10 Most Tone-Deaf WWE Moments
5. The Sad Case Of Mohammad Hassan
The Muhammad Hassan character had every opportunity to be a brave step forward for the wrestling industry in the portrayal of Arab-Americans post-9/11. The gimmick could have called for Hassan to appeal to fans not to revert to in-built prejudices. Instead it fostered, fed and furnished them.
After Raw and SmackDown rosters combined to throw him from the Royal Rumble, Stone Cold Steve Austin referred to him and sidekick Daivari as "sand people" and every other babyface told him to "Love It Or Leave It!" when he dared question the American way, it became apparent how dispiriting the character's journey was likely to be.
A dated, distasteful and horrendously-timed segment with The Undertaker brought the struggling story to an even more abrupt halt. Hassan led a gang of masked assailants in assaulting 'The Deadman' on a SmackDown episode taped on July 4th. The problematic posse garotted him with piano wire before carrying "martyr" Daivari out on their shoulders.
The segment shouldn't have ever seen the light of day. It inexplicably aired in full on international (though not British) broadcasts on July 8th despite the London 7/7 bombings killing 56 and injured hundreds more. Hassan's WWE career (in real and storyline terms) was appropriately laid to rest by the former 'American Badass' at the Great American Bash later that month. Nobody loved it, and performer Marc Copani left it.