Backstage News On Which WWE Show Mustafa Ali Is Assigned To

The "SmackDown" World Cup Tournament to determine GUNTHER's next challenger for the WWE Intercontinental Championship kicked off this week when Japan's Shinsuke Nakamura took on Mexico's Santos Escobar of Legado del Fantasma. Then it was America versus India when Braun Strowman faced Jinder Mahal. Next week, the action continues when Ricochet is pitted against Pakistan's Mustafa Ali in another first-round match. But does this mean that Ali, a member of the "Raw"roster, will be making a permanent home on the blue brand? 

Despite the tournament bracket consisting almost entirely of "SmackDown" stars, Fightful Select reported that Ali has not moved to the brand permanently and is still set to be featured on "Raw" as well. The former leader of Retribution is currently involved in a United States Title program with champion Seth Rollins and former champion Bobby Lashley on Mondays, so it looks like that story will continue to play out in conjunction with Ali's participation in the "SmackDown" World Cup.

The report also mentioned that there was no reason given for bringing in Ali instead of using someone else from the "SmackDown" roster, which has a diverse collection of talent. One of Los Lotharios or Solo Sikoa could have easily stepped in. But one has to wonder if this could be related to Strowman's recent comments afterWWE Crown Jewel about wrestlers he called "floppy floppers." A number of the "Monster of All Monster's" colleagues addressed his tweet, including Ali. Could this be a sign that the Heart of "205 Live" ends up facing Strowman in the semifinals? Time will tell, but it would be very interesting to see those two face off after the heated exchange online.