Could Muhammed Hassan ever make a WWE return?

[Machianzo]

I've often wondered why after WWE left the UPN network Muhammad Hassan was never brought back. He was an atomic heat generator and not too bad a wrestler. I'm simply curious as to weather I'm missing something in the whole picture?

I would love to see him come back at the next Rumble or Mania, attack someone, and cut a promo on the next RAW about how American prejudice has kept him out of the WWE for years (or something like that). I would love to see him face CM Punk at some point.

So, am I missing something with his situation with the WWE? How would you bring Muhammed Hassan back if you could?

 

[satanklaw]

I totally agree he was awesome, and unfortunate events caused him to be let go, but i think i read after he was let go he lost all interest in wrestling. Sad but he could have been huge, maybe they could have him come back and team with Jinder. But he probabaly wont come back

 

[Tyler44]

I just don't see a purpose with him.

Nowadays, his gimmick just seems like it won't work. Jinder Mahal is doing the same thing, and well, I think every time he comes out the only noise in the live crowd are people asking "what the hell is that?".

Granted Hassan is more talented with the mic and is a tiny bit better of a draw than Jinder, but that is pretty much saying nothing. He's useless now.

 

[Tattooed Jesus]

No reason for him to comeback now, he would just seem like another generic heel like as stated above Jinder Mahal is right now.

I also remember reading that after the way things went down with the WWE he lost all interest in wrestling and had no desire to continue with it what so ever.

 

[Machianzo]

I just don't see a purpose with him.

Nowadays, his gimmick just seems like it won't work. Jinder Mahal is doing the same thing, and well, I think every time he comes out the only noise in the live crowd are people asking "what the hell is that?".

Granted Hassan is more talented with the mic and is a tiny bit better of a draw than Jinder, but that is pretty much saying nothing. He's useless now.

A few things I feel are quite different between Mahal and Hassan. For a start, their gimmick is not the same. Hassan was brought out as an Arab and Mahal is featured as Indian.

Secondly, although they do seem to be having Mahal ape Hassan's style of dress, he does not cut promos like Hassan did. Hassan's promos were about Arab-American discrimination, while Mahal's promos tend to be something about how he's going to crush (insert opponent here) with a bit of Hindi thrown in.

Thirdly, Hassan was heavily pushed upon his WWE debut until almost until he went out of the door, while Jinder received a short push at the start (against jobbers) then was faded out. Every time Hassan appeared, a big deal was made out of it. Every time Jinder appears, you fully expect his opponent to win within the next 5 minutes.

Fourthly, and finally, Hassan was never alone. Davari was always there to help him win, help add intensity to his promos with the Persian, and generally help create more intensity around Hassan himself. Since losing Khali, who was never portrayed as a willing helper in the first place, Jinder has been alone, and as previously mentioned, losing.

Overall, I feel that while you could say the two are similar in a vague sort of way, they are certainly not the same. There are large differences in their origin story, style of promo, and how they have been booked, that create a totally different feel about each of them, and I think that is why Mahal fails to get a large reaction, while Hassan got nuclear heat (with of course, aid from the time period.)

I myself don't know if Hassan's gimmick would work all these years later, but it couldn't hurt the WWE to try it. They could play it safe by having him come back during the lull period if they were worried.

 

[Scofield]

One thing I have noticed with WWE in recent years is the heel gimmicks of guys who are not North Americans and are Anti-Americans in a way does not work in this day & age if you are going to go with the whole Anti-American gimmick mainly because WWE's roster is quite internationally diverse than what it was before. Hussan would just be another one on the roster right now much like Mahal.

 

[JaylisJayP]

I read a while back he never cared about wrestling to begin with and was just trying to use WWE as a stepping stone in an acting career. I don't know if it is or was true, but I did find him entertaining, along with Davari. I think he had such strong heat that his gimmick would work...he's twice as entertaining as Mahal.

