Muhammad Hassan is still known to this day as one of WWE’s most controversial characters, and Marc Julian Copani (the man behind the gimmick) recently appeared on “The False Finish” podcast for AdFreeShows to discuss being pitched the character by Arn Anderson and Jim Cornette, why he didn’t turn the role down, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On being pitched the character by Arn Anderson and Jim Cornette: “No idea where it was going to go … It was Vince’s baby, and Vince wanted to bring an Arab heel back into the WWE.”
On not turning the role down: “You don’t say no to a character…[it was] a tremendous opportunity.”
On the character not being able to work today: “I would never imagine a character like this would have flown today, but back then, it wasn’t so outrageous.”
For those who may not recall, the UPN Network eventually urged WWE to keep Hassan off SmackDown due to mainstream criticism of the gimmick.
