1
00:00:03,878 --> 00:00:07,482
Introducing first,
Mark Magnus!
2
00:00:07,583 --> 00:00:08,983
[Narrator]
In the early 2000s,
3
00:00:09,117 --> 00:00:11,653
Marc Copani was a young
wrestler with a dream.
4
00:00:11,785 --> 00:00:13,788
When I got the phone call
that I was gonna be on
5
00:00:13,887 --> 00:00:17,158
the WWE, I knew it was
gonna be special.
6
00:00:17,259 --> 00:00:20,495
You see, I'm the
future of wrestling.
7
00:00:20,594 --> 00:00:22,664
But when they
pitched me the idea,
8
00:00:22,797 --> 00:00:23,998
I was very nervous.
9
00:00:24,132 --> 00:00:26,468
You're looking
at the great...
10
00:00:26,568 --> 00:00:29,336
Muhammad Hassan!
11
00:00:29,471 --> 00:00:32,008
[booing & cheering]
12
00:00:32,106 --> 00:00:35,409
What? I said, "But he's
Italian, from Syracuse."
13
00:00:35,509 --> 00:00:38,213
"Well, for us, he's gonna be
a Middle Easterner."
14
00:00:38,313 --> 00:00:39,981
But Copani's path
to stardom
15
00:00:40,082 --> 00:00:42,017
proved extremely
controversial,
16
00:00:42,149 --> 00:00:45,020
as WWE cast him as a
shocking new villain.
17
00:00:45,154 --> 00:00:47,423
We are three years
removed from 9/11.
18
00:00:47,521 --> 00:00:49,656
And it's still
a fresh wound.
19
00:00:49,790 --> 00:00:51,426
There was so much
discrimination going on,
20
00:00:51,526 --> 00:00:53,594
so it was just
instant heat.
21
00:00:53,695 --> 00:00:56,298
We're labeled terrorists!
Terrorists!
22
00:00:56,363 --> 00:00:57,865
I'm a terrorist!
23
00:00:57,966 --> 00:01:00,603
He was stoking
a lot of prejudices.
24
00:01:00,701 --> 00:01:04,605
America does not wish
good will towards all men.
25
00:01:04,706 --> 00:01:07,308
Muhammad Hassan and what
he was saying wasn't silly.
26
00:01:07,409 --> 00:01:09,010
What he was
saying was right.
27
00:01:09,111 --> 00:01:11,478
And, no one wants to
hear that they're wrong.
28
00:01:11,579 --> 00:01:13,313
Those people wanted
to ----ing kill him.
29
00:01:13,382 --> 00:01:16,284
But it takes on an
entirely different level
30
00:01:16,385 --> 00:01:18,052
once the London
bombing occurs.
31
00:01:18,153 --> 00:01:19,454
It's a series of
terrorist attacks
32
00:01:19,554 --> 00:01:21,156
in the capital
this morning.
33
00:01:21,257 --> 00:01:24,125
That's when things
started to go downhill.
34
00:01:24,225 --> 00:01:26,361
It was a ride
straight to the top
35
00:01:26,460 --> 00:01:29,063
that ended in
sudden disaster.
36
00:01:29,165 --> 00:01:32,167
The character started to
become more radicalized.
37
00:01:32,233 --> 00:01:35,135
And suddenly he had a crew
of terrorist henchmen.
38
00:01:35,236 --> 00:01:36,137
Oh, my god!
39
00:01:36,237 --> 00:01:37,906
That's what blew
everything up.
40
00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:39,707
Choke him.
41
00:01:39,808 --> 00:01:41,977
They underestimated
the amount of scrutiny
42
00:01:42,076 --> 00:01:43,445
it was going to receive.
43
00:01:43,545 --> 00:01:46,415
The network was saying,
"We're not gonna air
44
00:01:46,513 --> 00:01:50,084
SmackDown if this character
is not written off."
45
00:01:50,186 --> 00:01:52,587
Instead of this being a
footnote in his career,
46
00:01:52,686 --> 00:01:54,355
it became the last chapter.
47
00:01:54,423 --> 00:01:57,992
Everything that I had
worked for was just gone.
48
00:01:58,093 --> 00:02:01,530
It was that quick.
The rise, the fall.
49
00:02:01,629 --> 00:02:02,998
No, no, no, no!
50
00:02:03,096 --> 00:02:04,566
And then the rebirth.
51
00:02:04,665 --> 00:02:08,836
♪
52
00:02:08,937 --> 00:02:11,372
♪
53
00:02:11,438 --> 00:02:13,675
[crackling fireworks]
54
00:02:13,775 --> 00:02:18,212
Following WWE's unparalleled
success in the late 1990s,
55
00:02:18,312 --> 00:02:20,883
in the early 2000s,
the company struggles
56
00:02:20,949 --> 00:02:23,585
to find its footing
in a new era.
57
00:02:23,686 --> 00:02:26,122
The WWE was in a
transition period.
58
00:02:26,221 --> 00:02:28,090
They had lost Stone Cold
Steve Austin
59
00:02:28,188 --> 00:02:30,290
to injury and retirement.
60
00:02:30,391 --> 00:02:32,460
They'd lost the
Rock to the movies.
61
00:02:32,593 --> 00:02:36,264
And they were trying to find
their next major superstars.
62
00:02:36,364 --> 00:02:37,633
Hello, Kentucky!
63
00:02:37,764 --> 00:02:39,801
And welcome to
Ohio Valley Wrestling!
64
00:02:39,901 --> 00:02:43,072
Ohio Valley Wrestling was a
local wrestling promotion
65
00:02:43,170 --> 00:02:45,240
and training center here in
Louisville, Kentucky,
66
00:02:45,341 --> 00:02:48,310
to serve as a developmental
or a training program
67
00:02:48,443 --> 00:02:50,878
for aspiring
WWE wrestlers.
68
00:02:50,979 --> 00:02:53,716
That's the trajectory that
Brock Lesnar had taken,
69
00:02:53,814 --> 00:02:55,449
and John Cena,
and Randy Orton,
70
00:02:55,550 --> 00:02:57,819
and Batista.
71
00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:00,823
If you had the athletic
background, the size,
72
00:03:00,923 --> 00:03:03,625
the personality, we could
show you how to be
73
00:03:03,725 --> 00:03:05,492
a successful pro wrestler.
74
00:03:05,593 --> 00:03:08,663
I'm Jim Cornette, and I was
one of the trainers of the
75
00:03:08,795 --> 00:03:12,000
wrestler that would come to be
known as Muhammad Hassan.
76
00:03:12,133 --> 00:03:14,002
[crowd chatter
& cheering]
77
00:03:14,103 --> 00:03:16,971
When Marc Copani came in,
he's 21 years old.
78
00:03:17,072 --> 00:03:19,741
He was in good shape.
He had good looks.
79
00:03:19,842 --> 00:03:22,176
And you could see that he had
a great amount of potential.
80
00:03:22,277 --> 00:03:25,080
Boy, this kid's come a
long way- Oh, ho, ho!
81
00:03:25,179 --> 00:03:27,314
I was always athletic,
and I always played sports,
82
00:03:27,415 --> 00:03:30,418
so wrestling kind of
combined all of that for me.
83
00:03:30,519 --> 00:03:32,655
Feast your eyes
and fantasize on
84
00:03:32,788 --> 00:03:36,125
this year's model,
Mark Magnus.
85
00:03:36,224 --> 00:03:39,794
Mark's character was like,
smug, arrogant.
86
00:03:39,895 --> 00:03:42,330
I'm better than you in every
category type of thing.
87
00:03:42,430 --> 00:03:45,032
My name is Chris Mordetzky,
but you probably know me
88
00:03:45,165 --> 00:03:47,835
better as Chris Masters,
The Masterpiece.
89
00:03:47,937 --> 00:03:49,371
This guy is a work of art.
90
00:03:49,503 --> 00:03:52,040
Mark was the OVW
champion at one point.
91
00:03:52,174 --> 00:03:54,008
Obviously, the best.
92
00:03:54,108 --> 00:03:56,210
Jim Cornette booked Mark,
and they were able to help
93
00:03:56,312 --> 00:03:59,548
give him an opportunity
to get signed in WWE.
94
00:03:59,681 --> 00:04:02,717
In two years, he had gone
from the lowest guy
95
00:04:02,850 --> 00:04:03,852
on the totem pole...
96
00:04:03,951 --> 00:04:05,354
No, wait a minute.
Yes!
97
00:04:05,453 --> 00:04:07,156
...to a main event
wrestler in OVW.
98
00:04:07,254 --> 00:04:08,389
[phone ringing]
99
00:04:08,522 --> 00:04:11,825
And all of a sudden, I get a
call from the WWE office...
100
00:04:14,062 --> 00:04:16,564
Saying they wanted
to make him an Arab.
101
00:04:16,697 --> 00:04:18,833
And I'm...
102
00:04:18,899 --> 00:04:21,737
I said, "But he's Italian,
from Syracuse.
103
00:04:21,869 --> 00:04:23,572
How, how is this
gonna work?"
104
00:04:23,706 --> 00:04:26,841
Jim Cornette told me what
they were looking for.
105
00:04:26,908 --> 00:04:29,511
Didn't really know how
I felt about it at the time.
106
00:04:29,576 --> 00:04:31,579
But, this was a
big opportunity,
107
00:04:31,713 --> 00:04:34,014
and not many people
have a character
108
00:04:34,115 --> 00:04:35,550
that's handed to ‘em.
109
00:04:35,649 --> 00:04:37,151
So, there was
no doubt about it,
110
00:04:37,250 --> 00:04:39,252
I was gonna do
the character.
111
00:04:39,353 --> 00:04:43,225
My name's Marc Copani,
and in 2004 and 2005,
112
00:04:43,324 --> 00:04:46,494
I played the character
Muhammad Hassan on WWE.
113
00:04:46,593 --> 00:04:48,329
Marc was very
dark complected,
114
00:04:48,428 --> 00:04:49,896
he has the dark hair.
115
00:04:49,999 --> 00:04:52,000
He could look like
a stereotypical
116
00:04:52,100 --> 00:04:54,103
Arab villain in a movie.
117
00:04:54,235 --> 00:04:56,103
Oh, yeah, Jimmy,
it's gonna be that good.
118
00:04:56,204 --> 00:04:59,675
So now Mark Magnus is
no more, and instead,
119
00:04:59,774 --> 00:05:01,709
he is Muhammad Hassan.
120
00:05:01,810 --> 00:05:03,745
Praise Allah.
121
00:05:03,845 --> 00:05:07,115
When I told my family
that I was gonna be
122
00:05:07,249 --> 00:05:09,916
an Arab American,
they definitely...
123
00:05:10,019 --> 00:05:12,788
were trepidatious about the
fact that I was gonna be
124
00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:14,721
portraying another
nationality, one,
125
00:05:14,822 --> 00:05:17,291
in this country at the time
that was particularly
126
00:05:17,425 --> 00:05:19,761
not trusted
and even hated.
127
00:05:19,862 --> 00:05:21,461
-[chanting] USA! USA!
-Now wait a minute!
128
00:05:21,562 --> 00:05:23,132
The crowd have
turned their backs...
129
00:05:23,230 --> 00:05:24,466
That says it all.
130
00:05:24,564 --> 00:05:26,968
...on these three
disreputable individuals!
