WWE’s Top 10 Most Controversial Storylines
By Tim Sherry
4. Muhammad Hassan and The London Bombings
Muhammad Hassan has to go down as one of the most unlucky professional wrestlers of all time. Brand new to the WWE roster, the Anti-American Islamic Hassan character had nuclear heat with the crowd almost instantly. However, horrible timing ended up ruining any future he had in the WWE. On an episode of Smackdown taped in 2005, the 4th of July to be exact, Hassan interrupted The Undertaker’s win celebration by kneeling down on the ramp and praying. This prompted 5 masked men to come out and attack Taker. That was a little bit over the top, but overall not too bad.
There was just one big problem with the segment. Just 3 days after the taping, the London Bombings took place. 56 people died that day and it was quickly reported that it was by the hands of Islamic terrorists. When the footage aired on UPN, it was deemed extremely offensive and insensitive as The Undertaker’s assailants very much resembled terrorists. The worst part about it was that the WWE had a chance to remove the segment before airing in the United States the way it had been in Australia and the United Kingdom but for some reason did not.
The angle effectively ended Hassan’s career. Less than 3 months later, this once rising star was released from the company. What’s even more ridiculous is that Hassan wasn’t even Arab. He was a full-blooded Italian from Syracuse, New York who’s real name is Marc Copani. Even if they had sent him home for a couple of months and then tried to repackage him as something else, it still most likely wouldn’t have worked. The damage was irreparable.
Not only was the storyline unintentionally, over the top controversial, it seems that the WWE’s decision to air it was even worse. A completely avoidable misfire claimed the career another gifted superstar.