This is an interesting one because Muhammad Hassan wasn't necessarily a foreigner, but he was portrayed as such. Hassan, along with his manager Daivari, started in WWE in late 2004 and he was gone by the summer of 2005. It was a short run, but it was memorable. Here's the dialogue from one of his early promos: "I am an Arab-American. I grew up right here in America. I went to the same schools, I ate the same food and there was never any animosity between us. But since 9/11, you people tend to generalize or stereotype people like me. We are singled out. We are humiliated. We demand the same rights that any American has!" That was the premise of the character. He was an American that felt slighted, but he also used that to come across like an evil foreigner. Fans don't want to see a guy blaming others for everything. He was using his race (even though he was really Italian) to complain about things and that's why the people hated him. The 2005 Royal Rumble match stands out. He entered the match, then everybody else in the ring stopped what they were doing as he was praying and they worked together to eliminate him quickly. It showed how much natural heat he had because the character was barely a month old at that point. Hassan ended up out of WWE in July of 2005 at the Great American Bash after doing a controversial segment with Undertaker on Smackdown, which led to UPN telling WWE they didn't want him on their network anymore. The character had so much potential, but it was too controversial to continue.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
