Fans Absolutely HATED Muhammad Hassan

Former WWE Superstar Muhammad Hassan (Marc Copani) joins Chris to discuss what it was like being over as a mega heel in 2005 and details the hatred he experienced while traveling.
Watch the full interview with Muhammad Hassan on my main ‪@ChrisVanVliet‬ channel here: • Muhammad Hassan: WWE's...
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[@CVVCLIPS]

Watch the full interview with Muhammad Hassan on my main channel here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppuqpIxnet6oi9E

[@NintendoFighter9000]

hey chris, as a man from ontario are you going to be at money in the bank?

[@newichi3902]

This guy had that nuclear heat that resembled territory heel heat. When his music hit, there was a moment of silence cause the audience collectively were breathing in to let out the loudest boo they can. I don't think we'll ever see heat like that ever again. Truly a sight to behold.

[@zeospark9715]

Actually I feel like Dirty Dom is also generating that type of heat right now. He even gets booed loudly if his name gets mentioned and he's not even there lol

[@michaelfrazier629]

​​​@@zeospark9715 doms not even close to getting that type of heat 😂 you neckbeard tubby marks be saying anything

[@Bluecmu]

If you look back at his promos he was definitely facts. In one of his promos he even gave out the website so you could fact check what he was saying.

[@shortboypinoy]

It was one of those promos that got me to get behind me. He wasn't necessarily doing anything heelish other than the wire attack on Taker.

[@VXGaming]

Young Hassan - HEEL everyone hates Current Hassan - Looks like a great guy who can be a great commentator.

[@clarity2115]

Muhammad Hassan wasn't mean't to last, but damn in less than a year dude is still a legendary heel

[@Titocapone2345]

Such a great heel

[@MrGonzal3z]

They hated him yes but it was a different kind of heat, not wresting heat but legitimately hatred because we were still fresh off 9/11. Shit was wild!

[@TheRealEclipse1]

They should have kept that heat. This country was told over and over again to "Never Forget". I would've used that.

[@ibrohiem]

The heat was white people couldn't accept the truth.

[@lucristianx]

I wished they went this far with Jack Swaggers push with Zeb Coulter.

[@SilverFang2789]

Not 9/11 but this character came out around the same time as the London subway bombing in 2005. So the timing was just very unfortunate but pulling the character off TV was the right thing to do.

[@DevinHeida]

That's why he got cancelled, they did a show on July 7, when the bombing happened, pretty sure that was his last on tv

[@valitsemllaluokanavahyvaks3556]

Dude had nuclear heat

[@machomusprime50]

One of the biggest "what ifs" in the WWE. But they needed a scapegoat at the time.

[@KAPTAINmORGANnWo4eva]

Absolute disgrace that he got his career derailed by the TV network. The gimmick was decades ahead of its time but having him start using essentially a gang of movie terrorists killed all the subtlety and intrigue while also leaving it vulnerable to the real world blowback. They should have never done that and just kept him and Daivari doing the same stuff on Smackdown as on Raw.

[@DD-fs9xt]

What would be the point of doing the gimmick if you didn't have that final payoff?

[@KAPTAINmORGANnWo4eva]

@@DD-fs9xt The "payoff" was not him having a gang of faceless goons that undermined his character and made his character basically a literal terrorist despite being the exact opposite of what they'd been building up. The payoff was supposed to be him being a world champion and bringing down even more heat than JBL. And, y'know, not being thrown out like old garbage after GAB considering how much air time they'd already invested in him.