 

[satanklaw]

the fans were so dumb he was billed from Detroit Michigan yet they chanted USA to Hassan, so saying that him and Mahal are different i doubt the WWE Universe could tell the difference

 

[Machianzo]

the fns were so dumb he was billed from Detroit Michigan yet they chanted USA to Hassan, so saying that him and Mahal are different i doubt the WWE Universe could tell the difference

While he was billed as from Detroit, he often did bash America in general in his promos, thus the USA chants. It wasn't so much as the fans being dumb as the general content of his promos. For example:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2fG7bxnxSc[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Saeros]

No reason for him to comeback now, he would just seem like another generic heel like as stated above Jinder Mahal is right now.

I also remember reading that after the way things went down with the WWE he lost all interest in wrestling and had no desire to continue with it what so ever.

Absolute ignorance.

A generic Heel? Hassan never was, never could be, and if he was brought back never would be a "generic heel" Hassan's character was as far from generic as you could get. He was a fanatic from the middle east that shoved his ideas and beliefs down your throat. How is that the same as the "generic heels" as you put, that are in the wwe today.

With so many to choose from that play arrogant/cocky heels with nothing else to show, how on earth can you say that he would be generic?!? He drew more heat than most heels in the past decade have, and he was there all of 7/8 months.

Now onto the crap about Jinder Mahal doing the same

Lets have a comparison

Muhammed Hassan Insults your country
Jinder Mahal speaks Punjabi

Muhammed Hassan incites hate in you because of his beliefs
Jinder Mahal speaks Punjabi

Muhammed Hassan hates you for treating him wrong after 9/11
Jinder Mahal speaks Punjabi

Notice the trend? Ive not seen Mahal do any of those 3, therefor Mahal is NOT doing the same thing. Just because Mahal is from Asia, does not automatically mean hes doing the same thing as another Asian heel character.
Yes its all cheap heat i realise thats the same, but theres a difference.
Hassan pulls it off magically. Mahal forces it.

If Hassan was to return tomorrow, by the end of 2012 he would be the biggest heel the WWE has had in donkeys years. If he was still around today and had never of left, he would of been the biggest heel the wwe had ever had.

Hassan wasnt just your typical anti american heel. He had a real passion. He was believable. Name one other anti american heel in the past 10 - 15 years that walked out on their 1st night in the company and got a reaction like he did. And it would still work in todays WWE. Because people have the same prejudices, the same hate of foreigners spouting their mouths, the memory of 9/11.

Racial hated is controversial heat, but it draws a phenomenal amount if done correctly. Hassan, Daivari and the writing team did it perfectly until the 7/7 incident.

 

[M3420]

Just an idea....

Bring him back as a FACE! There are a lot of people out there who thought he was both good on the mic and in the ring, and I certainly would have to agree with that.

Now look, I get it... there has been no shortage of tension between America and the Middle East and WWE has found a way to capitalize on it in the 80's, 90's, and 2000's. Now while I'm not exactly saying that there aren't still problems, but couldn't it really be a fresh take on the whole thing to maybe give some props to the many many many outstanding members of the Arab world?

Art imitates life, life imitates art, etc. etc. I don't expect many out there to love this idea, but I can't be the only one thinking why not

 

[WorldsStrongestFan]

So refreshing to see a Muhammed Hassan thread! As he is continuing to be all time favourite heel because whenever he spoke anyone and everybody paid attention, he just had a natural connection and believable hatred for the crowd.

As for whether I think he make a WWE Return, in general opinion this era has out grown him, more than half of his traits that made him a kickass heel will never pass in the world of PG.

So hang onto the good memories of Hassan, because if he returns he will end up like poor Jinder. there's just no call for a foreign heel in the PG Era.

 

[Machianzo]

So refreshing to see a Muhammed Hassan thread! As he is continuing to be all time favourite heel because whenever he spoke anyone and everybody paid attention, he just had a natural connection and believable hatred for the crowd.

I thank you for the compliment, but I strongly disagree with your points.

As for whether I think he make a WWE Return, in general opinion this era has out grown him, more than half of his traits that made him a kickass heel will never pass in the world of PG.

Which traits, exactly? His promos never broke any PG regulations, neither did his in ring work. I don't think I ever heard Hassan say anything that would break the PG barriers, certainly no more than CM Punk does on a regular basis nowadays.

