Muhammad Hassan

[8.0] "This character was over solidly. He was more controversial than the Iron Shiek ever was.The fans booed him to the point where there was absolutely no way he was turning face, even if he became a flag waving character. The fans liked to hate him and that is what got him over. I remember when this character was axed and the fans went ballistic, demanding his return. I always felt bad for the way Hassan was treated for playing a character that was written for him. The writers flew way too close to the Sun, and the actor took all the heat for it and was unofficially blacklisted from the business for it. Dude was only doing what he was being payed to do and putting his everything into it, not his fault that creative decided to play with fire."

[7.0] "Super talented, victim of WWE's need to overdo it and then apologize. Its a shame, he was destined for big things"

[4.0] "I don't think the gimmick was actually that bad at first. Some of the greatest villains in fiction can be summed up as "does the wrong things, but for the right reasons." I don't think WWE was ever going to stick to such a nuanced portrayal. Sure enough, they pushed it into something exploitative and it had immediate consequences. As a wrestler, guys like him are a dime a dozen. Very basic, uninspiring kind of work in the ring. The guy didn't deserve the treatment he got and probably didn't deserve to not have another shot because he got saddled with bad creative. That said, it doesn't feel like it was some great loss as his ceiling was quite low."

[7.0] "Having just watched his entire WWE run, I have to say there was so much unfulfilled potential in him. His matches wasn't always the best to watch, but his promo ability, character work and the way he would draw so much heat from a crowd was absolutely brilliant. Hewas a natural heel and you could see those higher up in the WWE was high on him because he was often working angles and storylines with different legends. Even leaving that horrible coincidence where he worked a terrorist angle broadcast on the same night as the London bombings, this was really badly written and even if that hadn't have happened I just do not see any scenario where that would have went over well. It completely missed the mark because I thought the heel character was strong because of the promos about discrimination against Arab Americans, which he had a point with. It wasn't the same as your typical foreign Anti-American gimmick. He's hard to rate because he didn't get to have a lasting career in the WWE and retired from wrestling entirely after that disastrous Smackdown segment, but it says something that even with his short shelf life, people still talk about how well he pulled this character off and that counts for something for me."

[7.0] "Incredible talent. His character generated significant controversy and discussion due to its portrayal of Arab-Americans and the post 9/11 and Iraqi occupation political climate at the time. In reality, Hassan was portrayed by Marc Copani. He was also known as Mark Magnus to OVW fans and he was really a decent wrestler, Copani had a solid skill set and a a solid understanding of wrestling fundamentals. I remember when he first arrived on the scene as the character "Muhammad Hassan, " an Arab-American who felt unfairly targeted and discriminated against due to the post-9/11 environment. He played the role of a frustrated and angry individual, expressing the struggles of Arab-Americans in the United States. The character was controversial and it showed as whenever Hassan's music hit, the crowd spewed nothing but venom at the guy and he handled it extremely well. What he lacked in the ring, he more than made up for on the microphone and in the promo department. His ability to articulate the frustrations of his character added depth to the storytelling, even though it was a source of controversy. Copani was nothing short of an effective speaker, he could deliver compelling promos that stirred up emotions and generated MASSIVE heat with the audience at the time. Unfortunately, real life creeped it's ugly head and his career came to an abrupt end when a controversial terrorist angle involving The Undertaker coincided with the London terrorist bombings of July 7, 2005, leading the television network UPN to pressure WWE to remove Copani's character from television. Hassan, in my opinion, remains one of the biggest "What-If's" in professional wrestling. Had the London Bombings not happened and WWE had not leaned so heavily into the "Anti-American" character that perpetuated stereotypes than who knows where the Hassan character could have been taken."

[7.0] "It's really a shame the way WWE butchered the Hassan gimmick, because they really could've had something special on their hands if they'd kept the Terrorism Particles at bay. His workrate was pretty average, but his promos were solid, his heel work was fantastic, and I definitely could've bought him with the WHC had things gotten to that point. Then again, Vince has never heard of the concept of nuance, so I guess it's not too surprising it all went off the rails."

[3.0] "Got his career trashed almost immediately out the door because the geniuses at WWE thought "Hey! This Italian guy looks like a Muslim! Let's make him a terrorist! " because they wanted to cash in on 911 like they tried with the Gulf War with Slaughter and they pushed the gimmick so far that they pissed off the networks with a horrible terrorist attack angle at the worst possible time when real life terrorists were bombing London. His career literally ended on that note and it looks to me like they made him the scapegoat even though I doubt it was his idea! Only going 3 stars because he wasn't allowed to show much of anything before getting canned."

[8.0] "Hassan was ruined by WWE not being smart about how to book his gimmick. He played the gimmick very well and should have been a top heel in WWE. His in-ring work was good, not top tier but would be able to deliver good matches with most wrestlers on the roster."

[7.0] "Below average ring skills. But his gimmick is a standout and controversial. His persona got heated by many fans. He speaks the statical truth (For me his promo is very funny). He is the best heel for a short time period and makes all roster look like a good person or babyface (no matter they are face or heel). Sad for him that he was fired because of a bombing incident."