[@DD-fs9xt]

​@@KAPTAINmORGANnWo4eva The payoff is you finding out he actually is a terrorist running a group & that his promos were BS. It seems you just don't like the character they were going for in the end. Given world events at the time, seeing masked terrorists on WWE tv was a big deal. It's just unfortunate timing that a literal terrorist attack also happened that same week

[@KAPTAINmORGANnWo4eva]

@@DD-fs9xt The character they went with after putting him on a different brand with at the time a different writing team was at odds with the one that had been set up on Raw. Even if he didn't get written off, making him a literal terrorist was multiple layers of stupid. Not only could they not pay it off, since it's not like there was any will in 2005 to do another invasion angle or something else crazy built around a young heel act, it also would have killed his heat in the medium-long run since without the ambiguity, there would be nothing for him and a face opponent to really push off of. The terrorists didn't accomplish anything that a hired goon like Viscera or Big Show couldn't.

[@DD-fs9xt]

@@KAPTAINmORGANnWo4eva How do you know that the Raw writing team would have done any different if he wasn't drafted? All creative went by Vince at the end of the day. & That's just delusional, it being Viscera or Big Show would completely remove the intended effect of it being a terrorist group. All the sudden it's just a big fat guy.... Not the same lol

[@RagnaCloud13]

A Very good heel. Sadly enough that VinnieMac let him go.

[@fezzabluenose]

The best heels are heels that actually have a good point

[@shariefragab1374]

Yeah, we were actually behind Mustafa Ali until they ruined Retribution (and I mean the faction, not the random school teens who demolished the ring)

[@myst0ne]

His character was supposed to be hated.

[@alizaidi2893]

White americans couldn't handle facts being spat at them

[@zzrr933]

It wasn't wrestling heat. He had actual real life heat because of 911 and everything he said

[@Bot-rp7rj]

Nooooo really?!

[@DD-fs9xt]

A heel, hated? Crazy, I tell you!

[@abdieljove2011]

Not by the TV network though lol Not that it was his fault. Just a mishandled angle and bad timing. Should have just repackaged him or something. SMH

[@alecjordan6100]

That theme song did smack though.

[@jayhollows5729]

They definitely hated the character even though he was completely speaking the truth. Shows you how america wasnt ready yet to properly reflect on 9/11 and understand from all angles. Shows you how much blind hate and uncontrolled emotion gets in the way of understanding.

[@bashcrash9148]

"Eyyyyy yahhhh eyyyy yahhh eyyyy yahhhh eeeeeyyyyy yah DOO DOOT DOOT. DO DO DO DO DO DOOT. DOO DOOT DOOT. DO DO DO DO DOOT DOOT." - Muhammad Hassan theme

[@axla8251]

I heard it in my head just like you typed it

[@5150crazyfun]

It's a shame his character got written off. He was great on promos and a good wrestler and was in great shape. At first I didn't like the character but slowly I started liking it more because of how convincing Muhammed Hassan was. I still say one of the biggest missed opportunities in WWE history.

[@rocketking2589]

I can't believe bro is Italian!! 😮

[@AggravatedMan365]

Facts 😂

[@ibrohiem]

That fake tan he has back then didn't tip you off that he was Italian?

[@daidavies90]

EEEEEEEEYYYYYY WHASAMATTA YOOOOOOU!!

[@eLite-Tiss91]

Albert tried to play a Japanese Man xD

[@keetsDV]

Next your gonna tell me Santino is Canadian, Marc Mero is Italian, Sgt Slaughter isn’t really in the army.

[@finnishline]

His character started off with some nuance and then all that was quickly stripped away.

[@5PawZ]

They redacted his last promo where he went after the media who said *masked Arabs" attacked Taker and carried him out. "If they were masked, how do you know they were Arabs?" London bombings forced their hand unfortunately. But he wasn't allowed to play a character and speak truths but it was ok for them to literally kill him on screen on a live PPV. I remember being told that Davari screaming as they walked down the ramp was saying pointless stuff like the weather 😂

[@HawaiiFoodAndFun]

Thats glorious. Imagine him yelling at people "TOMORROW IT WILL BE... PARTLY CLOUDY!" Hassan WOULD have (not could have) paved the way for others (non-cookie cutter wrestlers). I had 3 WWE tryouts as a Chinese wrestler prior to 2010. His push would have been a God send and would have ushered in a 2nd age of Attitude Era instead of the PG era. I was presented as Chinese but am also Japanese/Hawaiian and wrestled Yuji Nagata when I was 23. Least Jey Uso still uses the neckbreaker I made in 1998. KZbin Best Neckbreaker in Wrestling History.

