Former WWE superstar Mark Copani believes his Muhammad Hassan character served as a catalyst that fundamentally changed World Wrestling Entertainment's approach to controversial storylines. Speaking with Steve Fall on Ten Count Media ahead of his Dark Side of the Ring episode, Copani argued his character marked a pivotal moment in wrestling history.
It was the end of the attitude era and they had to really rethink their portrayal of different nationalities and different circumstances," Copani explained. "And I think it was kind of an eye opener for them as well that they couldn't just do what you wanted on TV anymore.
The Muhammad Hassan character, which debuted three years after 9/11, generated unprecedented real-world controversy that transcended typical wrestling heat. Unlike previous foreign antagonists, Hassan's storylines touched raw nerves in post-9/11 America, creating reactions WWE wasn't prepared to handle.
I think it might have been too late because the world was changing around the WWE and suddenly things like that weren't looked at as entertainment anymore. They became too raw, too real," Copani reflected.
"It was kind of cancel culture. It was really kind of early on like there was no opportunity to change that character or to change what he was saying. It was get this character off of television.
The character's abrupt removal in 2005 forced WWE to reconsider how cultural sensitivity intersects with entertainment, establishing new boundaries that continue influencing content decisions today.
