Former WWE wrestler Muhammad Hassan, aka Marc Copani, recently shared his thoughts on a controversial episode of SmackDown that aired on the same day as the 2005 London bombings. This episode had been recorded three days earlier.
The specific segment stirred up vast controversy; in this scene, Hassan prayed on the ramp while five masked men simulated choking The Undertaker with piano wire, then proceeded to carry Shawn Daivari away. The aftermath resulted in massive media backlash, and Hassan was subsequently removed from television after losing to The Undertaker at The Great American Bash later that month.
Hassan discussed this incident and his experiences with WWE chairman Vince McMahon, on an interview for Maven’s YouTube channel. Here are a few key points from the interaction:
Regarding the controversial segment and WWE’s decision to proceed with the airing, Hassan explained that the recording took place on a Tuesday, with the London bombings happening on Thursday morning, just hours before SmackDown was scheduled to air. WWE chose to broadcast the episode unedited noting its potential sensitivity to some viewers. The segment ended up receiving widespread attention, featuring in local newspapers and international media like Time Magazine.
Hassan acknowledged the backlash towards the episode, emphasizing that taking the seven-minute clip out of the programming would have left a significant gap. He also lamented that the outrage led to a premature end to his storyline, which was supposed to progress to him defeating The Undertaker and then Dave Bautista in a match set in the latter’s hometown of DC, symbolizing a controversial victory for his Arab character.
Speaking about his relationship with McMahon, Hassan states: “Vince was always great to me. That character was sort of his pet project. I remember jetting off on his private plane to Buffalo for a press conference with JBL. I never ran into any issues with him, he always kept an open door for me.”