[@soitsdivine]

I felt like I was in the Minority that absolutely loved Muhammad Hassan one of my favorites loved the way he dressed, the way, he spoke, and his wrestling was top notch.

[@alecjordan6100]

That theme song did hit though.

[@Drew_D]

I miss the guy. He deserved better. I had him and Daivari as my Tag Team Champs in SvR ‘06 GM mode.

[@FUNNY-cx5pp]

This man vs undertaker fued is the best 👌

[@distemic]

Saw Hassan and daivari in a Buffalo Wild Wings after a house show. Nice guys. Side note-met ariya daivari a year later too, shortly after he started wrestling

[@Ahmed-og2jm]

Being an arab living in America post 9/11 must've been hell

[@flacko426]

Mustve been hell everywhere in the west, my mom got threatened when walking outside

[@dangercat9188]

And now it's us Hispanics that are getting the hate. Even for simply speaking Spanish lol. But I remember the arab hate post 9/11. I'm a new yorker, we took the worst hit and there's several MENA neighborhoods here so I definitely recall those days. Now, they seem to be more at peace with american society. Unless they're Palestinian or Israeli because, you know lol

[@mrcold8966]

Fuck Jack Perry Muhammad Hassan was the biggest scapegoat in the history of pro wrestling, he deserved so much more

[@Texxet11]

Idea pitch: During the middle of the RNC, theme breaks out and here comes Muhammad Hassan down the ramp.

[@hessiankyojin]

His theme is dope as hell. Those beats are so dang catchy,

[@AggravatedMan365]

Dude really got canned for doing his job smh

[@infinite-sadness]

Felt kinda bad for him as a kid. All my favorite wrestlers and the crowd would suddenly turn racist as soon as his music hit. It was different with Goldust at the beginning because he would actually harass people to rile up homophobia, but Hassan just said basic facts about American racism and everyone in the arena would prove him right.

[@vortex_1336]

I actually really loved that character. He was one of the most interesting things on the show at the time.

[@JasonTigno]

It really sucks they took the character too far, this guy was destined for greatness and with no fault of his own it was all taken away from him just like that

[@erinpilla]

I didn't hate him. I thought he was HOT! 😂😂😂😂 I was 14, living in SE Asia so you know, I wasn't mature to understand what it entailed. However, now, probably I would love the Muhammad Hassan character. I would be sympathetic and understand his pain as an immigrant. I have family who migrated to the US

[@PercyLeon1]

Muhammad Hasan was one of my favorite characters heels The promos were great and honest

[@AvoidTIMtation]

The stuff some of the vets in the lockerroom put him through was pathetic.

[@alecjordan6100]

That theme song did go hard though.

[@jugghead82]

Loved the Character ❤

[@mr.president3633]

I enjoyed his ring work old school stuff , gimmick had potential could have seen him intercontinental champ

[@Habib_ApaKhabar]

Vince Had It In His Hand. And He Let It Go

[@clarity2115]

lots of backlash, protected him in the long run

[@pratimkoch6254]

Such an entertaining heel he was. I used to play his entrance theme and walk😅

[@michaelfrazier629]

One of the few times were the audience legit had hatred for a wrestler rather then booing for entertainment 😂

[@YungestFlexerrr]

I hated him as a kid too ngl

[@busa7]

It'd probably never happen again (and maybe for good) but I would love to see him have one more moment in a Rumble entry.

[@dm95422]

Hassan for next year's WWE Hall Of Fame !!!! A true legend !!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@alphanerd7221]

I loved that character and so did everybody I watched wrestling with.

