#5 – Muhammad Hassan
…except maybe this guy. Hassan was the WWF’s first real attempt to capitalize on the emotions of 9/11. Hassan didn’t play a terrorist or a sympathizer; he played an American of Arab descent who lived in Detroit, MI and was infuriated by the mistreatment he received by ethnocentric and xenophobic Americans.
The character was brilliant because it was over-the-top and yet at the same time perfectly plausable. Hassan drew monster heel heat and his programs with Hulk Hogan and Batista are memorable, and had Hassan’s character not drawn so much criticism by the mainstream media, there’s no limit to how far he could have gone.
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#4 – Lex Luger
On July 4th, 1993, Lex Luger made one of the better face turns in wrestling history when he ceased being “The Narcissist” and arrived via helicopter on board the USS Intrepid to bodyslam Japanese monster heel and WWF Champion Yokozuna. Luger then challenged Yokozuna to a match for the WWF Title and spent the next month on a giant red, white, and blue bus called “The Lex Express” meeting fans and campaigning for his title shot. At Summer Slam, the two faced off, with Lex winning by count out.
A stipulation meant that Luger only got ONE title shot, and the only way he’d get another would be by winning the Royal Rumble. Lex co-won the 1994 Rumble with Bret Hart. In between that, he led “The All Americans” into the Survivor Series against “The Foreign Fanatics.” Luger won the match, pinning Ludvig Borga. He lost steam after Wrestlemania 10, since his feud with Mr. Perfect never materialized.