[8.0] "Unfortunately, due to the controversial nature of his gimmick, his career never had any longevity to it. Keep in mind, this gimmick was 3-4 years after 9/11 happened. So, people in the United States were still very sensitive towards the tragedy. It also didn't help that his gimmick was around at a time when there was a mass bombing in London, England and they did a terrorist angle on Smackdown during Hassan's feud with the Undertaker. I mean, I'm not saying that was Hassan's or Taker's or even WWE's fault. But I guess Mark Copani was just an unfortunate victim of circumstance. He was a "wrong guy, wrong time" gimmick. Now, had he debuted as an Italian American, maybe his career might've had some longevity. Had he debuted as like an arrogant male model and maybe teamed with Sylvan or Rob Conway, then maybe it would be a totally different situation. So that's why I'm rating him as an 8. He was a good wrestler. But he was just saddled with a shitty gimmick. To make matters worse, that gimmick took place three to four years after 9/11 as I mentioned earlier."

[5.0] "Despite the nature of his controversial gimmick, Hassan was pretty unmemorable in the ring, and fine enough on the microphone in my opinion. The culture of post-9/11 America I think really makes people think like he was some almighty heel while it was just WWE casting some Italian guy play a Muslim to get cheap heat because muh Islamophobia. I can't blame him for the length of his career being so short."

[3.0] "People seem to remember Muhammad Hassan with rose-colored glasses. Or they've just read about his controversial gimmick and never actually watched it when it was happening. It was a low-hanging fruit gimmick that the WWE would have never been capable of providing the proper depth to make it work, and moreover, Hassan was NOT a good wrestler. Incredibly boring in the ring. He had "change the channel" heat with me at the time. His legacy now does not fit with the reality then."

[5.0] "Well, I think that he was an interesting wrestler and not horrible in the ring. His mic skills were also quite good, but of course he got stuck in that horrible gimmick and there was no return from that at all."

[2.0] "Eric Bischoff famously titled his autobiography "Controversy creates cash". Unfortunately for Mohammed Hassan his gimmick created anything but cash: at best it generated indifference and at worst downright hatred. To make things worse Hassan was extremely inexperienced when he had the gimmick thrust upon him, hewasn't a particularly talented worker and was abysmal at promos. Sometimes inexperienced and/or mediocre wrestlers are given stupid gimmicks to allow them to improve without any pressure, sometimes they are immediately put in a sink or swim situation, but Mohammed Hassan was clearly given the gimmick because he was expendable: if public opinion turned against him (like it did), his loss would be inconsequential for the company. This is exactly what happened."

[3.0] "I am not shocked by his absolutely disgusting gimmick because it seems like that's what happens whenever you're not an American in Vince's world. He was a poor wrestler as well. He was so terrible on the mic"

[2.0] "Terrible gimmick and wrestler. The gimmick was very stereotypical and offensive as WWE decided to use a terrorist gimmick 3 and half years after 9/11. It's unfortunate that the was given the gimmick as he is not Arab but Italian descent. It wrecked his career. He might have pulled it off like the Iron Sheik if he was 20-30 years older. His wrestling skills were horrible."

[4.0] "One of the biggest "what ifs? " in all of wrestling. Muhammad Hassan had a great look and a really interesting character. There was so much nuance to play with, the possibilities were endless. Unfortunately, we all know it ended before it ever got off the ground. In all honestly, with Vince McMahon leading the ship, it really never stood a chance at being anything but something people took as offensive. If someone more intelligent than McMahon was running the show, it would have been glorious."

[4.0] "Pretty much a JAG who mostly gets talked about due to his gimmick as post 9-11 arab dude just trying to live in the world. This is a story WWE just isn't capable of, this isn't prestige drama bro. Mediocre at best worker. Check his matchguide: there's nothing there other than a rumble."

[8.0] "Possibly the biggest victim of bad booking in the history of WWE. Hassan started off as the antithesis of everything he became in his final weeks in the promotion. One of the most thought provoking heels ever in wrestling, screwed out of a promising career by stupid booking with even worse timing."

[5.0] "A good wrestler, with a bad gimmick and worse timing. Got a lot of easy cheap heat, but he worked well with it."

[1.0] "I fail to understand the obsession some have with Muhammad Hassan. He could do a few things ok but I can't get past the character, only WWE would make a character out of an unfairly persecuted Arab and decide that makes him the bad guy, and not only a bad guy but eventually a terrorist, so from day 1 this guy was fulfilling every negative stereotype you could think of. His ring skills never developed past average, and he clearly had no passion whatsoever for the business, quitting the moment he couldn't cash a large WWE check anymore. I'll give him a 1 for his ok mic skills but that's all I'm willing to do."

[8.0] "Amazing character playing, good in the ring, decent on the mic, COULD be one of the best heels of the 2000's.... WRONG BOOKING AND TERRIBLE TIMING: ***3/4"

[7.0] "This guy was hated so much that he ended up road killing his own career in the process. Undertaker ended up giving this guy the Last Ride through the floor at Great American Bash 2005 and was never seen again. Set up boundaries for what we have in foreign heels to this day. Average in the ring but, Hassan had a good character. Hassan definitely had his moments, especially at the 2005 Royal Rumble where 9 different wrestlers ganged up on him, and the crowd erupted like crazy to Hassan's elimination."

[6.0] "With a career spanning only three years, he came a long way in a short time, from rookie to top heel. The Muhammad Hassan gimmick was questionable at best, but Copani made the most of what he was given, with solid ring work and great presence and mic skill. It's unfortunate that he wasn't able to transition to something else in wrestling once the Hassan character was "killed off. ""

[5.0] "Without a doubt one of the most controversial wrestlers in the history of the business. Right place (WWE), wrong time (terrorism at an all time high in the world outside of wrestling). He was average in the ring, but he generated heat so hot that he burned himself out of a job. Makes me wonder what he could have accomplished had his career not been cut short. Perhaps we'll never know."