5 little-known WWE booking decisions that almost happened

Hassan as World Champion

Muhammad Hassan was a young man when he hit the big time in WWE.

Very few characters have been as controversial yet, perhaps, progressive as the Muhammad Hassan character from 2004-05 in the WWE. Based on the xenophobia of Americans regarding people of Arabic descent following 9/11, the character was an easy heel that actually had some thought behind it.

Yet the character took a final turn when Hassan had masked men come out and attack the Undertaker during a Smackdown taping in July 2005. In the same week, the London bombings happened, and that started a spiral toward Hassan’s release from the company.

It was later revealed that Hassan was just a few weeks away from winning the World Heavyweight Championship from Batista at SummerSlam. At just 23, he would’ve been the youngest such champion in WWE history.