So hang onto the good memories of Hassan, because if he returns he will end up like poor Jinder. there's just no call for a foreign heel in the PG Era.

If you look at my second post in this thread, I strongly disagree with Jinder Mahal comparisons. His promos were not like Jinder's, his booking was not like Jinder's, and his gimmick was not Jinder's.

 

[aFTeRLiFe]

It would be great to see him come back with a different gimmick.
The guy has it or did. The look - the mic work and IMO was great in the ring.

I didn't understand why they released him to begin with, they should have just let Taker do that last ride off the stage and then bring him back as a different package... He was a great heel. IMO he could and would have made it to the main event.

 

[Saeros]

It would be great to see him come back with a different gimmick.
The guy has it or did. The look - the mic work and IMO was great in the ring.

I didn't understand why they released him to begin with, they should have just let Taker do that last ride off the stage and then bring him back as a different package... He was a great heel. IMO he could and would have made it to the main event.

He asked for the release. It wasnt WWE's decision.
A phone interview done with him at the time back in september 2005 when he was released stated that he had asked to leave to explore other options, and the door was left open for a return somewhere down the line.

Funnily enough he returned to wrestling in 2010 according to wikipedia and theres videos of it on youtube.

 

[WorldsStrongestFan]

Which traits, exactly? His promos never broke any PG regulations, neither did his in ring work. I don't think I ever heard Hassan say anything that would break the PG barriers, certainly no more than CM Punk does on a regular basis nowadays

Well from I'm guessing the sympathizers, or whatever they were called wouldn't return, And perhaps it would be too risky because the last I heard of him was that the character was scraped ever since some british bombing (that is probally really inaccurate)

 

[Machianzo]

Well from I'm guessing the sympathizers, or whatever they were called wouldn't return, And perhaps it would be too risky because the last I heard of him was that the character was scraped ever since some british bombing (that is probally really inaccurate)

I agree, but the sympathizers were not integral to the gimmick. They were only brought in toward the end of his run on Smackdown.

Also, the London bombing were the reason he was taken off the UPN network, Smackdown has of course moved to Syfy. I think enough time has passed to for the WWE to have put that behind them, but of course I could be wrong.

 

[Honkey_Kong]

I thank you for the compliment, but I strongly disagree with your points.



Which traits, exactly? His promos never broke any PG regulations, neither did his in ring work. I don't think I ever heard Hassan say anything that would break the PG barriers, certainly no more than CM Punk does on a regular basis nowadays.



If you look at my second post in this thread, I strongly disagree with Jinder Mahal comparisons. His promos were not like Jinder's, his booking was not like Jinder's, and his gimmick was not Jinder's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM_Rm6kXCUY

Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is a bit too violent for PG. Remember Daniel Bryan got fired for strangling somebody in a similar fashion.

Besides, if the WWE wanted to tone down their content so kids could watch, seeing an Al Qaeda beat down of the Undertaker might upset a few butt-hole Christian mothers.

 

[Machianzo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM_Rm6kXCUY

Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is a bit too violent for PG. Remember Daniel Bryan got fired for strangling somebody in a similar fashion.

Besides, if the WWE wanted to tone down their content so kids could watch, seeing an Al Qaeda beat down of the Undertaker might upset a few butt-hole Christian mothers.

If you'd have actually taken the time to read my earlier posts, I went over this. The strangling with the wire, the sympathizers, neither of them were integral to the Muhammed Hassan gimmick nor character. He was doing fine on RAW without them before he got drafted. They could easily bring him back without those assets.

 

[MVA09]

You just cant compare Hassan and Mahal...Simply because hassan was portrait as an Arab American and Mahal from India...We know there has been general tension between USA and the Middle-East but India and USA share good relations...Moreso, the timing of hassan making his debut also was a factor for his success...Whatever Hassan said infuriated the crowd and whatever Mahal says...well nobody really understands to begin with ...

I do believe now is the time to bring hassan back if ever there was one...He can actually make some points like how USA attacked Osama in a different country and that too without there Governments consent...

 

[BMOZ]

Great thread, I remember getting chills down my spine at how believably scary this guy could be and got booed out of the building every night, the only downfall if he was brought back would be that Jim Duggan would be back on TV every week.

