FunKay the Inevitable
People Like Me, We Don't Play
I first have to say apologies if this is in the wrong section or if this topic has been covered before.
Cast your minds back to the summer of 2005, John Cena and Batista are in the midst of their first world title reigns, the draft has just taken place and a fast rising heel and his mouthpiece have been taken to SmackDown. I'm of course talking about Muhammad Hassan and Daivari. Hassan had a winning streak defeating such wrestlers as Chris Jericho and The King and even faced Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels in a tag match with Daivari. When Hassan was drafted to SmackDown, the (reported) plan was as follows: Have him (briefly) feud with the Undertaker over who should become the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship (held by Batista) before going on to face Batista for the remainder of the summer and into the autumn (or fall as American's say). However that didn't happen.
Hassan's character was written off of television due to an 'extreme' twist his character had taken. You see, Hassan and Daivari's characters were two Muslim/American's who were upset with the way America continued to stereotype the 'eastern world' in the post 9/11 world. However shortly into the feud, the two characters changed, this is what follwed:
The WWE omitted the footage from international airings but it remained in the American tapings and was leeked to the internet where fans found it disstasteful to say the least. The Hassan and Daivari character's were written off of television at The Great American bash and shortly afterwards Mark Copani (Hassan's real name) was released and Daivari was brought back to manage Kurt Angle and later Mark Henry & The Great Khali. My question is: What Could the Muhammad Hassan Character have Done in his run with WWE should it have continued?
Personally I believe that Hassan was a good heel character (up until the extreme twist) who did his job well. He had solid in ring work to boot and could have gone on to the main event for awhile. I always thought that Hassan could have done a great deal and won a world title and had a good reign. But these are just my thoughts,what are yours? Was Hassan World Championship material? Or was he just the flavour of the summer?
Cast your minds back to the summer of 2005, John Cena and Batista are in the midst of their first world title reigns, the draft has just taken place and a fast rising heel and his mouthpiece have been taken to SmackDown. I'm of course talking about Muhammad Hassan and Daivari. Hassan had a winning streak defeating such wrestlers as Chris Jericho and The King and even faced Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels in a tag match with Daivari. When Hassan was drafted to SmackDown, the (reported) plan was as follows: Have him (briefly) feud with the Undertaker over who should become the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship (held by Batista) before going on to face Batista for the remainder of the summer and into the autumn (or fall as American's say). However that didn't happen.
Hassan's character was written off of television due to an 'extreme' twist his character had taken. You see, Hassan and Daivari's characters were two Muslim/American's who were upset with the way America continued to stereotype the 'eastern world' in the post 9/11 world. However shortly into the feud, the two characters changed, this is what follwed:
From Wikipedia: On the episode of SmackDown! taped on July 4, General Manager Theodore Long put Muhammad Hassan in a match against The Undertaker at The Great American Bash and placed Daivari in a match that night against the Undertaker. Daivari was defeated easily, but Hassan began to 'pray' on the ramp, summoning five masked men, dressed in black shirts, ski-masks, and camo pants. Armed with clubs and a piano wire, they beat and choked the Undertaker out, and Hassan put him in the Camel Clutch. Afterward, the masked men lifted Daivari above their heads and carried him away. Three days later, hours before the episode was scheduled to air, the London bombings took place.
The WWE omitted the footage from international airings but it remained in the American tapings and was leeked to the internet where fans found it disstasteful to say the least. The Hassan and Daivari character's were written off of television at The Great American bash and shortly afterwards Mark Copani (Hassan's real name) was released and Daivari was brought back to manage Kurt Angle and later Mark Henry & The Great Khali. My question is: What Could the Muhammad Hassan Character have Done in his run with WWE should it have continued?
Personally I believe that Hassan was a good heel character (up until the extreme twist) who did his job well. He had solid in ring work to boot and could have gone on to the main event for awhile. I always thought that Hassan could have done a great deal and won a world title and had a good reign. But these are just my thoughts,what are yours? Was Hassan World Championship material? Or was he just the flavour of the summer?