Kammala jumla mai zuwa: A lokacin da yake cikin "205 Live", Ali ya sami kulawar Shugaban WWE Vince McMahon, wanda ya yanke shawarar sanya shi a kan alama ta SmackDown. A cewar tsohon marubucin WWE Kazeem Famuyide, a lokacin WWE Champion Daniel Bryan yana matsawa sosai a bayan fage don "kyakkyawan jaririn jariri" ya kasance a talabijin, yana mai jayayya cewa duk jaririn jariri da suke da shi yana turawa shekaru 40; wannan ya sa gudanarwa ta zaɓi Ali don wannan turawa. Ali ya fara bayyana a ranar 11 ga Disamba, 2018 a cikin shirin "SmackDown Live", yana fuskantar Daniel Bryan kuma ya rasa shi daga baya a daren. A mako mai zuwa a kan "SmackDown Live", an tabbatar da Ali a matsayin cikakken memba na "SmackDown" kuma ya haɗu tare da AJ Styles don kayar da Daniel Bryan da Andrade "Cien" Almas a cikin wasan tag team, bayan Ali ya kama Bryan. A Royal Rumble a ranar 27 ga Janairu, 2019, Ali ya fafata a wasan da ba a san shi ba, wanda ya ɗauki minti 30 kuma ya kawar da Shinsuke Nakamura da Samoa Joe, kafin Nia Jax ya kawar da shi. A watan Fabrairu, Ali ya shirya yin gasa a wasan Gidan Gida don Gasar WWE a taron da aka ba da suna, wanda zai zama wasan farko na taken duniya; duk da haka, an cire shi saboda raunin da ya faru, kuma Kofi Kingston ya maye gurbinsa. Ali ya sake dawowa a gidan talabijin a
Fastlane biya-da-view, a matsayin ƙari na minti na ƙarshe a wasan WWE Championship tsakanin Daniel Bryan da Kevin Owens, wanda Ali ya rasa bayan Bryan ya kama shi. A ranar 25 ga Maris, 2019, an rage sunan sa na wasa zuwa Ali.