Muhammad Hassan (Marc Copani) believes that his WWE persona is unsuitable for today’s wrestling landscape.
During a recent appearance on Maven’s YouTube channel, Hassan emphasized that his character was controversial even during its original run in 2004 and 2005.
According to Hassan, the character is not in line with modern society, and he expressed his appreciation for the fact that the gimmick remains rooted in its original time.
He said, “Muhammad Hassan would never work now. Never ever, and it shouldn’t. I’m not saying like it’s too bad, I’m saying like it definitely wouldn’t and it shouldn’t work. It’s just not the kind of character that agrees with modern society, and that’s perfectly fine.”
Hassan was famously taken off TV following a match with The Undertaker at Great American Bash 2005, which aired on the same day as the London bombings. He was released later from WWE in September of that year.
Joe Tessitore has served as the lead announcer on WWE Monday Night RAW since the beginning of this month, and Adnan Virk, the former RAW announcer, is pleased with his performance.
Tessitore debuted on the September 2nd episode of RAW, and Virk, who briefly held the same position in April and May of 2021, shared his thoughts on Tessitore during an appearance on the “Sports Media Podcast.”
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On his friendship with Tessitore: “Of course, Tess and I are old friends from our ESPN days. Both of us are very fond of Nick Khan. When things went down for me, when I got the job, I remember Tess called me, and then when I lost the job, Tess called me, so he was great counsel both ways. Then this time, when he got the job, I was thrilled for him. Basically, when I talked to him, I said, ‘I’m surprised it took so long, quite honestly.’
“I’m like, ‘You are so gonna be great at this job where I wasn’t,’ and he’s laughing, but I said, ‘What have I done? Baseball, college football, college basketball, studio, primarily. You’re primarily a play-by-play guy. Already different animal, post versus play-by-play. Secondly, what sports have you done? Joe Tess is better at boxing than anybody arguably. Tess is a great boxing play-by-play guy. I know boxing and wrestling is different, but it’s a combat sport. You will know how to rise and the ebbs and flows, and then most importantly and most impactfully, I loved wrestling as a kid, but I didn’t follow it as avidly when I got older. I believe Tess has always been a fan.”
On Tessitore’s work in the role: “I think he’s done great. That’s a very tough audience, they are tough to impress, so if you can come in and let’s say 60% of them like Tess, that’s a resounding victory. I’m sure that number is higher, but eventually they’ll understand Tess and his cadence. Like I said, the fact that he’s passionate about it and he knows it, and he’s a hell of an announcer, I think Michael Cole’s outstanding, but I’m sure Tess at some point can reach those levels as well. It’s obviously a great hire for Nick.”
