"I was supposed to beat The Undertaker" - Controversial former WWE star claims Vince McMahon had serious plans for him heading into WrestleMania
Vince McMahon had serious plans to push a controversial WWE superstar back in the mid-2000s. The superstar was supposed to beat The Undertaker before headlining WrestleMania.
Muhammad Hassan was one of the biggest heels in wrestling back from late 2004 until his huge run in 2005. Hassan was an Arab-American gimmick, with Shawn Daivari serving as his manager. He even challenged John Cena for the WWE Championship during his run.
In an interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Hassan was asked about the rumors of him winning the World Heavyweight Championship before his unfortunate release in September 2005. The 44-year-old shared that he was supposed to beat The Undertaker and challenge Batista for the title at WrestleMania.
"I know I heard that, and I don't know where it originally came from. But I was supposed to, as far as I know, beat The Undertaker, obviously with a lot of help, and then wrestle Batista at WrestleMania in Washington, DC. Dave was announced as being from from Washington, D.C. So it was kind of like, 'The era of beats the hometown boy in the nation's capital' was supposed to be the story," Hassan said. [H/T chrisvanvliet.com]
Muhammad Hassan faced The Undertaker at the Great American Bash in 2005, but his character attracted so much controversy that WWE had to change their plans. He was eventually written out of television and was released two months later.
As for the rumored plans to face Batista, it should be pointed out that WrestleMania 22 was held in Chicago. SummerSlam 2005 was held in Washington, D.C. Hence, it's possible if Hassan defeated The Undertaker at the Great American Bash, he would have done the same against Batista at SummerSlam.
What did Muhammad Hassan do after his WWE release?
After getting released from his WWE contract in 2005, Muhammad Hassan became a teacher and was later appointed principal. He now works as the Director of Human Resources for his city's school district.
"I started as a teacher, then I became an assistant principal, and then I became a principal. And now I am the Director of Human Resources in the city school district," he said. [H/T: chrisvanvliet.com]
After being out of pro wrestling since his WWE release, Hassan returned to wrestle for The Dynasty promotion in Albany, New York, in 2018. He wrestled three times that year before claiming he would not do it again.