131
00:05:27,101 --> 00:05:29,303
The character of
Muhammad Hassan is
132
00:05:29,437 --> 00:05:31,439
a direct response
to the horrific
133
00:05:31,540 --> 00:05:34,976
and tragic events of just
a few years earlier.
134
00:05:35,076 --> 00:05:36,978
We have a breaking news
story to tell you about.
135
00:05:37,077 --> 00:05:39,581
Apparently a plane has
just crashed into the
136
00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:42,649
World Trade Center here
in New York City.
137
00:05:42,783 --> 00:05:44,819
I remember I was
walking home from class,
138
00:05:44,918 --> 00:05:47,423
and I hear people talking,
and I'm not really
139
00:05:47,488 --> 00:05:49,725
processing what
they're saying.
140
00:05:49,824 --> 00:05:52,326
But I get home, and
I turn the TV on,
141
00:05:52,459 --> 00:05:55,629
and I see the
devastation.
142
00:05:55,730 --> 00:05:58,666
And then, it hit me,
this wasn't an accident,
143
00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:00,435
this was an attack.
144
00:06:00,535 --> 00:06:02,603
And at the time, no one
knew what was gonna happen.
145
00:06:02,670 --> 00:06:04,173
It was very uncertain.
146
00:06:04,271 --> 00:06:06,607
And I think one of the
things that wrestling
147
00:06:06,675 --> 00:06:09,444
did for me is when
they went on the air.
148
00:06:09,543 --> 00:06:11,947
Right after 9/11,
and the show must go on.
149
00:06:12,045 --> 00:06:13,648
[chanting]
USA! USA!
150
00:06:13,749 --> 00:06:17,185
We will not live
our lives in fear.
151
00:06:17,319 --> 00:06:19,586
[cheering]
152
00:06:19,687 --> 00:06:22,557
It was a defining moment that
wrestling could have such a
153
00:06:22,656 --> 00:06:26,494
positive impact on me when
I was feeling so negative.
154
00:06:26,627 --> 00:06:28,362
♪ [national anthem] ♪
155
00:06:28,497 --> 00:06:30,466
When I was scared,
when I didn't know
156
00:06:30,531 --> 00:06:31,531
what was gonna happen,
157
00:06:31,632 --> 00:06:34,535
I put wrestling on
and for those few hours...
158
00:06:34,636 --> 00:06:36,872
it didn't matter.
159
00:06:37,004 --> 00:06:38,805
-We'll be back.
-[cheering]
160
00:06:38,906 --> 00:06:43,677
The WWE was really rallying
behind this patriotism,
161
00:06:43,778 --> 00:06:47,382
and that would embed the
country coming out of 9/11.
162
00:06:47,514 --> 00:06:52,452
And, it inevitably was going
to seep into its programing.
163
00:06:52,552 --> 00:06:56,257
Osama bin Laden,
the exiled terrorist,
164
00:06:56,357 --> 00:06:59,793
is involved, if not
totally responsible for,
165
00:06:59,894 --> 00:07:01,396
this coordinated attack.
166
00:07:01,529 --> 00:07:03,531
Post September 11th,
there was
167
00:07:03,632 --> 00:07:05,466
so much discrimination
going on.
168
00:07:05,565 --> 00:07:07,569
You couldn't really escape
it in the United States
169
00:07:07,668 --> 00:07:08,702
around that time.
170
00:07:08,802 --> 00:07:10,670
A lot of people would think
terrorist automatically.
171
00:07:10,771 --> 00:07:14,242
We have four basic emotions,
anger being one of them.
172
00:07:14,375 --> 00:07:16,411
Transform that into
wrestling terms,
173
00:07:16,543 --> 00:07:20,982
you want to open that wound
every time you possibly can.
174
00:07:21,083 --> 00:07:22,050
My name's Maven Huffman.
175
00:07:22,149 --> 00:07:25,853
I wrestled in the WWE
alongside Muhammad Hassan.
176
00:07:25,952 --> 00:07:29,423
In 2004, 9/11 is still
fresh on the minds
177
00:07:29,557 --> 00:07:31,324
of a lot of people.
178
00:07:31,425 --> 00:07:34,629
Once we saw Muhammad
come out, we just were like,
179
00:07:34,728 --> 00:07:37,064
"Ugh." [awkward laugh]
He's gonna get heat.
180
00:07:37,165 --> 00:07:38,934
We will spread the
word of Allah
181
00:07:39,033 --> 00:07:42,036
to all of you
despicable infidels.
182
00:07:42,103 --> 00:07:43,271
The times we were in,
183
00:07:43,404 --> 00:07:46,208
we didn't need an
arrogant Italian.
184
00:07:46,307 --> 00:07:48,608
We needed someone
who could just
185
00:07:48,709 --> 00:07:50,778
garner the
hatred of a fan.
186
00:07:50,877 --> 00:07:52,413
Oh, wait a minute!
Hold on!
187
00:07:52,512 --> 00:07:55,615
Along with the new
Muhammad Hassan
188
00:07:55,750 --> 00:07:58,218
was gonna be
Shawn Daivari.
189
00:07:58,319 --> 00:08:00,887
Shawn Daivari is an
independent wrestler
190
00:08:00,956 --> 00:08:03,524
that came out of Chicago,
and was someone
191
00:08:03,625 --> 00:08:05,694
that was assigned to be
192
00:08:05,793 --> 00:08:07,627
the second to
Muhammad Hassan,
193
00:08:07,762 --> 00:08:09,730
and was able
to speak Farsi.
194
00:08:09,831 --> 00:08:13,100
[speaking Farsi]
195
00:08:13,500 --> 00:08:15,303
They called me up:
"I'd like to offer you a job."
196
00:08:15,437 --> 00:08:17,639
I met Mark Magnus,
who was Muhammad.
197
00:08:17,737 --> 00:08:18,874
And like,
he told me that
198
00:08:18,973 --> 00:08:20,141
they're gonna be
like two Arabs.
199
00:08:20,274 --> 00:08:22,276
Praise...
200
00:08:22,375 --> 00:08:24,146
Allah.
201
00:08:24,278 --> 00:08:27,449
Before being introduced
to the WWE audience,
202
00:08:27,548 --> 00:08:32,386
Copani and Daivari test out
their new characters in OVW.
203
00:08:32,486 --> 00:08:34,623
And we started trying
things out at house shows.
204
00:08:34,722 --> 00:08:35,890
And we didn't know
the direction
205
00:08:35,990 --> 00:08:37,091
the character
was gonna take.
206
00:08:37,158 --> 00:08:39,927
This was a
Vince McMahon idea.
207
00:08:39,995 --> 00:08:42,163
And whenever Vince McMahon
had an idea,
208
00:08:42,296 --> 00:08:44,398
you knew it was gonna
go farther than
209
00:08:44,499 --> 00:08:46,167
almost anything else.
210
00:08:46,299 --> 00:08:50,004
An illegal war is being
waged on an innocent people.
211
00:08:50,138 --> 00:08:53,006
At one point, it was, you know,
very stereotypical, like,
212
00:08:53,140 --> 00:08:54,674
we're gonna raise
the price of oil.
213
00:08:54,774 --> 00:08:57,078
We were going out there just
trying different things to
214
00:08:57,178 --> 00:08:59,113
see how much heat we could
generate from the crowd.
215
00:08:59,212 --> 00:09:02,451
You are a traitor
to my country!
216
00:09:02,517 --> 00:09:04,751
I grew up in the era
with the Hulk Hogan
217
00:09:04,852 --> 00:09:07,321
and Ricky Steamboat
and Randy Savage.
218
00:09:07,421 --> 00:09:09,825
It was these larger
than life characters.
219
00:09:09,923 --> 00:09:12,125
Wrestling has always
skimmed the surface of
220
00:09:12,192 --> 00:09:14,162
political events in
the modern world.
221
00:09:14,263 --> 00:09:16,864
USA! Ha!
[spitting] Pft!
222
00:09:16,964 --> 00:09:19,500
Iron Sheik and
Nikolai Volkoff were cartoony,
223
00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,538
with the accents, and I don't
think Muhammad Hassan
224
00:09:22,638 --> 00:09:24,605
was any different
when we started.
225
00:09:24,706 --> 00:09:27,674
It wasn't until we started
filming the vignettes,
226
00:09:27,774 --> 00:09:30,443
and that's when the
character took shape.
227
00:09:30,544 --> 00:09:33,447
WWE decides to introduce
the character through
228
00:09:33,547 --> 00:09:37,051
pre-recorded segments that
will air in anticipation of
229
00:09:37,184 --> 00:09:38,720
his in-ring debut.
230
00:09:38,818 --> 00:09:40,988
My name Is Muhammad Hassan.
231
00:09:41,056 --> 00:09:43,792
Vignettes were a
critical part of
232
00:09:43,892 --> 00:09:46,561
storytelling for WWE.
233
00:09:46,662 --> 00:09:48,062
My name is Michael Leonardi.
234
00:09:48,163 --> 00:09:51,231
I am a former writer
and producer for
235
00:09:51,365 --> 00:09:53,067
World Wrestling
Entertainment.
236
00:09:53,201 --> 00:09:56,705
It was our opportunity to
present to the world
237
00:09:56,804 --> 00:09:59,875
this new character, and it
played a huge role because
238
00:09:59,975 --> 00:10:02,710
it would really help them
get off to a great start.
239
00:10:02,811 --> 00:10:05,846
Don't confuse me with
acts of terrorism...
240
00:10:05,947 --> 00:10:07,682
here in America.
241
00:10:07,783 --> 00:10:10,585
That's when it clicked for
both Shawn and I
242
00:10:10,717 --> 00:10:12,687
that this wasn't a
foreign character.
243
00:10:12,753 --> 00:10:14,722
This was a
American character
244
00:10:14,822 --> 00:10:17,258
of Muslim or Arab descent.
245
00:10:17,357 --> 00:10:21,429
9/11 changed everything
for me and my people.
246
00:10:21,528 --> 00:10:24,731
Who, rightfully so,
is disgruntled.
247
00:10:24,832 --> 00:10:27,735
For Arab Americans,
there is no equality.
248
00:10:27,835 --> 00:10:30,272
And discouraged and angry
249
00:10:30,371 --> 00:10:31,772
about what has been going on
250
00:10:31,873 --> 00:10:34,609
with his family and his
community since 9/11.
251
00:10:34,743 --> 00:10:36,610
But because we're
of Arab descent...
252
00:10:36,745 --> 00:10:38,513
we are singled out.
253
00:10:38,613 --> 00:10:42,750
These were really set up to
highlight situations in which
254
00:10:42,883 --> 00:10:46,120
his character would
experience
255
00:10:46,253 --> 00:10:48,389
biases or prejudice.
256
00:10:48,489 --> 00:10:50,958
Muhammad Hassan is
presented in the light
257
00:10:51,058 --> 00:10:53,126
that just because of
my nationality,
258
00:10:53,259 --> 00:10:55,796
does not make me
a terrorist.
259
00:10:55,897 --> 00:11:00,534
He was the antithesis of
all of the stereotypes.
260
00:11:00,634 --> 00:11:03,270
But the day before
Hassan's first appearance,
261
00:11:03,403 --> 00:11:05,773
controversy is stoked.
262
00:11:05,874 --> 00:11:07,708
On an episode of
Sunday Night Heat,
263
00:11:07,808 --> 00:11:10,277
you had your broadcasters,
Todd Grisham and Ivory,
264
00:11:10,378 --> 00:11:12,413
teeing up
Muhammad Hassan's debut.