[@FBaned]

One of my favorite character at the time

[@ItApproaches]

When he said Shawn I thought he was talking about HBK lol.

[@thepuertorock1467]

Not me. ❤ i know mother fking talent. All Hail Muhammad Hassan. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@mickanvonfootscraymarket5520]

I remember it like it was yesterday, my sister took offence to the character. She couldn't believe what she was watching, absolutely outraged.

[@junehalog024]

Hassan was a heat magnet just like how Dom is nowadays. I love heels when they make people hate the character.

[@kevwwong]

Dom has nuclear heat, but at the same time I think people "get it" and are playing along. I don't think anyone was playing along with Hassan/Copani. There was some legit hate for him.

[@pvpichozen2027]

Bro as I kid I thought this man was killed by the Undertaker when he took that powerbomb from him

[@anfeariontach]

Would love to see him make a comeback at a Saudi show

[@MattyVice]

A lot of ppl along the Mediterranean have his look; they can pass for any middle eastern nationality Italian or greek

[@Jermaine2099]

I was about 13 at the time and I loved his character lol

[@youngmelo3717]

Lmao finding out they aren’t even Arabs has me in tears 😂😂😂

[@IamMrLebanon]

I don’t know if anyone has ever been treated more unfairly than him. To lose your job and career because the company that employs you and the network that airs the show you work on drop the ball. He was penalized for their mistake. I will never understand why he couldn’t have been taken off tv for say a year any then completely. Not to mention he is an Italian American so it could not have been this difficult to do.

[@orca1361]

Greatest Heel also Shawn TNA x division run was great too

[@resco001]

Sicilian guy playing an arabian Canadiand guy playing an italian Vince was such a genius

[@TheNightOwl11683]

"Hey Vince, this guy is Italian, not Arab." Vince McMahon - "Eh, close enough."

[@dangercat9188]

Santino is of italian descent though. Jinder and Piper are also Canadian but played Scottish and Indian characters. Hassan has no Arab in him but Vinny Mac wanted him to play an Arab regardless. I believe Nikolai Volkoff wasn't Russian either.

[@williamho7393]

Did Jim Johnston composed Muhammad Hassan theme? That was heel heat entrance

[@kevwwong]

Back then? Had to be him.

[@DD-fs9xt]

I wonder who would've been in his faction of terrorists that attacked Undertaker if the storyline continued 🤣

[@crashpal]

Maybe CM Punk and Mr Kennedy. They both made their debuts not long after

[@Juliussmoothie]

The heat this guy had was so real haha he did a good job

[@Lishen-rh8mp]

Hard to believe he is not really of Middle Eastern descent but Italian

[@jvstice56]

If it wasn't for the IRL bombing, the Hassan character would've been one of the best heels of the WWE in that time frame. He spoke bitter truths no one wanted to hear as they wanted their external villain, despite what it was doing to actual Arab-Americans of the time. When you have a character that can generate heat just for simply telling the truth, you have a true-to-life character. Him and Sean were definitely a good duo, and while the ending sucked (thank you Viacom execs for your cowardice), still had a strong run.

[@torch469]

Cool ass theme song indeed!

[@CaptainRedbeard.]

Chris, do you need anybody on your team to be the errand boy or grab peoples coffee or anything?? 😅 I want to travel the country and talk to wrestlers sooooo bad... its my dream job to do what you do but id gladly just be part of the team... get me out of this amazon warehouse job 😢

[@edwardfordyce6174]

My guy would have been the most hated dude ever, more than a Slaughter turn during the gulf war

[@BooboosANDBloodshed_95]

It was just crazy that WWE did this at the height of islamophobia in the US and many parts of the world just a few years after 9/11. No wonder this guy had the type of Planet shattering nuclear heat it's really too bad that the guy was given the boot for doing his job.

[@kevin084life]

Ask him how his school is going?

