10 Times WWE Attempted To Use A Real Life Situation To Their Advantage (And Failed)

4. Mohammed Hassan

Vince McMahon is a man with strong political convictions which are well known, but as a keen businessman, he keeps them out of WWE for the most part. This is because, when he chooses not to do so, his attempts at political commentary tend to go very badly indeed.

Muhammad Hassan had the potential to be a timely, even important character. An American Muslim who spoke out against Islamophobia in the wake of 9/11, he had a genuine point to him, a real life message.

The problem was he was booked as a heel. He came to the ring to discuss religious prejudice in these fractious times, and fans were encouraged to boo him. Wrestling isn’t a place where subtlety thrives, and so Hassan was booked in a staggeringly unfortunate angle. Embarking on a feud with The Undertaker, Hassan summoned a gang of masked men, who beat and throttled the deadman before carrying Hassan’s stooge Daivari out like a martyr.

It was an ugly enough exploitation of a real situation as it was - worse, the pre-taped segment was aired the day of a terrorist attack in the UK. WWE waded into murky waters here and could hardly have done a worse job.