265
00:11:24,658 --> 00:11:26,561
And right there, the fact
that we're gonna make
266
00:11:26,662 --> 00:11:29,931
a flight joke, I think it
kind of sets the tone for
267
00:11:29,998 --> 00:11:32,500
what the audience
can expect.
268
00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:35,001
With expectations
riding high,
269
00:11:35,102 --> 00:11:37,404
Marc Copani prepares to
make his entrance
270
00:11:37,504 --> 00:11:38,839
as Muhammad Hassan.
271
00:11:38,974 --> 00:11:41,442
I finally debuted
in Huntsville, Alabama
272
00:11:41,542 --> 00:11:43,009
with Mick Foley.
273
00:11:43,144 --> 00:11:44,145
[cheering]
274
00:11:44,245 --> 00:11:45,480
I was nervous.
275
00:11:45,580 --> 00:11:47,081
I felt like I was
gonna throw up.
276
00:11:47,182 --> 00:11:49,482
I remember we were
really not 100% sure
277
00:11:49,583 --> 00:11:50,750
how they're gonna
take this character.
278
00:11:50,851 --> 00:11:52,753
It was very different.
279
00:11:52,854 --> 00:11:56,323
Mick Foley is out there just
giving a riveting promo about
280
00:11:56,423 --> 00:11:58,859
the war in Afghanistan
and supporting our troops.
281
00:11:58,994 --> 00:12:00,693
Supporting the troops
goes way beyond
282
00:12:00,794 --> 00:12:02,962
any kind of
political affiliation.
283
00:12:03,063 --> 00:12:04,798
Now I come out.
284
00:12:04,865 --> 00:12:06,868
[indistinct speaking]
285
00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:10,272
♪ [Arabic music] ♪
286
00:12:10,371 --> 00:12:11,605
♪
287
00:12:11,706 --> 00:12:13,375
And as soon as
that music hits,
288
00:12:13,475 --> 00:12:14,975
and as soon as you step
through that curtain,
289
00:12:15,042 --> 00:12:17,445
it's just, it's go time
and it's business.
290
00:12:17,544 --> 00:12:20,114
♪
291
00:12:20,214 --> 00:12:22,116
What the hell is this?
292
00:12:22,216 --> 00:12:24,384
And I interrupt Mick Foley,
and I am contradicting
293
00:12:24,485 --> 00:12:26,620
everything he says
‘cause this is my truth.
294
00:12:26,721 --> 00:12:28,123
It's people like us...
295
00:12:28,222 --> 00:12:31,058
that are the real
victims of this war!
296
00:12:31,192 --> 00:12:34,562
None of you people
are real patriots.
297
00:12:34,663 --> 00:12:36,464
And instantly you are
telling the audience,
298
00:12:36,563 --> 00:12:40,567
if there was any confusion
from these vignettes,
299
00:12:40,668 --> 00:12:43,205
you are instructed to
hate Muhammad Hassan.
300
00:12:43,304 --> 00:12:46,408
I am sick of hearing you
express your admiration for
301
00:12:46,541 --> 00:12:49,910
these troops,
these gutless cowards.
302
00:12:50,009 --> 00:12:52,046
Now you're
pissing me off!
303
00:12:52,147 --> 00:12:55,350
Here was somebody very
clearly being presented
304
00:12:55,417 --> 00:12:59,586
as a villain because he was
attacking Americans.
305
00:12:59,687 --> 00:13:00,889
I don't think Vince McMahon
306
00:13:00,988 --> 00:13:03,090
was trying to tell
a complex story.
307
00:13:03,225 --> 00:13:05,426
Arab-American,
disgruntled,
308
00:13:05,559 --> 00:13:08,096
anti-American,
"boo," heel.
309
00:13:08,195 --> 00:13:10,164
He may even be justified
in what he is saying,
310
00:13:10,264 --> 00:13:12,066
but he is anti-American.
311
00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:13,769
And I feel...
312
00:13:13,900 --> 00:13:16,437
your "patriotism"...
313
00:13:16,538 --> 00:13:20,708
at every airport,
and especially right now!
314
00:13:20,808 --> 00:13:24,110
It worked with the fans
because they really did not
315
00:13:24,245 --> 00:13:26,413
like somebody coming out
and telling them
316
00:13:26,514 --> 00:13:29,683
that America didn't
have all the answers.
317
00:13:29,783 --> 00:13:31,352
When I came back
for the curtain,
318
00:13:31,452 --> 00:13:33,086
I think a lot of people
were very impressed...
319
00:13:33,221 --> 00:13:35,188
and I think a lot of people
were very excited about
320
00:13:35,289 --> 00:13:37,458
the potential of
this character.
321
00:13:37,591 --> 00:13:39,860
I knew right away they were
gonna push him for the moon.
322
00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:41,695
He's got the look,
he's got the skill.
323
00:13:41,796 --> 00:13:42,998
He's got the knowledge.
324
00:13:43,097 --> 00:13:45,100
Hi, this is Gene Snitsky,
325
00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:47,801
and I used to work with
Muhammad Hassan.
326
00:13:47,902 --> 00:13:50,403
I can't remember anybody
getting that much heat
327
00:13:50,471 --> 00:13:52,039
since the Iron Sheik.
328
00:13:52,139 --> 00:13:54,475
The animosity of people.
329
00:13:54,576 --> 00:13:56,745
Like, they literally wanted
to grab him and beat him.
330
00:13:56,845 --> 00:13:59,712
It's crazy.
Over a wrestling character.
331
00:13:59,813 --> 00:14:01,950
He just had that
aura about him
332
00:14:02,048 --> 00:14:03,984
to where people just
didn't only hate him,
333
00:14:04,119 --> 00:14:05,886
they wanted to kill.
334
00:14:11,559 --> 00:14:13,061
To all the men and women
of the United States
335
00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:15,330
Armed Forces now in
the Middle East...
336
00:14:15,429 --> 00:14:17,432
the peace of a
troubled world
337
00:14:17,530 --> 00:14:19,167
and the hopes of an
oppressed people...
338
00:14:19,267 --> 00:14:21,269
now depend on you.
339
00:14:21,369 --> 00:14:25,004
In 2004, our nation was
engulfed in a war
340
00:14:25,139 --> 00:14:26,307
in the Middle East.
341
00:14:26,408 --> 00:14:29,109
We're putting shows
on in Iraq.
342
00:14:29,210 --> 00:14:32,846
The WWE has returned
to Iraq to celebrate
343
00:14:32,947 --> 00:14:35,850
the holidays with each
and every one of you.
344
00:14:35,982 --> 00:14:37,083
[cheering]
345
00:14:37,184 --> 00:14:40,355
Patriotism is huge in
every aspect of our lives.
346
00:14:40,486 --> 00:14:44,158
Add wrestling to it, it just
amps up the volume tenfold.
347
00:14:44,258 --> 00:14:48,128
WWE has the balls to
come to Brassfield-Mora!
348
00:14:48,230 --> 00:14:49,629
Woo!
349
00:14:49,730 --> 00:14:53,100
So then when they heard this
guy who might look like
350
00:14:53,201 --> 00:14:56,705
one of the terrorists going out,
basically saying,
351
00:14:56,804 --> 00:14:59,307
"I had nothing to
do with 9/11"...
352
00:14:59,374 --> 00:15:01,774
I'm portrayed
as the bad guy!
353
00:15:01,875 --> 00:15:03,509
I don't deserve this.
354
00:15:03,610 --> 00:15:05,647
You don't really care
what he's gonna say.
355
00:15:05,712 --> 00:15:08,481
You people have no idea
356
00:15:08,548 --> 00:15:10,551
what it's like to be me.
357
00:15:10,684 --> 00:15:12,953
They booed because it was
showing a mirror to
358
00:15:13,053 --> 00:15:14,556
the face of the
American public,
359
00:15:14,687 --> 00:15:16,791
and the hypocrisy
and the prejudice.
360
00:15:16,890 --> 00:15:20,193
America has literally
ganged up on me!
361
00:15:20,293 --> 00:15:23,129
And our
Arab American brothers!
362
00:15:23,230 --> 00:15:25,933
That had really been pushed
forward against the
363
00:15:26,033 --> 00:15:27,735
Muslim people in this
country at the time,
364
00:15:27,869 --> 00:15:31,238
and people don't like to
be shown their own flaws.
365
00:15:31,373 --> 00:15:33,307
Deep down inside
your hearts,
366
00:15:33,408 --> 00:15:36,677
every single one of you
367
00:15:36,777 --> 00:15:39,147
is prejudiced.
368
00:15:39,246 --> 00:15:42,417
Growing up, I was always
raised to not judge people
369
00:15:42,517 --> 00:15:44,384
by the color of their skin.
370
00:15:44,485 --> 00:15:46,153
My father told me
about some of
371
00:15:46,253 --> 00:15:47,921
the struggles that
my grandfather had.
372
00:15:48,022 --> 00:15:51,191
Being an Italian American,
it made me more aware
373
00:15:51,258 --> 00:15:53,394
and sympathetic to
what Arab Americans
374
00:15:53,495 --> 00:15:54,360
were feeling at the time.
375
00:15:54,428 --> 00:15:55,764
These were people
who had lived here,
376
00:15:55,897 --> 00:15:57,063
who had assimilated
to this country.
377
00:15:57,164 --> 00:15:58,700
The same thing you see
with the Japanese in
378
00:15:58,798 --> 00:16:01,602
World War Two, it was
completely unfair.
379
00:16:01,735 --> 00:16:04,571
It's disgraceful, and so,
when 9/11 happened,
380
00:16:04,672 --> 00:16:06,908
my concern was what's
gonna happen next,
381
00:16:07,006 --> 00:16:09,610
and that kind of became my
catchphrase, "Since 9/11."
382
00:16:09,710 --> 00:16:11,378
Since 9/11.
Since 9/11.
383
00:16:11,479 --> 00:16:14,081
Since... 9/11.
384
00:16:14,182 --> 00:16:15,716
I was the good guy
in my own story.
385
00:16:15,816 --> 00:16:16,917
I was the hero.
386
00:16:17,051 --> 00:16:19,753
I was the one fighting for
the injustice of my people.
387
00:16:19,854 --> 00:16:22,890
But the irony of that is we
were still a heel team.
388
00:16:22,990 --> 00:16:24,458
You know, Shawn would
distract the ref.
389
00:16:24,591 --> 00:16:26,025
Shawn would
slip a bell in.
390
00:16:26,125 --> 00:16:27,628
Right behind the
referee's back.
391
00:16:27,729 --> 00:16:29,397
I know the business
side of things.
392
00:16:29,462 --> 00:16:30,597
I knew if I wanted
to be there,
393
00:16:30,698 --> 00:16:33,067
That's the card I had to play,
and it ----ing worked.
394
00:16:33,167 --> 00:16:35,302
[speaking Farsi]
395
00:16:35,402 --> 00:16:38,438
Though he reflects the
politics of the early 2000s,
396
00:16:38,539 --> 00:16:41,442
the concept behind the
character goes back to the
397
00:16:41,542 --> 00:16:43,443
earliest days of
pro wrestling.
398
00:16:43,543 --> 00:16:46,647
There's such a history
of the foreign heel,
399
00:16:46,748 --> 00:16:49,482
that you can go back
to Jack Adkisson
400
00:16:49,616 --> 00:16:51,652
as Fritz Von Erich,
401
00:16:51,751 --> 00:16:53,086
evil German heel.
