen, and yeah, it feels like I'm in a whole different league," Alexander said. "Not just a guy in a locker room, I'm in a small – man, I'm trying to describe it. I guess the best way to describe it is a Boardroom Executive. Everything is straight forward to the point and no clowning around, no goofing. Hey, it's about green. That's what MVP always says."

Recently, Alexander's WrestleMania 34 opponent Mustafa Ali was revealed as the leader of RETRIBUTION, an anti-establishment faction currently feuding with The Hurt Business. Alexander says while the reveal was a shock, he's intrigued to see where Ali takes the faction, and even teased a future confrontation between himself and Ali.

"Honestly, I was sitting back and watching it unfold. I was extremely surprised," Alexander said. "Honestly, in a weird way, it made me excited because I've been waiting to get a hold of Ali again ever since we had our match at WrestleMania [34]. Now that Ali decided to make better business decisions than hanging out with Apollo [Crews] and Ricochet, I'm interested to see what he's really going to do. I've always thought that Ali had a bit of a mean streak. He was one of the nicer guys in the locker room, didn't really cause a lot of trouble."

Alexander clarified that while he's happy for Ali, he recognizes that he might become a roadblock for himself and The Hurt Business.

"Well, it is a bit of an oxymoron. I'm trying to be nice to a friend who now might be a little bit of an adversary, so we'll see how that goes," Alexander said.

Alexander reiterated that his excitement stems from the fact that he is undefeated against the new leader of RETRIBUTION. Now that they're standing opposite once again, Alexander is intrigued to see if the results will be any different.

"Mustafa Ali has never beaten me in any way, shape, or form," Alexander said. "Singles match or tag-team match, Ali has never beaten me. So, that's part of why I'm so excited that he decided to join RETRIBUTION. Now, I get to get my hands on Ali again and see if he actually learned something from me the last few years we've been apart."

When Ali and Alexander squared off at WrestleMania 34, it was a clash of high-flyers. Alexander's aerial style borrows some elements of Lucha Libre, which he attributes to his favorite wrestlers growing up.

"For me, it was Rey Mysterio and Juventud Guerrera," Alexander said. "At WCW, they were the guys for me. The Luchadores with a cool mask, cool, colorful uniforms, I was like, 'Yes, sign me up'. I just want to do stuff; and then, when I was 12, that's when I decided I'm doing this – to be a pro wrestler."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Table Talk w/DVon with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.