15 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: Muhammad Hassan
9. Kurt Angle’s Part In An Eddie Guerrero Drama
Copani had to look out for political backbiting behind the curtain at WWE shows too. He'd been using the Camel Clutch as a finisher (lifting it from fellow anti-USA character The Iron Sheik from a generation or so prior), and it was getting a reaction from fans. One day, Kurt Angle walked up to Hassan and pointed out that Eddie Guerrero was using the move as a routine spot in his matches too.
Angle wondered if it'd be a good idea for Marc to protect his finish by having a word with Guerrero. Looking back, Copani definitely wishes he hadn't and thinks he should've kept his mouth shut, but he took the advice and approached Eddie backstage. That's when Guerrero said that his father had invented the workmanlike submission, so he'd always used it as a tribute.
Yikes.
This turned into "nuclear heat" for Copani from the rest of the WWE locker room. Many had already been upset that his Muhammad Hassan character was getting a big push so quickly, but now critics could point to unhappiness that Marc had apparently been disrespectful towards a cherished veteran like Eddie. Realising that the proverbial had just hit the fan, Copani told VICE: “I was mortified. I just really felt like I’d made a mistake that I’m not gonna come back from”.
He called his father and wanted to fly himself home to escape the heat, but ended up in the dreaded "Wrestler’s Court" instead. Suddenly, things had gone from a young worker trying to humbly protect his finish to the entire roster piling on. Yeah, let's just assume Copani didn't thank Kurt for that one.