402
00:16:53,153 --> 00:16:54,254
Boy, a blitzer.
403
00:16:54,355 --> 00:16:57,792
Karl von Hess,
who served in the US Navy,
404
00:16:57,892 --> 00:16:59,759
that's suddenly
portraying a Nazi.
405
00:16:59,860 --> 00:17:01,128
Von Hess wearing
a snarl.
406
00:17:01,229 --> 00:17:02,962
One thing that was
easy to do is
407
00:17:03,062 --> 00:17:06,334
tap into our tribalism
as humans.
408
00:17:06,467 --> 00:17:07,602
Yeah!
[cheering]
409
00:17:07,701 --> 00:17:11,306
It was a very easy, very kind
of low hanging fruit way to
410
00:17:11,404 --> 00:17:14,775
create a character that
Americans could boo.
411
00:17:14,875 --> 00:17:17,144
But the company is
playing with fire,
412
00:17:17,244 --> 00:17:20,146
and as history shows,
not every attempt to bring
413
00:17:20,248 --> 00:17:23,117
politics into wrestling is
enjoyed by the audience.
414
00:17:23,217 --> 00:17:25,184
The last time that Vince
had tried to do something
415
00:17:25,286 --> 00:17:28,255
like this, it backfired
spectacularly.
416
00:17:28,355 --> 00:17:31,592
In 1991, the idea for
WrestleMania was
417
00:17:31,692 --> 00:17:34,028
gonna be Hulk Hogan,
the American hero,
418
00:17:34,127 --> 00:17:36,963
defending the WWF and
its championship from
419
00:17:37,065 --> 00:17:39,967
Sergeant Slaughter,
the former G.I. Joe,
420
00:17:40,034 --> 00:17:42,202
the former American hero
421
00:17:42,336 --> 00:17:45,707
that had become an
Iraqi sympathizer.
422
00:17:45,807 --> 00:17:49,309
Soon, Hulk Hogan,
it's gonna be your burial!
423
00:17:49,376 --> 00:17:51,346
Vince McMahon believed
424
00:17:51,444 --> 00:17:53,515
they would sell out
100,000 seats,
425
00:17:53,614 --> 00:17:55,214
but a few weeks
before the event,
426
00:17:55,315 --> 00:17:57,384
they had barely
sold 10,000 tickets.
427
00:17:57,519 --> 00:17:58,720
It bombed.
428
00:17:58,818 --> 00:18:00,221
[thunderous boom]
429
00:18:00,355 --> 00:18:03,791
The problem was the Gulf War
was ongoing right
430
00:18:03,892 --> 00:18:08,229
at that time, and the fans
didn't want to see it.
431
00:18:08,362 --> 00:18:11,865
But in 2005, Copani and
WWE are committed to
432
00:18:11,964 --> 00:18:15,169
making sure that this time
the storyline does work,
433
00:18:15,269 --> 00:18:17,704
with the company insisting
he stay in character
434
00:18:17,806 --> 00:18:20,240
at all times,
even in public.
435
00:18:20,375 --> 00:18:23,044
We always had to maintain,
not only the look of
436
00:18:23,144 --> 00:18:25,246
the character,
but really the personalities
437
00:18:25,346 --> 00:18:26,480
of the character.
438
00:18:26,580 --> 00:18:28,916
It got a little
shady sometimes.
439
00:18:29,017 --> 00:18:31,652
He got to really experience
440
00:18:31,751 --> 00:18:33,319
what it was like being
441
00:18:33,420 --> 00:18:35,756
Arab-American in the
United States of America
442
00:18:35,855 --> 00:18:38,525
in 2004 and 2005.
443
00:18:38,592 --> 00:18:41,996
We experienced what a lot of
people were experiencing
444
00:18:42,096 --> 00:18:43,597
in America at the time.
445
00:18:43,696 --> 00:18:46,500
When we would travel,
Shawn always got stopped
446
00:18:46,601 --> 00:18:47,935
because his last
name's Daivari,
447
00:18:48,036 --> 00:18:49,736
which is a Persian name.
448
00:18:49,836 --> 00:18:52,005
Copani never got stopped.
449
00:18:52,105 --> 00:18:53,740
We were on an airplane,
450
00:18:53,875 --> 00:18:57,443
and the look on people's
faces, the fear...
451
00:18:57,578 --> 00:19:00,248
people in the back of the
plane that were calling their
452
00:19:00,347 --> 00:19:02,916
families to tell them
that they love them
453
00:19:03,017 --> 00:19:04,786
in case anything happens.
454
00:19:04,884 --> 00:19:06,586
One time, we were in
San Francisco
455
00:19:06,688 --> 00:19:09,723
when a young mother
with her child takes her
456
00:19:09,824 --> 00:19:13,527
completely off the path
that had plenty of space...
457
00:19:13,626 --> 00:19:15,796
to walk clear around us.
458
00:19:15,896 --> 00:19:17,598
The way that people
looked at us,
459
00:19:17,699 --> 00:19:20,602
you just always had this
uneasy feeling that there's
460
00:19:20,701 --> 00:19:23,569
potential for something
dangerous to happen.
461
00:19:23,637 --> 00:19:25,772
Once he saw what
Daivari went through,
462
00:19:25,874 --> 00:19:30,210
once he saw just how people
were going to see him...
463
00:19:30,310 --> 00:19:32,145
I think it changed him.
464
00:19:32,247 --> 00:19:34,749
He was speaking from the
heart from those promos.
465
00:19:34,815 --> 00:19:36,549
I'm just like each....
466
00:19:36,650 --> 00:19:38,551
and every one of you.
467
00:19:38,652 --> 00:19:41,055
I was born right here
in this country.
468
00:19:41,153 --> 00:19:42,056
[booing]
469
00:19:42,123 --> 00:19:45,592
It really made it easy
to feel the injustice,
470
00:19:45,660 --> 00:19:47,494
because these people
didn't even know us,
471
00:19:47,595 --> 00:19:49,998
and the way that they looked
at us and they judged us,
472
00:19:50,130 --> 00:19:52,000
well, when we got
out into the ring,
473
00:19:52,099 --> 00:19:54,102
that was how everyone
in America looked at us.
474
00:19:54,201 --> 00:19:57,003
[chanting]
USA! USA!
475
00:19:57,105 --> 00:19:59,105
There were a few times where
476
00:19:59,207 --> 00:20:01,008
things could
have gotten real.
477
00:20:01,142 --> 00:20:04,244
We were in Australia
with a bunch of the guys.
478
00:20:04,345 --> 00:20:07,015
Gene Snitsky,
Chris Masters...
479
00:20:07,147 --> 00:20:09,650
and a group of young men,
who were Arab
480
00:20:09,750 --> 00:20:12,119
or Middle Eastern,
approached us.
481
00:20:12,185 --> 00:20:14,689
They knew who we were,
and they knew the characters
482
00:20:14,820 --> 00:20:17,590
we were portraying,
and they were very angry.
483
00:20:17,691 --> 00:20:19,326
They were saying to us,
"You're not really Muslim,
484
00:20:19,425 --> 00:20:21,261
are you?" Like, they
were ripping into us,
485
00:20:21,361 --> 00:20:23,664
and it became a
heated exchange.
486
00:20:23,765 --> 00:20:26,034
Made me realize that there
could be people that took
487
00:20:26,133 --> 00:20:29,871
offense to these characters,
the fact that a non-Muslim
488
00:20:30,002 --> 00:20:31,972
was portraying that character.
489
00:20:32,039 --> 00:20:33,875
I remember really
thinking to myself,
490
00:20:33,974 --> 00:20:37,044
if something happens,
we are so outnumbered
491
00:20:37,144 --> 00:20:40,212
here that it's either gonna
take like hitting somebody
492
00:20:40,315 --> 00:20:43,482
with a chair for real or
like smashing a glass
493
00:20:43,585 --> 00:20:44,852
over somebody-
like I'm thinking
494
00:20:44,952 --> 00:20:46,788
it's gonna get like rough.
495
00:20:46,887 --> 00:20:48,221
It de-escalated quickly
496
00:20:48,355 --> 00:20:52,993
because I'm surrounded
by 6'10" giants.
497
00:20:53,093 --> 00:20:54,729
The irony is that
those guys were right.
498
00:20:54,861 --> 00:20:56,564
In our minds, we're
playing these characters,
499
00:20:56,663 --> 00:20:59,666
we're generating heat,
we're finding success.
500
00:20:59,767 --> 00:21:01,902
But it was one of the
first times I had
501
00:21:02,036 --> 00:21:05,205
second thoughts about,
is this just a character?
502
00:21:05,306 --> 00:21:07,642
And that's when it
became too real,
503
00:21:07,741 --> 00:21:10,345
and that's when the lines
between wrestling and
504
00:21:10,443 --> 00:21:13,013
reality, ah,
no longer existed.
505
00:21:13,113 --> 00:21:15,882
[chanting continues]
You suck! You suck!
506
00:21:21,221 --> 00:21:25,893
Tonight I will have
the satisfaction
507
00:21:25,993 --> 00:21:28,528
of beating Shawn Michaels!
508
00:21:28,596 --> 00:21:31,731
As Muhammad Hassan rises
to the top of the card,
509
00:21:31,833 --> 00:21:34,434
Mark's sudden success
doesn't sit well with the
510
00:21:34,567 --> 00:21:36,604
other wrestlers in
the locker room.
511
00:21:36,737 --> 00:21:38,238
That era of wrestling was
definitely a tough era
512
00:21:38,337 --> 00:21:39,772
to be a new guy.
There was a close,
513
00:21:39,905 --> 00:21:41,842
tight knit group of
veterans, and...
514
00:21:41,942 --> 00:21:42,743
I remember walking in
515
00:21:42,843 --> 00:21:44,278
and there's just
locker room etiquette.
516
00:21:44,412 --> 00:21:45,545
You have to shake
everybody's hand.
517
00:21:45,646 --> 00:21:50,284
And, I was 24 years old,
very green, and...
518
00:21:50,384 --> 00:21:52,051
I really didn't know
how to behave.
519
00:21:52,152 --> 00:21:53,420
Getting that
push to the moon,
520
00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:54,921
it was always a
bunch of the guys
521
00:21:55,022 --> 00:21:57,089
that felt like you were
stealing their spot.
522
00:21:57,190 --> 00:21:58,858
You've had guys who
have been on the roster,
523
00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:01,361
who have been working
their tails off for years,
524
00:22:01,461 --> 00:22:02,962
and they're not
getting pushed.
525
00:22:03,096 --> 00:22:05,298
There was a lot of
jealousy and resentment.
526
00:22:05,432 --> 00:22:06,534
Backslide!
527
00:22:06,633 --> 00:22:08,036
They would weed
out guys, like,
528
00:22:08,134 --> 00:22:09,936
if they found a
weakness in you,
529
00:22:10,069 --> 00:22:11,638
they'd poke at it
and poke at it
530
00:22:11,738 --> 00:22:14,709
until you either quit
or broke down.
531
00:22:14,808 --> 00:22:15,942
They wanted to test you.
532
00:22:16,044 --> 00:22:19,913
Unless you've paid your dues,
you're going to have heat.
533
00:22:19,980 --> 00:22:21,882
You do not want heat.
