10 Times WWE Tried To Be Edgy (And Failed Miserably)

Speaking of tasteless, we recommend bracing yourselves for this one.

Portraying himself as a wrestler of Jordanian-Palestinian heritage fighting the unfair treatment of Arab Americans post-9/11, Muhammad Hassan's arrival exploited the ongoing War on Terror. There was admittedly loads of potential in Hassan's character. In the right hands, he would've made an unlikely, compelling babyface in his battle against discrimination, but this is WWE we're talking about.

Rather than depict Hassan with any nuance, his character relied heavily on clichéd stereotypes. He was presented as a religious zealot, and his promos were often translated into Persian by his manager, Khosrow Daivari. With typical crudeness, WWE's broadcast team regularly claimed Daivari was speaking Arabic. What a complete farce.

Hassan even adopted the camel clutch, the preferred weapon of foreign heels everywhere. The WWE Universe couldn't silence him in "USA" chants fast enough.

Of course, these issues paled next to Hassan's most offensive moment. Following Daivari's defeat at the hands of The Undertaker, Hassan summoned five masked men, who proceeded to beat and choke The Deadman. With a smug Hassan looking on, Daivari was carried away like a martyr.

Although it was an already cheap segment, airing as it did on the same day as the 2005 London bombings was reprehensible. WWE quickly shuffled Hassan from all programing, ending plans to make him World Heavyweight Champion at that year's SummerSlam. Probably for the best, really.