 

[mb47]

Hassan is personally one of my all time top heels. The man was just terrific at generating heat, he worked well in the ring and his mic skills were flawless. He was booked and pushed really well though as well.

To me that's what would depend on if he could come back with the same gimmick, how would he be booked? Poor booking and he won't get over, good booking and he will. He had a complete understanding of his character and how to portray himself but by large it's all based around the booking so he could be flawless in his gimmick but poor booking would mean he's not going to get over as he did previously.

However Hassan was so over as a heel not one person has mentioned the fact Cena squashed him in a match. That's pretty damaging to have a top heel get squashed yet it did nothing negative to Hassan's character.

A feud with Undertaker, that's just massive, okay it didn't work out how it was being planned, however you have to look past the fact that it was all heavily changed due to real life situations and look that Hassan was about to be the top heel in the company if things has stayed the same. There's no denying in, I believe, anyone's mind that feuding with UT is a clear indication that WWE is pushing you as one of their top guys.

I would personally love to see a return, it could work but as I said it depends on the booking. WWE clearly had enough faith in Hassan originally and I'm sure if it were to ever happen that he could easily generate a huge amount of heat again. Plus think of some possible feuds against CM Punk, John Cena and while they're still around Jericho and Undertaker. Personally if Hassan was to come back have him end the streak, have him take Undertaker out and then imagine the heat that Hassan would get. Plus they could give enough of the back story to fill in new fans.

 

[Nick Black]

Being a mark of good heels, Hassan was fantastic and always will be. The Smackdown incident completely killed his career, obviously. I feel that he could run a good program with Khali and Mahal, with words of war over racism and being treated poorly, but Khali is limited, and Mahal is not too much of a draw.

Hassan wrestled for the first time in late 2010 and still has not been heard from much. He was a great worker and was impeccable on the mic. The other issue is, besides working with Khali and Mahal, there aren't many pro-american (such as Angle) workers that he can roll with. CM Punk is the obvious choice, but he is suggested for a feud with every wrestler known to man, because it would just be good. Jack Swagger could possibly pull the pro-american route, but that would be literally copying ALL of Kurt Angle's character.

I feel that if there was room for Hassan and if a good feud could come out of his return, the WWE could use it. But I don't see that happening. It's a bummer, because this post got me dreaming of a return, but I highly doubt that it is in the cards.

 

[Saeros]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM_Rm6kXCUY

Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is a bit too violent for PG. Remember Daniel Bryan got fired for strangling somebody in a similar fashion.

Besides, if the WWE wanted to tone down their content so kids could watch, seeing an Al Qaeda beat down of the Undertaker might upset a few butt-hole Christian mothers.

See, this post is EXACTLY why Hassan would still work in todays WWE.

The last part of your post is the perfect example of how he was portrayed by fans and the public, despite it being wrong. He was an Arab American, had no connections to Al-Qaeda, yet he is automatically put into that category.

Yes he attacked with piano wire and masked men but before that even, people were still thinking/saying hes a terrorist. Thats what his character was all about, because it was so real. Im from England and it was the same over here after 7/7. People looked at Arabs and got worried. And it was the same in America. Hassan played off this. As i said before, the piano wire angle was just damn stupid in the first place. But you do not need to have such angles to make Hassan work.

If Mark Copani ever returned and came back as Muhammed Hassan, all he would need to do is run his mouth, shove his ideas down your throat, tell you you're a bunch of racists, Quote the Koran, and come out to that totally simple but awesome theme that instantly made people hate him. And believe me, PG or not, he would be well on his way to being the biggest heel character ever.

 

[Jeritron5000]

I do believe now is the time to bring hassan back if ever there was one...He can actually make some points like how USA attacked Osama in a different country and that too without there Governments consent...

And then he can feud with Cena who can make the counterpoint that we give them 3 billion dollars in aid and they were, more or less, protecting him? Hassan coming back is never going to happen and would be short lived if he did. Apart from this board, I can't fathom the current WWE audience being entertained by such a thing again. It was stupid then, it would be dumber now.