534
00:22:21,981 --> 00:22:24,151
Muhammed Hassan
found this out.
535
00:22:24,285 --> 00:22:27,555
Ooh! [laughing]
[indistinct commentary]
536
00:22:27,653 --> 00:22:30,290
Marc's finishing maneuver
was a move called the
537
00:22:30,391 --> 00:22:32,727
"Camel Clutch," a move
that the Iron Sheik
538
00:22:32,826 --> 00:22:34,996
made famous in the 80s.
539
00:22:35,096 --> 00:22:36,962
I've never seen anyone
get out of this hold.
540
00:22:37,065 --> 00:22:39,433
It made sense for Marc to
utilize it 20 years later.
541
00:22:39,534 --> 00:22:40,434
Oh!
542
00:22:40,500 --> 00:22:42,603
Muhammad Hassan with
the Camel Clutch!
543
00:22:42,669 --> 00:22:43,971
I remember,
we're in Japan...
544
00:22:44,070 --> 00:22:46,339
It's our final night
in Japan!
545
00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:49,309
And, Kurt Angle, who I
admired and respected,
546
00:22:49,410 --> 00:22:51,479
made a comment
that Eddie Guerrero
547
00:22:51,578 --> 00:22:54,515
is using the Camel Clutch.
Well, that's my finisher.
548
00:22:54,614 --> 00:22:56,517
And he was saying, you know,
"It's bad for the business
549
00:22:56,650 --> 00:22:58,853
that two guys on the same
show are using the same move,
550
00:22:58,984 --> 00:23:00,454
and it's your finisher.
It looks weak
551
00:23:00,520 --> 00:23:02,522
when Eddie puts it on and
someone gets out of it."
552
00:23:02,655 --> 00:23:04,758
It's like, "You should
say something."
553
00:23:04,857 --> 00:23:07,828
If you use a guy's move
in wrestling without their
554
00:23:07,929 --> 00:23:11,499
permission, it's worse than
if you date their wives.
555
00:23:11,598 --> 00:23:13,166
So of course, this is one of
those moments
556
00:23:13,267 --> 00:23:15,202
where I should have
kept my mouth shut.
557
00:23:15,301 --> 00:23:17,105
But I went up to Eddie,
and I said,
558
00:23:17,204 --> 00:23:19,005
"Should you be using
the Camel Clutch?
559
00:23:19,140 --> 00:23:21,775
Because I'm using it as a
finisher," and he looked
560
00:23:21,875 --> 00:23:23,210
at me and he kind of
smiled, he's like,
561
00:23:23,310 --> 00:23:24,711
"I've always used the
Camel Clutch."
562
00:23:24,846 --> 00:23:26,480
He's like, "My father
invented it."
563
00:23:26,580 --> 00:23:29,349
[laughing] I was like,
of course he did.
564
00:23:29,450 --> 00:23:31,018
So of course the boys
get a hold of this,
565
00:23:31,118 --> 00:23:33,221
and it turns into
nuclear heat.
566
00:23:33,319 --> 00:23:35,522
It's disrespectful,
and how dare I?
567
00:23:35,623 --> 00:23:39,192
I mean, I was mortified,
and I just really felt like
568
00:23:39,292 --> 00:23:42,128
I made a mistake that I'm
not gonna come back from.
569
00:23:42,230 --> 00:23:43,230
I remember calling
my father,
570
00:23:43,330 --> 00:23:45,665
and I'm just like, I just
want to fly home.
571
00:23:45,731 --> 00:23:46,900
He was like,
you're gonna go out there
572
00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:48,669
and you're
gonna face this.
573
00:23:48,734 --> 00:23:51,372
And so, I had to go
to wrestling court.
574
00:23:51,471 --> 00:23:54,241
Wrestler's court is kind of
a reason to put somebody
575
00:23:54,340 --> 00:23:57,577
on blast and kind of shame
them in front of everybody.
576
00:23:57,676 --> 00:24:00,380
Undertaker's the judge,
jury and executioner.
577
00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:02,250
I mean, it sounds like
kind of ridiculous,
578
00:24:02,382 --> 00:24:04,751
but you never want
your whole roster
579
00:24:04,884 --> 00:24:07,653
kind of coming
down on you.
580
00:24:07,753 --> 00:24:10,657
My consequence for
that was buying over
581
00:24:10,757 --> 00:24:12,894
$1,000 worth of drinks.
582
00:24:12,993 --> 00:24:15,061
There were certain wrestlers
that were pouring the drinks
583
00:24:15,163 --> 00:24:16,695
on the floor after
I bought 'em...
584
00:24:16,797 --> 00:24:19,065
pouring high quality alcohol
in Japan on the floor
585
00:24:19,166 --> 00:24:21,567
seems pretty stupid,
looking back on it now.
586
00:24:21,669 --> 00:24:24,439
But after that,
Eddie Guerrero came up to me
587
00:24:24,538 --> 00:24:27,007
and very kindly put his hand
on my shoulder, and said,
588
00:24:27,106 --> 00:24:28,942
"I know you didn't mean
anything by it."
589
00:24:29,042 --> 00:24:32,680
And he gave me a hug
and we moved on.
590
00:24:32,778 --> 00:24:35,382
As Muhammad Hassan's
notoriety grows,
591
00:24:35,481 --> 00:24:38,618
Copani lands his
biggest opportunity yet,
592
00:24:38,751 --> 00:24:41,788
sharing the ring with
wrestling's most iconic star.
593
00:24:41,888 --> 00:24:44,191
My character was upset that
594
00:24:44,291 --> 00:24:46,626
he wasn't given a match
at WrestleMania.
595
00:24:46,727 --> 00:24:49,628
And still I am excluded
596
00:24:49,730 --> 00:24:52,632
from the biggest show
of the year!
597
00:24:52,731 --> 00:24:54,634
And I remembered finding
out that we were gonna
598
00:24:54,769 --> 00:24:56,103
do something
with Hulk Hogan.
599
00:24:56,203 --> 00:24:57,805
The red,
white and blue!
600
00:24:57,939 --> 00:25:00,307
And it was a dream
come true moment,
601
00:25:00,407 --> 00:25:02,107
and I probably called
everybody I'd ever met
602
00:25:02,210 --> 00:25:03,911
in my entire life
to tell them,
603
00:25:03,978 --> 00:25:05,145
"I'm gonna be
at WrestleMania
604
00:25:05,278 --> 00:25:07,113
in the ring with
Hulk Hogan."
605
00:25:07,213 --> 00:25:10,650
WrestleMania.
606
00:25:10,785 --> 00:25:12,986
That's like playing baseball
against Babe Ruth.
607
00:25:13,119 --> 00:25:15,989
Like, who gets to freakin'
wrestle Hogan at WrestleMania?
608
00:25:16,123 --> 00:25:18,258
Oh, my god!
Ha-ha!
609
00:25:18,357 --> 00:25:19,660
It's Hulk Hogan!
610
00:25:19,794 --> 00:25:20,961
Standing in the center of
that ring with Daivari
611
00:25:21,061 --> 00:25:23,897
when his music hit,
and just watching him
612
00:25:23,998 --> 00:25:26,465
work his way down
towards the ring...
613
00:25:26,566 --> 00:25:29,336
you could just feel the
noise from the crowd
614
00:25:29,436 --> 00:25:31,105
of like lifting you
off of the mat.
615
00:25:31,204 --> 00:25:33,307
I had never experienced
anything like it.
616
00:25:33,405 --> 00:25:35,242
Look at this!
And the Hulkster!
617
00:25:35,342 --> 00:25:36,843
[indistinct commentary]
618
00:25:36,978 --> 00:25:41,147
Imagine being a kid
who loves wrestling.
619
00:25:41,249 --> 00:25:43,983
Your dream is to
become a wrestler.
620
00:25:44,085 --> 00:25:46,019
Yeah! Oh, baby!
621
00:25:46,119 --> 00:25:47,688
And then you find yourself,
622
00:25:47,820 --> 00:25:50,022
not only working with
Hulk Hogan...
623
00:25:50,124 --> 00:25:52,960
but working with Hulk Hogan
at WrestleMania.
624
00:25:53,026 --> 00:25:54,361
That's a dream.
625
00:25:54,494 --> 00:25:56,363
This crowd is
going crazy!
626
00:25:56,497 --> 00:25:59,267
Until it becomes
a nightmare.
627
00:25:59,366 --> 00:26:02,036
With Hassan established
as a top name,
628
00:26:02,134 --> 00:26:04,372
management decides to
take the character
629
00:26:04,503 --> 00:26:06,641
in a shocking new direction.
630
00:26:06,707 --> 00:26:08,041
With every character,
631
00:26:08,173 --> 00:26:09,843
you know there's gonna
be evolution.
632
00:26:09,942 --> 00:26:12,012
You don't want your
character to be stuck in
633
00:26:12,112 --> 00:26:14,848
the mud because eventually
gimmicks run their course.
634
00:26:14,949 --> 00:26:16,517
You got that stupid towel.
635
00:26:16,616 --> 00:26:18,050
Your stupid gimmick beard.
636
00:26:18,151 --> 00:26:20,288
I think you're a
piece of garbage.
637
00:26:20,387 --> 00:26:22,522
Vince and the team
decided to
638
00:26:22,623 --> 00:26:25,058
lean towards more of this
639
00:26:25,159 --> 00:26:28,328
stereotypical way and
become more radicalized.
640
00:26:28,395 --> 00:26:30,565
Let's take this
a step further.
641
00:26:30,696 --> 00:26:32,731
These people think
he's a terrorist.
642
00:26:32,866 --> 00:26:34,300
Let's make him that.
643
00:26:34,401 --> 00:26:36,736
You're looking
at the new icon,
644
00:26:36,836 --> 00:26:41,041
the great
Muhammad Hassan!
645
00:26:41,142 --> 00:26:45,145
As the months wore on,
we started doing things
646
00:26:45,246 --> 00:26:47,682
that were much more
focused on Islam,
647
00:26:47,780 --> 00:26:49,849
as opposed to
Middle Eastern heritage.
648
00:26:49,916 --> 00:26:52,085
You will be a sacrifice.
649
00:26:52,218 --> 00:26:55,422
And then I feel like that
character became insensitive,
650
00:26:55,522 --> 00:26:57,590
and it was a complete
departure from
651
00:26:57,724 --> 00:26:59,059
what we had originally
set out to do.
652
00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:00,259
Whoa whoa whoa,
wait a minute, look at this.
653
00:27:00,394 --> 00:27:01,996
Wow, what the hell?
654
00:27:02,096 --> 00:27:05,432
Now I have a bunch of men who
are carrying out my bidding.
655
00:27:05,532 --> 00:27:07,768
I really pushed back, and I
did take that to
656
00:27:07,867 --> 00:27:09,537
Stephanie McMahon,
who was really the writer
657
00:27:09,636 --> 00:27:11,605
that I was working with
most on SmackDown,
658
00:27:11,705 --> 00:27:13,940
and she kind of put me
in my place.
659
00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:16,608
It was, "This is a huge
opportunity for you."
660
00:27:16,743 --> 00:27:19,945
Basically, "Shut up.
We know what we're doing."
661
00:27:20,080 --> 00:27:21,047
Choke him.
662
00:27:21,147 --> 00:27:23,351
What is that?
Oh, no.
663
00:27:27,788 --> 00:27:31,625
[chanting]
USA! USA!
