15 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: Muhammad Hassan
11. WWE Insisted He Stay In Character At All Times
Some people in the real world honestly felt like they were under threat.
Both Copani and on-screen manager Shawn Daivari had to stay true to their gimmicks when they were travelling, which clearly made things a little dicey at airports or out on the road generally. That edict was passed down by none other than Vince McMahon himself. In other words, Marc had no choice but to play Muhammad Hassan whenever he was out in public.
This proved problematic, which nobody will be shocked to hear. Copani literally saw people fear for their lives around him, especially when he was on planes. At one point in the doc, Marc recalled seeing and hearing people on the phone to family after spotting him. They wanted to say they loved them, and there were fears Copani (as Hassan) would do something to hijack the flight.
Wow. This part of the show was seriously intense.
Staying in character when in view of the public was certainly nothing new for pro wrestling or WWE, but other characters like Ted DiBiase's 'Million Dollar Man' or The Undertaker had been more cartoonish in nature. Ted was a rich braggart and 'Taker a largely-mute undead force, but it obvious to onlookers that they were merely playing a part to keep the pretence up.
Hassan felt different to folks due to what had happened in the real world mere years before. By insisting he stayed in gimmick at all times no matter where he was, McMahon was actually putting one of his own workers in danger more than anything else.