Controversial ex-WWE star details why his Intercontinental Championship win was not recorded
There have been rare occurrences in WWE when a superstar's title win was omitted from the company's history books. Former star Muhammad Hassan claims he also falls on that list as the company didn't record his Intercontinental Championship win against Shelton Benjamin.
In 2005, Muhammad Hassan was one of the hottest and most controversial acts in modern wrestling under Vince McMahon's regime. However, the character portrayed by Hassan eventually led to his exit from WWE in July of that year, before The Biggest Party of The Summer.
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet of INSIGHT, the 44-year-old was asked about his title win against Shelton Benjamin. Hassan claimed that his name should've been added to the history books, as he had won the title and held on to it for a few seconds.
"I did for a split second, and I think it should be in the books. I don't know, but I think it should be because it's the only belt I've ever won in the WWE. And, I had it for at least five seconds. So, I feel like it should be, you know, 2005 Intercontinental Champion Muhammad Hassan, but that's not recorded," Hassan said.
Unfortunately, the decision was reversed by Steve Austin and Hassan jokingly blamed the Hall of Famer.
"I don't know man, Steve Austin reversed the call. He probably just forged the books too, but I would love to have that distinguishment too being able to say that I won a title in WWE," Hassan said. [From 23:58 to 24:29]
Check out the podcast below:
Ex-WWE star Muhammad Hassan has no plans to step out of retirement
Almost two decades ago, Muhammad Hassan received a significant push on SmackDown under Vince McMahon's creative leadership. The star was able to draw a large amount of heat from fans due to his controversial character.
Sadly, the character was written off television ahead of his major push on the blue brand. Instead of focusing on the independent circuit, Hassan left the professional wrestling business as a whole.
In the same interview with Chris Van Vliet, the 44-year-old star said he has no plans of returning to in-ring competition. Apart from three sporadic appearances in 2018, Hassan has not wrestled on a full-time schedule post-WWE release.
If you use quotes from the article, please credit INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet and provide an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.