Mustafa Ali vs Ethan Page for NXT North American title at Showdown

Mustafa Ali returned to WWE NXT on Tuesday and was booked to challenge Ethan Page for the NXT North American Championship at the NXT vs TNA Showdown on October 7, closing a two-year gap between the opportunity he said was denied and a new title match. Ali interrupted Page during a live segment on the September 30 episode of NXT, recounted his 2023 release and the lost title shot, and secured the championship match after confronting on-screen officials.

Ali reminded the audience that he had been scheduled to challenge Dominik Mysterio for the North American title at NXT No Mercy in September 2023 but was released from WWE days before the event. He said the setback left him waiting for the opportunity he believed he had earned and noted that 749 days had passed since his planned title match. Ali has since appeared for TNA Wrestling and returned to NXT television this week as part of a cross-promotional run tied to next week’s Showdown event.

During the segment Ali told Page that he was not seeking sympathy but intended to press for the title opportunity he never received. Page responded with a verbal jab about challengers falling to his reign and delivered a line aimed at Ali’s...