Fightful: We're gonna go through the Marc Copani Wikipedia. First off, they spelled your name wrong. That's not getting off to a good start.
WIKI: During your WWE run, you were 6'2", 245. (This has since been changed to 6'4, 260)
Muhammad Hassan: (False) "I wish. 6', maybe 6' and a half. I think the heaviest I was, was maybe 225, 230."
Fightful. That's one we get a lot out of pro wrestling, which isn't a a big secret.
Hassan: "They do that everywhere. They do that NFL, NBA, they always beef it up at least an inch or two and add twenty pounds."
WIKI: After retiring, you moved to LA to be an actor and screenwriter.
Hassan: (True) "Yeah. I definitely, I did a little acting. I didn't do too much of it. I got into the writing and production end of it, did some small things, nothing really memorable that stands out. But I would say that is accurate."
WIKI: You were trained by Nightmare Danny Davis and Nick Dinsmore.
Hassan: (True) "That is true. I actually -- and Jim Cornette, and Rob Conway. I saw Jim Cornette last weekend, and I told him thank you. I never got a chance, you know, thank you for everything you did for me. I told him to make sure you tell Danny the same thing, I haven't seen Danny in a decade. But yep, Danny Davis, Nick Dinsmore was my primary trainer, and Rob Conway and a lot of other people along the way that helped out. I've been very grateful to all them."
Fightful: And you later worked with Nick Dinsmore on the main roster briefly.
Hassan: "Yeah, we did. We did that thing at WrestleMania, it was really cool."
Fightful: That had to be an interesting situation. You get trained by a guy, next thing you know you're in a huge main event angle with him at WrestleMania. That's kind of a cool story."
Hassan: "I've always looked up to Nick, so it was definitely a big moment for me."
WIKI: One of your signature moves was nicknamed the 'Finishing Touch'.
Hassan: (True) "Yeah, at OVW, the Finishing Touch. I don't think very many -- I don't think anybody used it. I thought it was a pretty good move."
Fightful: I remember that move, I just wasn't sure what you called it or not..
WIKI: The reason the WWE dropped the character was due to increasing public pressure and they sent you and Daivari back to developmental, or at least tried.
Hassan: (Maybe) "That is partially true. There really wasn't a discussion to send me back to developmental. But you know what, I bet if that was something I wanted to do, I could've done. But at the time we talked about ... the last time we spoke, I just wasn't interested in doing it any more."
WIKI: You were pegged to defeat Batista for the world title at SummerSlam.
Hassan: (Maybe) "That's what I heard. I heard that from ... I can't remember who, but the idea was ... I mean obviously a screwjob on the Undertaker at the Great American Bash, because you know Undertaker is one of the most over wrestlers ever. And then I think the big F U was the Arab winning the belt against the hometown boy in Washington DC at the nation's capital. So I can't confirm that for a hundred percent, but as far as I was told, that was what was going to happen."
Fightful: So were you told that by those behind the scenes at WWE, or is that something you heard afterwards?
Hassan: "I think I knew beforehand. That was what I was told before everything went south with the character."
Fightful: And was that something that was in your mind when you decided to leave, like I could have had that run, or was that something you weren't really that concerned about?
Hassan: "I wasn't that concerned because coming from OVW, being trained more old school with Jimmy and Danny and Rip Rogers, I mean ... belts are belts. We never put a lot of emphasis on belts. In fact, they would always say you put belts on the guys who aren't over. The guys who are over don't need a belt. So honestly it wasn't that big of a deal. Yeah, it'd be cool to have my name in the history book of world champions, but it's nothing I really dwell on."
WIKI: And the last one is one that I wrote down, that's been removed. It says, as of 2013, Copani has become a recruiter on the independent wrestling circuit, which I feel like you would have mentioned at some point.
Hassan: (False) "Yeah, very false. There's not much of an independent circuit where I live, so."
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