Which Former WWE Wrestler Thinks His Gimmick Was "Insensitive"?
It'd certainly never get the green light in 2020...
Marc Copani, who played the controversial Muhammad Hassan character in WWE between 2004-2005, told Chris Van Vliet that the gimmick was "insensitive towards Muslim Americans and Arab-American people".
When asked if he thinks such a persona could work today, Copani said it'd have to be done very differently so it didn't mis-represent Muslims.
Copani left WWE in 2005, but did pop back up on the independent scene for a few matches in 2018. After those, he officially retired from the ring, and told Van Vliet that it never sat well with him when the Hassan character changed from an Arab-American who was upset about rough treatment to "a more radicalized Muslim and Arab young man who was lashing out violently".
He recalled hearing from Shelton Benjamin on a flight one time that people towards the back of the plane were calling their families to tell them they loved them - they were fearing for their lives after spotting him. Copani also remembered how others would literally cross the road to get away from him when he was in full gimmick.
Copani finds it challenging to smile when he thinks of wrestling to this day, because the Hassan failure and fallout left such a bad taste in his mouth.