664
00:27:31,726 --> 00:27:34,794
Looking back, can I see
that it was insensitive?
665
00:27:34,894 --> 00:27:36,796
It definitely
became insensitive.
666
00:27:36,896 --> 00:27:39,933
The character changed over
the course of a few months,
667
00:27:40,034 --> 00:27:42,801
but I don't ever feel like
what we did was
668
00:27:42,902 --> 00:27:46,473
intentionally distasteful,
up until the end.
669
00:27:46,574 --> 00:27:49,076
Where things started
to go wrong was,
670
00:27:49,174 --> 00:27:52,645
as he started to gain
momentum and this character
671
00:27:52,747 --> 00:27:55,280
started becoming part
of the main event scene,
672
00:27:55,382 --> 00:27:58,118
they wanted to try and
generate more heat.
673
00:27:58,218 --> 00:28:02,489
Despite Marc's objections to
the changes to his character,
674
00:28:02,588 --> 00:28:05,291
he knows he has little
power to fight it.
675
00:28:05,393 --> 00:28:07,794
I don't know of anybody
that's ever said no to
676
00:28:07,894 --> 00:28:10,330
a storyline, of any kind,
‘cause like,
677
00:28:10,462 --> 00:28:11,664
when you get the
opportunity,
678
00:28:11,798 --> 00:28:13,298
you're not gonna
pass it up.
679
00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:15,269
And that very much
was the culture,
680
00:28:15,368 --> 00:28:18,404
and everybody there was like,
"Who is this guy to
681
00:28:18,505 --> 00:28:20,339
refuse any of
the storyline?"
682
00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:22,476
The change in the character
683
00:28:22,576 --> 00:28:24,676
really took a toll on me.
684
00:28:24,811 --> 00:28:26,747
And I didn't agree with it,
and I think I was
685
00:28:26,846 --> 00:28:28,516
pretty vocal about,
I didn't like the
686
00:28:28,647 --> 00:28:30,351
direction of
the character.
687
00:28:30,451 --> 00:28:32,317
There came to a point
with Shawn Michaels...
688
00:28:32,419 --> 00:28:34,689
before I put him in
the camel clutch...
689
00:28:34,788 --> 00:28:36,990
I took my thumb...
690
00:28:37,089 --> 00:28:38,758
And...
691
00:28:38,857 --> 00:28:40,593
♪
692
00:28:40,693 --> 00:28:41,895
Undertaker does
the same thing,
693
00:28:41,996 --> 00:28:43,931
but the context
in which I did it,
694
00:28:44,029 --> 00:28:47,334
it symbolized a beheading,
which was a horrific and
695
00:28:47,434 --> 00:28:48,835
tragic thing that was
happening in the
696
00:28:48,935 --> 00:28:50,836
Middle East with
American citizens.
697
00:28:50,938 --> 00:28:52,539
[booing]
698
00:28:52,672 --> 00:28:55,607
To be honest with you,
at the time...
699
00:28:55,709 --> 00:28:58,144
it seemed only natural.
700
00:28:58,211 --> 00:29:00,980
I never saw how his
character developed,
701
00:29:01,082 --> 00:29:03,048
and thought, wow,
they should not go here,
702
00:29:03,148 --> 00:29:05,218
at the time.
Never once.
703
00:29:05,352 --> 00:29:07,820
To me, it was like, oh yeah,
that makes sense.
704
00:29:07,887 --> 00:29:10,724
He's gonna get so
much heat for this.
705
00:29:10,825 --> 00:29:12,192
I don't really know exactly
706
00:29:12,292 --> 00:29:13,626
whose decision
it was to do that.
707
00:29:13,727 --> 00:29:15,229
I know it wasn't mine.
708
00:29:15,328 --> 00:29:17,029
I think one of the reasons
why the character started to
709
00:29:17,130 --> 00:29:19,834
change is because they were
working up to a program
710
00:29:19,898 --> 00:29:21,800
with Batista and
The Undertaker,
711
00:29:21,901 --> 00:29:24,403
who are not only
two giant men,
712
00:29:24,503 --> 00:29:26,574
but they're also two
giant personas
713
00:29:26,707 --> 00:29:28,709
and characters
in the WWE.
714
00:29:28,808 --> 00:29:31,644
At some point, they were
planning on putting
715
00:29:31,744 --> 00:29:34,080
one of the World
Championships on him.
716
00:29:34,213 --> 00:29:35,815
Vince was gonna
push him to the moon.
717
00:29:35,915 --> 00:29:38,419
The day of the dead man
718
00:29:38,519 --> 00:29:39,586
has come and gone-
719
00:29:39,686 --> 00:29:41,253
-[bell chiming]
-Oh, look.
720
00:29:41,355 --> 00:29:44,657
-[cheering]
-Oh, my, oh!
721
00:29:44,757 --> 00:29:47,494
The angle that we were
working with The Undertaker
722
00:29:47,595 --> 00:29:50,765
was gonna build to a number
one contender's match.
723
00:29:50,897 --> 00:29:53,732
And so, I was told
that the idea was
724
00:29:53,834 --> 00:29:55,769
that I would beat
The Undertaker.
725
00:29:55,869 --> 00:29:59,506
I would be the number one
contender to face Batista...
726
00:29:59,605 --> 00:30:02,942
and it would be the
Arab defeating the
727
00:30:03,076 --> 00:30:06,445
reigning champion, Batista,
in Washington, DC.
728
00:30:06,546 --> 00:30:08,848
Kind of like the
big "FU" to America.
729
00:30:08,949 --> 00:30:11,184
That was the plan
that was ran by me.
730
00:30:11,285 --> 00:30:13,086
Obviously, it didn't
turn out that way.
731
00:30:13,186 --> 00:30:15,122
It was Daivari versus
The Undertaker.
732
00:30:15,255 --> 00:30:17,190
Shawn got the crap
kicked out of him.
733
00:30:17,290 --> 00:30:19,960
Tombstone pile driver!
734
00:30:20,059 --> 00:30:21,961
Talk about a sacrifice.
735
00:30:22,096 --> 00:30:25,065
On the day the episode
is set to broadcast,
736
00:30:25,131 --> 00:30:27,967
real world
tragedy strikes.
737
00:30:28,067 --> 00:30:30,068
People streaming out of the
station covered in blood.
738
00:30:30,170 --> 00:30:32,439
This was a highly
sophisticated,
739
00:30:32,539 --> 00:30:34,974
coordinated
terrorist attack.
740
00:30:35,075 --> 00:30:38,443
The London terrorist bombing
that occurred on July 7th
741
00:30:38,545 --> 00:30:41,315
that led to many,
many casualties
742
00:30:41,414 --> 00:30:43,817
broke on a Thursday morning.
743
00:30:43,951 --> 00:30:48,153
So you have a worldwide focus
on this terrorist attack.
744
00:30:48,253 --> 00:30:51,157
And SmackDown was set
to air later that night
745
00:30:51,257 --> 00:30:53,960
with this very
controversial angle.
746
00:30:54,060 --> 00:30:55,663
So, in the
immediate aftermath,
747
00:30:55,795 --> 00:30:59,132
WWE decides it's
going to run as is,
748
00:30:59,231 --> 00:31:01,634
and they were gonna add a
crawl throughout the show,
749
00:31:01,733 --> 00:31:04,104
essentially giving a
warning to the audience.
750
00:31:04,170 --> 00:31:06,739
I think they underestimated
the amount of scrutiny
751
00:31:06,839 --> 00:31:09,174
it was going to receive.
752
00:31:09,309 --> 00:31:13,613
The realism and the
imagery all got tied into
753
00:31:13,681 --> 00:31:15,516
what had happened
in London.
754
00:31:15,647 --> 00:31:17,482
It was Daivari versus
The Undertaker,
755
00:31:17,585 --> 00:31:19,986
and so Shawn
sacrificed himself,
756
00:31:20,086 --> 00:31:22,087
and I had just this
evil look on my face,
757
00:31:22,189 --> 00:31:24,691
and I dropped
to my knees...
758
00:31:24,825 --> 00:31:27,259
and I raise my hands
and say,
759
00:31:27,359 --> 00:31:28,862
"Praise Allah,"
and suddenly,
760
00:31:28,996 --> 00:31:31,463
men come storming out
from behind me.
761
00:31:31,565 --> 00:31:34,000
Hit the ring.
762
00:31:34,101 --> 00:31:36,971
I do this, the
beheading symbol...
763
00:31:37,069 --> 00:31:39,038
Choke him.
Choke him!
764
00:31:39,138 --> 00:31:40,874
Oh, my god,
is that a steel wire?
765
00:31:40,974 --> 00:31:42,209
I don't know
what it is.
766
00:31:42,342 --> 00:31:44,979
And then I come up, I get
over The Undertaker...
767
00:31:45,078 --> 00:31:47,347
Praise Allah!
768
00:31:47,446 --> 00:31:48,981
[booing]
769
00:31:49,083 --> 00:31:51,718
And then I choke him out
in a Camel Clutch.
770
00:31:51,817 --> 00:31:54,921
His eyes rolled back in
the back of his head.
771
00:31:55,355 --> 00:31:58,357
And now you started really
walking that line of
772
00:31:58,459 --> 00:32:00,493
just like, is this
guy a terrorist,
773
00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:01,861
at the end of the day?
774
00:32:01,961 --> 00:32:04,364
Terrorists behead people!
775
00:32:04,463 --> 00:32:06,965
And they had done it to a
journalist, Daniel Pearl,
776
00:32:07,066 --> 00:32:08,835
a couple years earlier.
777
00:32:08,902 --> 00:32:12,806
Also, one year prior,
this American, Nick Berg,
778
00:32:12,904 --> 00:32:17,076
had been kidnaped and then
was beheaded on camera
779
00:32:17,175 --> 00:32:19,413
by five masked men,
the same number
780
00:32:19,545 --> 00:32:22,182
that WWE incorporated
for this angle.
781
00:32:22,282 --> 00:32:24,585
The masked men, they were
almost like my soldiers,
782
00:32:24,717 --> 00:32:27,554
and I was the leader of this
Islamic fundamentalist cult.
783
00:32:27,653 --> 00:32:29,588
And then Shawn ended up
becoming our martyr.
784
00:32:29,722 --> 00:32:30,657
Look at this,
they're holding him up
785
00:32:30,723 --> 00:32:33,259
for sacrifice like he's a
martyr or something.
786
00:32:33,394 --> 00:32:35,261
He's given what had been
recognized as a
787
00:32:35,395 --> 00:32:38,265
Islamic martyr's funeral,
in a sense that the
788
00:32:38,397 --> 00:32:40,934
men in masks are
carrying him overhead,
789
00:32:41,067 --> 00:32:43,436
sacrificing his
life for me.
790
00:32:43,568 --> 00:32:47,173
That was really the scene
that started that controversy.
791
00:32:47,272 --> 00:32:48,541
It was across the line.
792
00:32:48,642 --> 00:32:51,544
This was really happening
at that moment,
793
00:32:51,611 --> 00:32:53,880
to Americans and
American allies,
794
00:32:53,946 --> 00:32:56,048
and people didn't want to
see that kind of shit
795
00:32:56,148 --> 00:32:57,884
on the wrestling
program.
796
00:32:57,951 --> 00:32:59,452
♪
797
00:32:59,551 --> 00:33:03,123
And so this set off a
firestorm of backlash.
