Still having a wrestlingĀ hangoverĀ from theĀ WWE Live in Manila 2019?
Before the rumbling Filipino crowd welcomed the WWE Superstars at the Araneta Coliseum, we got a chance to chat with some of them in a press conference held a few hours prior to the big event, and WWE Superstars Kevin Owens and Mustafa Ali answered some of the curious questions the media had in store for them.
Canadian pro-wrestler Kevin Owens or KO is currently on a feud with WWE authority Shane McMahon after the latter āfiredā him from the WWE storyline. This was over McMahonās recent loss against Chad Gable, wherein Owens was a special guest referee. In a recent confrontation, KO vented out on the ring how McMahon has ruined SmackDown by making it his own playground, thus having a strong case against the man in charge. Just before the WWE Live performance here in Manila, McMahon stated that he is allowing the Superstar to be able to participate in WWE Live matches. Meanwhile, there are speculations that KO will be returning to the NXT brand but the star would not confirm it yet.
Mustafa Ali first competed in the independent scene of wrestling while working as a police officer in Chicago. Donning a light-up mask, it is the wrestlerās mission to āembody the light in a world of darkness,ā sparking an inspirational outcry: ābe the light in the dark,ā among fans of the WWE. He is currently a rising star of the ring and is making his way to earn bigger titles for his WWE career.
To know more about the two Superstars, here are some of the highlights of the press conference that was held at the Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas, Manila yesterday.
To Ali, some are saying you are this yearās breakout star, what can you say about this?
Ali: I feel like I was on course but fate took a different turn. This year has been a little bit of a rocky road for me. From a professional standpoint, you know I came smacked on my roster earlier this year with a lot of steam and I feel like a lot had been expected from me but unfortunately I had a pretty serious injury that took me out of that title picture and Iāve been trying to kind of find my way since then. I tell everybody it wasnāt an accident, it was just fate. I feel like Kofi Kingston and what he was able to accomplish was meant to be. You canāt write a better story than Kofimania so Iām very very happy and Iām proud of him, but at a professional standpoint Iām watching something unfold that I know Iām capable of doing. The year is not over, I think Iāll find my way. You know, it wasnāt an accident, it was fate.
To Kevin Owens, as someone who breaks the stereotype on WWE physique, what can you say to people who want to follow the path?
Kevin: Well, itās probably a lot easier if youāre ripped and jacked. I went a different way, obviously, and itās been very rewarding to be me. I donāt know how many people have tried to change me throughout my career, and I donāt know if itās hard-and itās all good advice- I donāt know if itās a matter of me being hard-headed or what, I just always thought Iām gonna do it my way. To a certain degree I did, I mean not to a certain degree…Ā I really did. I just decided to do it [and] not let anybody tell me I couldnāt do it, so I guess that would be the one advice I have for somebody who doesnāt fit the mold as we say. Hey, but if youāre young just work out a lot.
Some say that we are in the Golden Age of Wrestling, what can you say about this and what is the difference between this era of wrestling from before?
Kevin: If youāre talking about strictly from a fanās standpoint, I remember growing up wishing that there was somewhere I could watch wrestling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and now thatās possible. If I was just a fan and I wasnāt doing this for a living, if I was still 15 years old and trying to soak up as much of this as I can, I would be soā¦ I mean, I am thrilled that all that wrestling is just available and with the way technology works now, thereās literally wrestling from all over the world and any day you can watch anything at this point and I think that as a fan, thatās pretty incredible. For the WWE network, for a WWE fan, itās literally a dream come true. It wouldāve been the answer to my dream when I was younger, because itās all content. Itās not even just WWE, thereās all kinds of stuff and itās just so incredible. Back then I wouldnāt have access to stuff I didnāt even know exist, and I think as a fan this is definitely the best time ever to be a fan of the WWE.
Ali: Then from the performerās standpoint, this is also the most competitive time. Itās not just WWE, [there are] competitions from all over the world. You have this access to fans now so youāre forever trying to stay ahead of the curb but you are aware of whatās going out there and whatās going on. And for me, as a performance up and coming, Iām trying to be able to distinguish myself, separate myself, and be identifiable. Itās only gonna get more difficult when thereās more access to it. But from a fanās standpoint, yes, itās rock and roll. Itās as much wrestling as you want.
Do you have any memorable encounters with the fans?
Kevin: There are good ones constantly, where we have people tell us how much what we do means to them for whatever reasons, and sometimes [these are]Ā reasons that weāre not even conscious of. Sometimes weāll be told that we did something on a show and then it meant the world to this person and to us, itās just something that we donāt even think about later, so thatās always great to hear. Or weāll have fans give us things that mean the world to them, and they put their time in it, and thatās always cool too and each time Iām given anything by a fan, I put it in my bag and it travels with me wherever I go. Because [these people]Ā took the time to put a little bit of themselves in it.
