If Muhammad Hassan returned today..

[HurriKane]

Muhammad Hassan is a wrestler, I'm sure most of us will remember, as he climbed up the ladder, and got more heat (on and off camera apparently) in his short WWE stint, then most wrestlers could dream of. Muhammad Hassan would feud with Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, and even The Undertaker, which was quite a resume. I honestly believe its a true shame, his career had to end the way it did, so I wanted to ask do you guys think if Muhammad Hassan came back to WWE, do you guys think he can still get over as a heel with the same gimmick he had back then?

Now I know his gimmick came around shortly after 9/11 (well it wasn't immediate) so some could say it was easy for him to get heat, because 9/11 was still fresh in our memory. But I honestly think if he returned I can still see him being a great heel, especially in comparison to the lack of good heels on the roster.

I could easily see him, feuding with John Cena right off the back, with him taking a John Cena U.S open, and winning the title off him. It would be almost too perfect in my opinion.

So what do you guys think? Do you think Muhammad Hassan would still be as over as a heel now, and do you think he would fit in with the career roster of WWE superstars?


Sidenote: I also put this in the old school thread, cause Hassan has retired

 

[OldSchoolWrestlingFan]

I have too say yes, he would continue to get major heat & would be a top tier Heel. He had a lot going for him & was headed toward becoming a modern day Iron Sheik. He had a fantastic look, great in ring skills & had a way on the mic to cause the entire arena to erupt into a chorus of boos. To this day he got the loudest boos I've ever heard at a live event & I firmly believe if Rusev is getting heat now that Hassan could out do him by 1000%!

 

[Eyebrows]

Possibly, but since the main demographic is younger viewers I think he'd be watered down into a standard 'foreigner' gimmick.

With a gimmick like Rusev's, you wonder how much mileage there is since the 'foreign heel' gimmick is fairly one note. The Hassan character did it with a twist, highlighting the persecution he felt as a U.S. citizen. It wasn't about a foreigner from evil Russia, China, wherever coming in, but somebody trying to highlight the hypocrisy of the culture around him.

The experiences of Muslims in the West is an incredibly complex issue. Kids can grasp a simple black/white feud like Rusev/Cena. Hassan's character was so layered that I dont think they'd get it.

I also think that if he was exactly the same the controversy around the character would be worse considering the target audience, sponsorship etc. I also think that with the WWE trying to push into the Middle East Market (dos they do a Saudi Arabia tour?) having a Muslim as a heel might count against them.

When they did the ski-mask angle they would have ruined Hassan even without the controversy surrounding 7/7, because they would have turned him into everything the character was denying to be. Part of what made him so interesting was because, up to that angle, he had a valid point.

It's a shame because the failure of the Hassan character long-term had nothing to do with the performer, who was exceptional on the mic.

 

[FromGlasgow]

He probably wouldn't be that old if he returned today, I did think he had potential and would have liked to see his character stay around longer but think the WWE caved in to media backlash at time due to the controversy the character created and decided to end it, I don't think it was any worse than previously similar gimicks like Slaughter, Sheik and Adnan during the Iraq war for example, Maybe the world acts all too politically correct now for characters like this and its all taken too seriously.

 

[The Perfect Max]

I loved Muhammad Hassan. The WWE had taken an old fashioned gimmick and given it some really deep layers that truly made the Hassan character a one-of-a-kind. The obvious controversies ruined it for Hassan, and it's a damn shame, because he was a good in-ring worker with great mic skills.

I think the irony of the whole issue with Hassan is that, really, everybody loved the character for the character the real man was portraying. He was incredibly entertaining with quite an insightful message, whether you agreed with it or not. I feel as if the WWE felt obligated to act in the light of the attacks in London, but even as a native, I can honestly say that, I wanted to keep it going. Yes, 7/7 was awful, 9/11 was even worse, but this is entertainment. This is television, it's scripted. Hassan drew nuclear heat, and I believe he still would today, because of the combination of his abilities.

You could argue that the demographic of the target audience would not understand Hassan, but I would have to disagree there. I think kids would understand enough that, if he mentioned he hated things in the U.S.A., they would boo him. The older audience would understand the deeper messages, and that's fine too. One could argue that Hassan's downfall was really bad timing, even if the "incident" didn't make too much sense with the character anyway.

I just think that people in the world need to relax a little. I get it, terrorism is real, and it's awful. I know people affected by it, but the fact is, it still happens. If people can be happily entertained by terrorists trying to kill Jack Bauer and the U.S. President in 24 without the need of the newtork to cave because of the real nature, then surely WWE, whose last initial used to (and still does) stand for ENTERTAINMENT, can be allowed to do the same? Not saying this is WWE's fault, but the big deal about Hassan really shouldn't be that big. The guy is a talent, end of.

 

[L@RISANO]

Echoing those above, I'd say that he would be hated by Casuals and loved by Smarks due to his brilliance at character portrayal during his rather short run in the WWE. Clearly, there were big plans for his character and he was headed towards a World title run at some point had it not been for the external pressure and the awful booking which frankly, betrayed what his character initially stood for.


Today, I feel the world is more knowledgable about terrorism and also in terms of what Hassan was portraying with regards to being a muslim guy that feels betrayed by his own country. Indeed, given how Bray Wyatt has been handled, Hassan could well go a similar way, yet I feel he would be more of a hit in this day and age of Social Media, etc.

Too bad he became a teacher and ended his wrestling days early as he didn't want to reinvent himself all over again after the Hassan character was pulled.

 

[hacksawrowdyhogan]

He would only be turning 34 this year and be in his wrestling prime. Man, crazy terrorists are still doing stuff this day. He would have nuclear heat and be a many time heavyweight champion.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

I think it could still get over today, but WWE is a totally different animal to what it was then. It's hard to believe in only a few years, they've become a publicly traded company, involved in numerous philanthropic efforts, and made a huge social media push. Comapred to where they were during Hassan's run when a large portion of the roster was still using anabolic steroids, the content had blood and sexual story lines, etc.

I think WWE for the most parts steers clear of these type of things now as it would fuel Xenophobia, and as the WWE has made an aim at becoming more and more global they don't want to ruffle the wrong feathers. I know it's easy to point as Rusev, but (currently) were not at war with Russia, and also he is portrayed as a very over the top almost cartoon like villain. I think Hassan hit a little too close to home for many at the time, but with things like Isis and the Boston Marathon bombing still top news stories to this day, the character could of course still get over, I just don't think they'd want it to.

All that said, I do feel bad for Mark Copani, the man who portrayed this gimmick. Because too often as wrestling tends to blur the lines of fantasy and reality people seem to mistake the performer for the gimmick and this man (who is an American) not only lost his job, but also had to continue on in life with the physical appearance of "Muhammad Hassan". I really think WWE should've attempted to repackage him, as he almost portrayed his character too well.

 

[yourdamnluck]

Sure just have him come back on 9/11. It's Friday so it can be at smackdown at least on tv it can be huge.

 

[lowandmighty]

I think with the whole ISIS thing going on he would make just as big an impact as he did before.
Perfect challenger for John Cena and the United States championship. Which Muhammad Hassan held before anyway? Could be wrong about that.