798
00:33:03,222 --> 00:33:05,459
UPN wanted nothing to
do with this character,
799
00:33:05,558 --> 00:33:08,126
in light of the controversy.
800
00:33:08,228 --> 00:33:11,964
We had heat with sponsors,
with Arab groups.
801
00:33:12,098 --> 00:33:15,300
Everybody just said
enough's enough.
802
00:33:15,401 --> 00:33:18,070
And it was framed in how
insensitive the WWE is
803
00:33:18,171 --> 00:33:22,775
using real life, tragic
situations to sell a story.
804
00:33:22,875 --> 00:33:24,811
I didn't agree with what
we were doing at that time.
805
00:33:24,912 --> 00:33:27,212
I felt like we needed
to scale back.
806
00:33:27,314 --> 00:33:31,317
In this particular instance,
I told my boss that
807
00:33:31,417 --> 00:33:33,220
I think this was the
wrong way to go.
808
00:33:33,318 --> 00:33:34,954
and I didn't want to have
anything to do with it.
809
00:33:35,055 --> 00:33:37,155
I was demoted, I was
stripped of almost
810
00:33:37,256 --> 00:33:40,326
all my responsibilities,
all because I spoke up
811
00:33:40,460 --> 00:33:42,829
and said that I think
this was wrong.
812
00:33:42,961 --> 00:33:44,498
As an American,
I thought it was wrong.
813
00:33:44,597 --> 00:33:47,166
And then, what happened
was pressure started to
814
00:33:47,299 --> 00:33:48,968
come down from
the network,
815
00:33:49,067 --> 00:33:52,404
and eventually UPN put
enough pressure on WWE,
816
00:33:52,505 --> 00:33:53,605
and they realized
that they needed to
817
00:33:53,707 --> 00:33:56,174
kill the character
altogether.
818
00:33:56,309 --> 00:33:57,442
This could indeed be
819
00:33:57,544 --> 00:34:00,180
Muhammad Hassan's
last match.
820
00:34:07,855 --> 00:34:10,356
With the media and
fans in an uproar,
821
00:34:10,456 --> 00:34:14,027
Muhammad Hassan draws the
wrong kind of attention.
822
00:34:14,161 --> 00:34:16,130
The network was really
worried about it and they
823
00:34:16,230 --> 00:34:19,297
said ----ing take these
characters off of SmackDown.
824
00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:21,367
I think with the sponsors
and the threats
825
00:34:21,501 --> 00:34:22,702
that they had made,
826
00:34:22,835 --> 00:34:24,838
it slowly deteriorated
into something that I had
827
00:34:24,938 --> 00:34:27,807
realized was probably
gonna ed my career.
828
00:34:27,907 --> 00:34:30,009
Chef Boyardee doesn't
want to air an ad
829
00:34:30,108 --> 00:34:32,311
right after you
martyr a wrestler.
830
00:34:32,378 --> 00:34:33,880
If there was no
London bombing,
831
00:34:34,014 --> 00:34:35,181
the direction we
were headed,
832
00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:36,882
it would have
become tasteless.
833
00:34:36,983 --> 00:34:39,050
Muhammad Hassan went from
this real life portrayal of
834
00:34:39,186 --> 00:34:40,652
an upset American...
835
00:34:40,721 --> 00:34:42,389
Judge me for me.
836
00:34:42,523 --> 00:34:45,659
...to now relying more on
his Islamic background
837
00:34:45,726 --> 00:34:46,827
to get heat.
838
00:34:46,893 --> 00:34:50,362
I assure you that that
sacrifice will not go without
839
00:34:50,463 --> 00:34:54,333
its reward, but is sacrifice
for the greater good.
840
00:34:54,434 --> 00:34:57,538
I thought it was ironic that
now we're stereotyping
841
00:34:57,637 --> 00:34:59,739
Middle Easterners, when we
started off the character
842
00:34:59,873 --> 00:35:01,375
as being against
that stereotype and
843
00:35:01,474 --> 00:35:03,876
trying really hard to make
Muhammad Hassan
844
00:35:03,976 --> 00:35:05,344
a real character,
someone who was
845
00:35:05,445 --> 00:35:06,746
born here,
went to school here,
846
00:35:06,847 --> 00:35:07,981
has a family here.
847
00:35:08,081 --> 00:35:11,083
I, for one, will
not embrace...
848
00:35:11,217 --> 00:35:13,920
a racist nation.
849
00:35:14,021 --> 00:35:17,255
Right around that time,
I wanted to buy a house.
850
00:35:17,356 --> 00:35:20,025
And so, I walk into a
room off of catering,
851
00:35:20,126 --> 00:35:22,228
and it's just me,
and there's Johnny Ace,
852
00:35:22,329 --> 00:35:24,898
the head of talent
relations at the time.
853
00:35:24,998 --> 00:35:27,434
And I remember going and
saying, "Johnny," you know,
854
00:35:27,567 --> 00:35:30,336
"I'm just about to put an
offer in on a house back home.
855
00:35:30,436 --> 00:35:32,170
What's gonna happen?"
856
00:35:32,271 --> 00:35:33,773
And he looked me
dead in the eye,
857
00:35:33,873 --> 00:35:37,108
and he said,
"Don't buy the house."
858
00:35:37,210 --> 00:35:39,746
And, that's when I knew
that we're not
859
00:35:39,847 --> 00:35:41,213
gonna be fighting
this thing.
860
00:35:41,315 --> 00:35:43,916
We were done.
861
00:35:44,016 --> 00:35:45,717
With sponsors
and the network
862
00:35:45,786 --> 00:35:48,288
pressuring the company
to drop the character,
863
00:35:48,420 --> 00:35:51,423
Muhammad Hassan's
fate is sealed.
864
00:35:51,525 --> 00:35:53,626
We weren't allowed
to be on TV.
865
00:35:53,726 --> 00:35:56,128
We weren't allowed to
be on SmackDown or Raw.
866
00:35:56,262 --> 00:35:57,630
The only thing we were
allowed to do
867
00:35:57,764 --> 00:35:59,465
was a Pay Per View.
868
00:35:59,599 --> 00:36:00,967
[cheering]
869
00:36:01,101 --> 00:36:02,902
My family was sitting in
the front row in
870
00:36:03,003 --> 00:36:04,605
Buffalo, New York,
where I went to school,
871
00:36:04,704 --> 00:36:07,306
where I first got the bug
to want to be a wrestler.
872
00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:09,876
Everything kind of
came full circle.
873
00:36:09,976 --> 00:36:11,644
And that was the last time
I was gonna
874
00:36:11,744 --> 00:36:13,380
be in a WWE ring.
875
00:36:13,480 --> 00:36:15,248
♪
876
00:36:15,349 --> 00:36:16,782
I mean, if anybody
was gonna take me out,
877
00:36:16,882 --> 00:36:19,920
having it be The Undertaker
was an honor.
878
00:36:20,019 --> 00:36:21,987
[bell chiming]
879
00:36:22,121 --> 00:36:24,324
[cheering]
880
00:36:24,458 --> 00:36:26,425
My character was...
881
00:36:26,492 --> 00:36:29,730
beat brutally.
882
00:36:29,829 --> 00:36:31,664
And another big boot
by the Undertaker!
883
00:36:31,797 --> 00:36:33,934
And then I was power
-bombed through the stage.
884
00:36:34,001 --> 00:36:35,400
Walked into the hand
of the Undertaker!
885
00:36:35,501 --> 00:36:37,003
This move called
The Last Ride,
886
00:36:37,137 --> 00:36:39,338
and he launches me.
887
00:36:39,472 --> 00:36:41,141
And when he drops me,
I'm coming down
888
00:36:41,240 --> 00:36:43,476
at a much steeper angle
than I anticipated.
889
00:36:43,577 --> 00:36:46,246
Stop this!
Oh, no, no, no, no, no!
890
00:36:46,346 --> 00:36:48,681
Hit so hard on that single
crash pad on my neck,
891
00:36:48,780 --> 00:36:51,351
that I flipped over and
landed clean on my feet,
892
00:36:51,451 --> 00:36:53,686
like an acrobat.
So they put me down.
893
00:36:53,818 --> 00:36:56,356
They cover me with
cable wires, put blood out.
894
00:36:56,489 --> 00:36:58,025
I don't know how often
that's happened
895
00:36:58,157 --> 00:36:59,159
where a character
has been murdered
896
00:36:59,257 --> 00:37:01,693
on national television,
brutally.
897
00:37:01,827 --> 00:37:03,931
And with that,
Muhammad Hassan
898
00:37:04,030 --> 00:37:05,565
was never seen again.
899
00:37:05,666 --> 00:37:07,034
[snaps]
900
00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:09,835
That was it and,
you know,
901
00:37:09,936 --> 00:37:11,804
the weird thing
about that was...
902
00:37:11,903 --> 00:37:14,208
typically, after a show,
you go back to the hotel.
903
00:37:14,340 --> 00:37:16,509
I was in Buffalo,
and I was home...
904
00:37:16,608 --> 00:37:18,945
so I got in my car and
when the show was over,
905
00:37:19,045 --> 00:37:21,547
I drove home,
and it was...
906
00:37:21,648 --> 00:37:24,215
I couldn't even begin to
tell you the thoughts
907
00:37:24,351 --> 00:37:26,152
that I was feeling.
908
00:37:26,219 --> 00:37:28,387
I don't know if
it was relief...
909
00:37:28,521 --> 00:37:30,690
sadness...
910
00:37:30,791 --> 00:37:32,826
disappointment.
911
00:37:32,893 --> 00:37:35,896
♪
912
00:37:36,027 --> 00:37:39,030
I definitely was...
913
00:37:39,130 --> 00:37:41,634
heartbroken by
what had happened,
914
00:37:41,733 --> 00:37:44,903
and heartbroken that
everything that I had spent
915
00:37:45,005 --> 00:37:49,309
so much time and energy,
and, and dreamed, and-
916
00:37:49,409 --> 00:37:53,179
everything that I had
worked for was just gone.
917
00:37:53,246 --> 00:37:56,349
It made no sense.
He did what he was told
918
00:37:56,416 --> 00:37:58,317
because he was
being paid money,
919
00:37:58,418 --> 00:38:00,920
and he had a dream job
that he wanted to fulfill.
920
00:38:01,054 --> 00:38:04,090
And what they told him
to do backfired.
921
00:38:04,190 --> 00:38:06,525
They threw the baby and the
bath water out the window
922
00:38:06,626 --> 00:38:09,496
and continued on, rather than
tell Vince McMahon,
923
00:38:09,596 --> 00:38:10,896
"You ----ed this guy up,
924
00:38:10,998 --> 00:38:12,530
you ought to make it
up to him."
925
00:38:12,599 --> 00:38:14,233
He did everything
he was told.
926
00:38:14,333 --> 00:38:18,105
He was great at his job,
and they let him go for it.
927
00:38:18,237 --> 00:38:21,608
The end of my career with
the WWE launched me
928
00:38:21,708 --> 00:38:23,943
to a few years of
my life where...
929
00:38:24,043 --> 00:38:26,346
I had no direction,
and I was lost,
930
00:38:26,445 --> 00:38:27,612
and I didn't know
what I was gonna do,
931
00:38:27,713 --> 00:38:30,715
and I knew I would never
get back what I had...
932
00:38:30,784 --> 00:38:34,086
and I couldn't,
I couldn't rationalize it,
933
00:38:34,186 --> 00:38:36,956
and I couldn't
find reason for it.