There are bad encounters where, the one I remember was in Atlanta awhile ago, I have my son with me at the show, and this guy wants a picture or something but I have my son with me and itās very late and itās raining. I donāt have the time to stop because I have my son, so I said āno.ā And then he started spouting off insults and getting mad at me and he had his kid with him too. So heās insulting [me]Ā in front of his kid, because Iām just protecting my kid. So stuff like that happen more often than we wish but itās important that we have to handle it as professional as we can so I just told him āI hope youāre proud of yourself because your son is seeing you act this way now. Have a good day.ā
I would say this to some fans because Iāve read in the past people that are very critical of how some wrestlers act with fans at airports and stuff like that. Like sometimes, some wrestlers will just ignore the people that are in the airport. Thing is, you donāt know what the encounters that have happened before for these people have been. Thereās a reason why. Because everybody, and Iād like to say 99% of the people we have in our locker room appreciates the fans, appreciates everybodyās energy and everything… like every cent thatās spent on seeing us perform and everything. Itās never because we donāt care, but thereās always a reason why somebody might not be as friendly to fans outside the arena as people wish they were. So Iād say be careful of what you judge and what you say about these people.
Ali: To go with what Kevin said, on both aspects of it Iāve had incredible fan experiences. One example is, when I perform, when I come to the ring I wear a mask that lights up and to me it was more about the idea of being the light. I didnāt realize that a fan was so enthusiastic that I was wearing a mask because she suffers from some form of respiratory disease where she has to wear whatās called a Vogmask that helps you breathe. So she says āitās so cool that youāre normalizing it because I had to walk around in public wearing this mask and people think that Iām weird like,Ā why I had this mask on,ā and the first thing I thought about was that she was complimenting my mask so much so let me send it to her so I sent her a light-up mask.
So she thinks itās cool now for her to wear the mask, some people come up to her and ask questions about it so like Kevin said, sometimes we do things we donāt even realize. My intention was never āhey, for anyone that wears a Vogmask,ā it wasnāt that. It was something for me and something from a character standpoint but she was able to relate to that and now sheās very proud of the mask she wears and thatās cool.
And like Kevin said Iāve had some real weird experiences. Iām always the guy that if you ask nicely and if Iām accessible to you Iāll sign or whatever. I was in this cultural fair and my son was maybe six or seven months and Iām giving him a bottle and someone had approached me and asked if I could take a picture with him, and my son was agitatedly screaming and Iām trying to give him his bottle and I looked at [the guy]Ā and I said ācould you give me like a minute?ā and the guy just takes out his phone and starts taking pictures as Iām trying to console my child. Luckily I had a really good friend that was right there that put an end to it for me, but I was just processing it in my mind. We do appreciate our fans but we hope they appreciate that weāre human beings too.
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Are you active on social media? Do you take time to read comments or even bashing?
Ali: I think social media is important. To me, as far as getting a message out, because like I said, a lot of people relate to us or find some sort of inspiration from us and social media is the only way for them to express that so I do try to stay engaged with that aspect. We also have families so the last thing I want to do when I get home is sit with my phone reading comments but I do try to engage with [what they want to share], if itās positivity I want to promote that positivity. On the flip side, there are some people that like to make racial remarks and whatnot towards me specifically. But again, itās always an opportunity to [keep in mindĀ that] hate doesnāt defeat hate. So I always try to respond as timely as possible, to also educate that person about why their misconception is completely false, and why a lot of people resonate with that. So it just depends on how you use it and what your message is and for me, itās just about creating an environment of positivity and what encourages it.
Kevin: I have Twitter, and I donāt use it as much as I used to. Itās mostly not good. Thatās why for me, I get some great mention result, but I also get peopleā¦ I donāt know what to sayā¦ Itās not anywhere as fun as it used to be. Letās put it that way.
NXT is now moved to Wednesday nights, do you think it could be on the same level as Raw and Smackdown?
Kevin: I have no doubt that NXT will eclipse Raw and Smackdown through time. Every talent, passion, and hardwork… Not that we donāt work hard in Raw and Smackdown, but everybody on NXT feels like they have something to prove, because itās NXT, so I think it makes for a very interesting dynamic right now. And in a way thatās going to drive people on Raw and Smackdown even hungrier so I think itās good for everything in WWE.
Ali: I tell everybody passion is purpose and passion is power, and NXTās got an opportunity to ignite the world and theyāre gonna do it. You know when we were travelling I had a chance to watch some of the clips of their first episode and that speaks for itself.
The two WWE Superstars just took part in this year’sĀ biggest wrestling event in Manila.Ā Kevin Owens won over Andrade in the opening match, while Ali fought against WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura but came up short.
Other winners hailed at the event were: Roman Reigns who defeated Sami Zayn; Chad Gable who won over EC3 after the latter snatchedĀ the 24/7 title from R-Truth; Carmella who defeated Mandy Rose; SmackDown Women’s ChampionĀ BayleyĀ retaining her title overĀ CharlotteĀ Flair in a Street Fight;Ā SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Revival successfully defending their titleĀ over The New Day; and current WWE Champion Kofi Kingston winning over Daniel Bryan.
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