[@donaldb93]

Too many marks out there for a wrestler to actually be hated like a heel is suppose to be

[@lucristianx]

What a time in early 2000s politics.

[@Nicholas-hp1si]

Or maybe they should have just gave him a regular wrestler gimmick where he could showcase his skills and play a heel and not have him play a character that relates to real world events that was obviously going to upset people and things like the Austin promo just adds onto more shitty things WWE have done.

[@WallStreetIceCream]

Best heel of all time

[@watersandblue6001]

bro looks more arab than italian, that's what made it more believable.

[@siddestroyer]

Have you been to Southern Italy ?

[@SauROnmiKE]

Tell me you have no idea about Italy without telling me you have no idea about Italy.

[@valitsemllaluokanavahyvaks3556]

No he does not, he has the generic older aging italian haircut with gel.

[@TexastanTurkiyeye]

Arabs ruled Sicily for like 2-300 years

[@lbo87]

It's the same region

[@flyguy7825]

Hassan was truly hated,OMG at the time he didn’t have to say a word and he had very bad heat

[@JakDax-l2n]

My honesty is, I think people hated Hassan the most

[@ramses1500]

He was the iron sheik of his time of course he was hated, given more time he would have been loved.

[@ssj2sensui]

I liked enjoyed Muhammad hassan

[@keetsDV]

They could’ve paired Hassan with La Resistance and Un Americans to get massive heat

[@kevwwong]

That would've actually diluted his heat.

[@JeffTullock-yx1hd]

Of all the guys I hated him the most. Fucking hated him. One day I started laughing and thought “This guy’s great.” He was talking shit about America and was right about what he was saying. The biggest “what if” in wrestling history. Could have been the top heel for a long time. He wins me over and the company releases him? Typical.

[@JDotWill]

Him & Daivari aren’t Arab but this is America. Anyone brown had to deal with intense racism post 9/11. & honestly that issue hasn’t improved much.

[@timewithoutconsequence4611]

The masked henchmen were unnecessary.

[@shanemallay347]

🔥

[@girlsnotblue3804]

.unrecognizable

[@bowdenproductions]

I like how he’s aged into a man who looks like he goes around the world tasting international cuisine on TV.

[@marshalllapenta7656]

Noticed how he said SICILIAN NOT ITALIAN!!!!!!

[@Rotor_nator]

I actually thought he was a great wrestler. He was able to get a lot of heat with his character. I didn’t care for his manager though.

[@ameenomar1911]

Sicilian have Arab roots

[@patbrooks9823]

This guy got railroaded. They were stupid enough to put him in the gimmick, then punished him when the network complained.

[@207icon-mesportsentertaine3]

would have been world champion

[@thedude9220]

Damn he looking old. He’s about my age and looks twenty years older than me.

[@neilsmith9066]

One of the most hated Wrestlers in past 30 years

[@russell3436]

I mean I guess Persian/Iranian can still be classified under Arab.

[@flacko426]

Nah theyre much different bro, iraqi’s are arabs but iranians arent arab

[@rohitchaoji]

No, they cannot. Persian language and culture are very distinct from Arabic. The only connecting thread is religion, and even in that case, there are differences as far as I know.

[@MegaMarvelMashup]

He really could have been the goat. The Original dome mysterio 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@FettyChico]

I feel tv execs told vince we need an arab guy in wwe to make money from and possibly encourage islamaphobia maybe.

[@thegreatawesome11]

Hassan walked so jinder could run

[@mahlatserikhotso5468]

My broski's is Italian? All my life I thought he was Arab😮😮

[@bryanmack4054]

He kinda looks like he could be related to Mehdi Hasan lol

[@nysportsfan2576]

I swear I remember reading that his mother is/was Jordanian? So he is part Arab. But in this clip he says 100% Italian 🤔

[@OnionSavoya-jf5hz]

Well when you try to hijack the undertaker your not exactly going to make friends.