1. Muhammad Hassan
Muhammad Hassan is probably the most controversial former WWE superstar on this list, and the option that WWE want you to forget rather than actually being forgotten by fans. It probably wasn't a good idea on the part of WWE creative to give a gimmick to a wrestler that focused primarily on the treatment and characterisation of Arab-Americans following the attacks of September 11th. Especially not in an environment known for crudeness and distaste such as the WWE. Of course, WWE have never been known for using their common sense when it came to gimmicks and storylines, and Muhammad Hassan was no exception. The gimmick was never truly supported by the Arab-American community, but the true controversy surrounding the character never appeared until July 2004, almost a year into his run with the WWE. In a storyline that began a potential feud with The Undertaker, and what could have propelled Hassan into a main event position in the WWE, Hassan summoned five masked men to attack The Undertaker, choking him out after using clubs to beat him down. The attack took place after Hassan "prayed" on the ramp. To anyone, it could come across as a religious assault. What created the problem, was that the segment aired in the US on the day of the London Bombings. WWE took harsh criticism from many media companies, and the segment was not aired in many broadcasts around the world, including the UK. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTugY2fYMv4 The segment led to the release of Hassan only weeks later, as UPN requested that he no longer appear on their programming. The worst part of the short-lived career of Hassan, is that none of the aftermath was his fault. The character was created by the WWE, and all the storylines he appeared in were created by the WWE. Still, Mark Copani, the man who played Hassan, took the blame and endured a swift end to what could have been a potentially successful and memorable wrestling career. Today, Copani is a teacher in Syracuse and probably doesn't ever want to remember his run in the WWE. He'll always be remembered as one of the most controversial superstars of the noughties, even though WWE don't want you to remember him.