934
00:38:37,056 --> 00:38:40,626
I do feel like wrestling
turned its back on me,
935
00:38:40,726 --> 00:38:42,360
and I definitely turned
my back on wrestling,
936
00:38:42,461 --> 00:38:45,965
and I didn't want
to look back at all.
937
00:38:46,065 --> 00:38:49,068
I needed to change and I
didn't really know how.
938
00:38:57,411 --> 00:39:00,646
Fired from WWE and
living in Los Angeles,
939
00:39:00,746 --> 00:39:04,650
Marc Copani steps away from
the world of wrestling.
940
00:39:04,751 --> 00:39:06,318
I was pretty secluded in LA.
941
00:39:06,420 --> 00:39:09,456
In the moment,
it was survival mode.
942
00:39:09,556 --> 00:39:11,657
It was living day by day.
943
00:39:11,757 --> 00:39:13,159
It was a level of depression
944
00:39:13,259 --> 00:39:14,795
that I didn't recognize
at the time.
945
00:39:14,894 --> 00:39:16,762
I don't want to
say hopelessness,
946
00:39:16,829 --> 00:39:18,998
but just being lost...
947
00:39:19,099 --> 00:39:22,768
and nothing was
really going my way.
948
00:39:22,869 --> 00:39:25,838
Depressed, upset.
Frustrated.
949
00:39:25,972 --> 00:39:27,840
You're on top of
the world one week.
950
00:39:27,940 --> 00:39:30,509
The next week,
you're without a job.
951
00:39:30,608 --> 00:39:34,081
Once that tide of momentum
turns against you,
952
00:39:34,181 --> 00:39:37,184
it's kind of hard to get
it to swing the other way.
953
00:39:37,317 --> 00:39:40,686
The character came in so hot,
and had so much attention
954
00:39:40,820 --> 00:39:42,922
that nobody thought it was
gonna be believable
955
00:39:43,023 --> 00:39:45,025
to bring me back
as anybody else.
956
00:39:45,125 --> 00:39:46,925
It's always like that
one thing that sticks
957
00:39:47,025 --> 00:39:49,096
in people's mind,
you know.
958
00:39:49,195 --> 00:39:51,030
"Oh, that's the
terrorist guy."
959
00:39:51,164 --> 00:39:53,965
Sadly. Just a waste
of a talent, really,
960
00:39:54,067 --> 00:39:55,534
because he had so
much potential
961
00:39:55,634 --> 00:39:58,170
to be like
that big star.
962
00:39:58,271 --> 00:40:02,675
One of the defining moments
for me with that is I...
963
00:40:02,775 --> 00:40:05,311
had come home
for the holidays,
964
00:40:05,378 --> 00:40:06,545
just a bit of a wreck.
965
00:40:06,679 --> 00:40:08,380
You know, I was
running low on money.
966
00:40:08,481 --> 00:40:10,016
I remember
being exhausted,
967
00:40:10,117 --> 00:40:13,353
and just saying
to myself, like...
968
00:40:13,452 --> 00:40:15,987
you need to get
some sleep. And...
969
00:40:16,056 --> 00:40:19,226
and then the thought
occurred to me...
970
00:40:19,358 --> 00:40:21,228
What if you
don't wake up?
971
00:40:21,360 --> 00:40:22,728
What difference
would it make?
972
00:40:22,829 --> 00:40:25,164
Like, what difference
do you make?
973
00:40:25,231 --> 00:40:27,900
How many days
have you wasted?
974
00:40:29,068 --> 00:40:30,771
How many days
have you wasted?
975
00:40:30,871 --> 00:40:33,239
And...
976
00:40:33,373 --> 00:40:36,742
kind of just confronted with
the reality of where I was,
977
00:40:36,876 --> 00:40:39,146
not where I
wanted to be.
978
00:40:39,246 --> 00:40:41,614
And that was the moment
that I decided I needed to
979
00:40:41,713 --> 00:40:43,483
make a radical
change in my life.
980
00:40:43,583 --> 00:40:45,751
And it was a few months later
that I was going to college,
981
00:40:45,851 --> 00:40:47,387
working nights at UPS.
982
00:40:47,485 --> 00:40:49,088
And it was very humbling.
983
00:40:49,222 --> 00:40:51,657
And I found that fire,
that work ethic,
984
00:40:51,757 --> 00:40:54,393
that dedication,
that passion.
985
00:40:54,494 --> 00:40:55,860
And I focused it in
another direction.
986
00:40:55,961 --> 00:40:57,431
I got my teaching
certification,
987
00:40:57,563 --> 00:40:58,530
and I got my
master's degree.
988
00:40:58,630 --> 00:41:00,733
I got a job teaching.
Then I became a principal.
989
00:41:00,833 --> 00:41:03,836
I didn't stop, and I
haven't stopped since.
990
00:41:03,936 --> 00:41:06,005
So I don't waste
days anymore.
991
00:41:06,106 --> 00:41:08,407
♪
992
00:41:08,541 --> 00:41:10,577
It wasn't until later that I
realized I was avoiding
993
00:41:10,675 --> 00:41:13,012
the pain and the heartbreak
that I had felt
994
00:41:13,112 --> 00:41:15,780
because of what
had happened.
995
00:41:15,916 --> 00:41:17,751
With Muhammad Hassan
behind him,
996
00:41:17,851 --> 00:41:21,353
Marc has had years to reflect
on the experience of being
997
00:41:21,454 --> 00:41:24,791
one of wrestling's most
controversial villains.
998
00:41:24,891 --> 00:41:27,293
It probably wasn't until
almost a decade later
999
00:41:27,393 --> 00:41:31,297
that I really started to
appreciate the journey
1000
00:41:31,398 --> 00:41:32,898
that I had had and the
career that I had had,
1001
00:41:32,998 --> 00:41:35,233
regardless of how it ended,
and then at that point,
1002
00:41:35,300 --> 00:41:37,704
it didn't matter
how it ended.
1003
00:41:37,804 --> 00:41:39,405
It's always easy
to say, what if?
1004
00:41:39,505 --> 00:41:42,275
I think Muhammad Hassan's
outcome was set in stone
1005
00:41:42,375 --> 00:41:44,077
from his very first promo.
1006
00:41:44,143 --> 00:41:46,945
This is no longer
the land of the free.
1007
00:41:47,045 --> 00:41:49,315
And it has nothing to do
with talent, skill,
1008
00:41:49,449 --> 00:41:51,117
ability, appearance.
1009
00:41:51,217 --> 00:41:54,286
It has to do with the
culture we lived in.
1010
00:41:54,387 --> 00:41:57,556
I feel bad for Marc because
the man was talented,
1011
00:41:57,655 --> 00:41:59,692
the man was good.
The man was gifted.
1012
00:41:59,793 --> 00:42:02,228
I will fulfill my destiny
1013
00:42:02,329 --> 00:42:04,931
as the first Arab American
1014
00:42:05,030 --> 00:42:06,632
to be champion!
1015
00:42:06,733 --> 00:42:08,501
I made the decisions
to play that character,
1016
00:42:08,601 --> 00:42:09,835
and I've had to
live with it, and so
1017
00:42:09,969 --> 00:42:11,570
I don't have any
ill feelings about it.
1018
00:42:11,670 --> 00:42:13,239
I don't hold grudges.
1019
00:42:13,338 --> 00:42:15,074
It's just the fact that
I got to experience that,
1020
00:42:15,173 --> 00:42:16,509
and I got to live that.
1021
00:42:16,608 --> 00:42:18,844
And I had dreamed it
for so long...
1022
00:42:18,978 --> 00:42:21,146
to make that
dream a reality,
1023
00:42:21,248 --> 00:42:23,250
this is something that
I am very proud of.
1024
00:42:23,349 --> 00:42:24,851
[match bell]
1025
00:42:24,983 --> 00:42:27,853
Either way, that character
was not long for TV.
1026
00:42:27,954 --> 00:42:29,456
The world was
changing around us,
1027
00:42:29,521 --> 00:42:32,492
and eventually the world
looked like it does today,
1028
00:42:32,590 --> 00:42:34,693
where that type
of stereotypical,
1029
00:42:34,827 --> 00:42:37,795
insensitive portrayal of any
nationality in this country
1030
00:42:37,862 --> 00:42:39,599
is frowned upon now,
and it should be.
1031
00:42:39,699 --> 00:42:41,835
♪
1032
00:42:41,934 --> 00:42:45,105
Shawn is an agent
in the WWE now.
1033
00:42:45,204 --> 00:42:46,639
Shawn has a great
mind for wrestling,
1034
00:42:46,706 --> 00:42:48,507
and he just gets the
storytelling aspect
1035
00:42:48,608 --> 00:42:50,543
of wrestling. I talk to
Shawn all the time,
1036
00:42:50,643 --> 00:42:52,012
and he's doing
very well
1037
00:42:52,110 --> 00:42:53,646
and I couldn't be
prouder of him.
1038
00:42:53,713 --> 00:42:56,615
To be honest, it worked out
better for Marc because
1039
00:42:56,715 --> 00:42:58,717
in the intervening
20 years,
1040
00:42:58,851 --> 00:43:02,153
he's had a normal job
in a normal place.
1041
00:43:02,255 --> 00:43:04,224
He's highly thought
of in the community.
1042
00:43:04,356 --> 00:43:06,626
He's probably been better
off in the long run
1043
00:43:06,726 --> 00:43:08,795
than all the crazy shit
he would have gone through
1044
00:43:08,894 --> 00:43:10,463
in 20 years in the
wrestling business.
1045
00:43:10,563 --> 00:43:12,130
So, I'm happy for him.
1046
00:43:12,231 --> 00:43:14,067
If I could go back
and do it all again,
1047
00:43:14,166 --> 00:43:15,467
I absolutely
would do it.
1048
00:43:15,568 --> 00:43:16,902
I'm the man I am today
1049
00:43:17,036 --> 00:43:18,737
because of those
experiences.
1050
00:43:18,871 --> 00:43:21,074
Muhammad Hassan didn't
define who I am.
1051
00:43:21,172 --> 00:43:23,842
That character stays
in 2004, 2005.
1052
00:43:23,943 --> 00:43:27,579
Everything that's
happened since is me.
1053
00:43:27,713 --> 00:43:29,983
Now, I'm the Director of
Human Resources
1054
00:43:30,083 --> 00:43:32,085
in a small city
school district.
1055
00:43:32,184 --> 00:43:34,820
And, I impact over
3000 kids every day.
1056
00:43:34,920 --> 00:43:37,155
And the only way I had gotten
to this point is because of
1057
00:43:37,255 --> 00:43:39,391
the epic failure
that I had had,
1058
00:43:39,492 --> 00:43:41,661
and that realization
that it doesn't matter
1059
00:43:41,760 --> 00:43:43,228
what your dreams were,
1060
00:43:43,329 --> 00:43:44,664
it doesn't matter
how it ended,
1061
00:43:44,764 --> 00:43:46,900
you always have
a second chance.
1062
00:43:47,000 --> 00:43:49,101
I don't think my best
days are behind me.
1063
00:43:49,202 --> 00:43:51,070
I think that they're
in front of me.
1064
00:43:51,170 --> 00:43:53,338
I'm still looking forward
to doing some big things.
1065
00:43:53,440 --> 00:43:57,775
♪