Do you think Muhammad Hussan has a bright future?

[Coffey]

Simple question really. Do you think he had a lot of potential? He seems to be a great talker. He has a decent look. He can garner heat in his current gimmick. He also seems to be improving fast as every match he's in, at least to me, seems to be better than the previous match.

 

Of course, he hasn't had a match in awhile.

 

Still, I like that he's using the Camel Clutch more now. I wasn't digging the Flatliner being his finisher. When he does the Flatliner to set up the Camel Clutch though, that's cool.

 

I dig Daivari too. Actually, I might even like him more.

 

So, what do you guys think of the tandem? As far as their WWE work is concerned.

[Guest Crucifixio Jones]

I turned in my smark card after 'Mania XX, officially and have gone back to considering myself a dreaded and shunned "casual fan."

 

As a casual fan, I LIKE Muhammed Hussan. I still flip to RAW on occassion and Josh can tell you, the only thing I ever IM him about is Hussan. I love his gimmick; the fact that he hates us all while constantly reminding us that he too is an American. And Daivari is as annoying as Bill Alphonso ever was with that whistle when he was with Taz.

 

However, because I actually like Hussan, WWE will never allow him to reach the heights I'd like to see him achieve. WWE has screwed me over so many times in that regard that I refuse to get my hopes up or emotionally invest in another character. I did it for Jericho, I did it for Booker T, I did it for Benoit and Eddy (which partially paid off but they're both back to where they previously were before 'Mania XX).

 

I'm the battered wife who finally had the sense to pack up and walk away. I won't come back to Vince so that he can smack me around again with Muhammad Hussan & Daivari.

 

Btw, JOSH: if you come into this thread and post some of the more um...politically incorrect things I've said about Hussan and Daivair, consider yourself banned. Wait. Well, I'll just be really angry with you.

[Coffey]

I'm still waiting to see the "Magic Carpet Ride" ("Flying Carpet?") in WWE. I think that'd be comedy. The only problem is it'd probably get some fans to rally behind the duo and WWE definitely wouldn't want that.

 

 

It's just a Frog Splash with the carpet but it looks hilarious.

 

Too bad they have to wrestle Hogan and HBK at Backlash. I don't think they can recover from the loss if they don't win.

[Guest Bruiser Chong]

I don't want to be an echo, but I'm in the same boat as CJ. In the event that I turn on RAW, Hussan is the only thing I ever see that I'm entertained by. He's such a throwback to the classic wrestling villain, but at the same time, he's so modern in his mike skills. He doesn't just rely on talking down on the United States; he's a well-rounded character that you could hate for reasons other than his national allegiance. That said, I don't see a heel on RAW ever getting the chance to be on top.

[Coffey]

I mean, I like Hussan a lot. Daivari too. I don't think that he's the only person on Raw that I like though. To tell ya'll the truth, I've actually came around a lot on Maven. He's gotten himself into a lot better shape. Not only that but he's getting better too. Hell, he even talks every now and again nowadays.

 

I think that Maven has a bright future too. That is unless WWE randomly fire him.

 

I'm off the Batista bandwagon though. Ever since WWE started having him do comedy spots and the thumbs down pose it's just not been the same. My friends and I all liked him when he did the subtle things. Like the "guns" during his entrance. Now people point it out and think he's doing the cabbage patch dance. What the fuck?

 

I wish MNM and Carlito were on Raw. I don't get Smackdown.

 

Anyway, back to Hassan, I think that he should start working the back more in his matches. Start doing shit like a Russian Leg Sweep and a Back Breaker. It'd make his Camel Clutch make more sense in the end.

 

I don't know what Joey Styles is talking about either. I thought the throat slit on the Clutch was badass. Distasteful? This is fucking prowrestling!

[Loss]

Hassan has a great character, and if he ever gets really good in the ring, his career is set. He's the type of character that doesn't have to be in main events or even win most of his matches to be effective, as long as he's protected in the buildup. Fans will always clamor to see him lose, and his character has the potential to draw big money. He's a modernized version of the Iron Shiek, although Shiek was good in the ring before his age caught up to him. Daivari is the one who really carries the duo, though, I think -- he's the better heel of the two, the better worker of the two and he's the best ringside second I've seen in quite some time. I hope he stays paired with Hassan, only because at his size, he'll get buried if he ever moves on without him. Some have even suggested that Daivari should be the one getting this push with Hassan as his backup muscle.

 

I don't know why they don't try to make that Hassan/Daivari dynamic with Edge and Christian, where you have Christian hanging out around Edge all the time, running interferences and doing a lot of great promos. If they want Edge to be a headliner, that would work. Yeah, Christian has more potential than that, but I doubt they'll ever push him to that level, and both of them are better together than apart.

 

Not to derail the thread or anything, but I just wanted to make that point.

[Coffey]

I don't think it derails the thread at all. In fact, it'd probably make an interesting topic.

 

When I was talking about making threads about random questions, this is the thread that popped into my head. I think threads like this can bring about some good discussion.

 

I think that Melina might turn into a really good character over on Smackdown too. Daivari better watch out or he might get outshined.

 

Speaking of Maven and Hassan, you know who else stands out to me? Rob Conway from La R?sistance. I bet he'd be pretty good if he got a chance to fly solo. He reminds me of a lot of things that I liked about Val Venis a few years ago.

 

See, I derailed my own thread!

 

Anyway, I don't like the direction that Hassan is taking already. Why is he getting into a feud with HBK anyway? Since when is HBK all patriotic? Because he's from Texas? This is just another excuse to get fucking Hogan on PPV. It's pathetic.

 

I'd like to see Hassan go after IC gold. Start his ladder climbing. It's not like people want to see Jericho hanging around the IC belt anyway. Hassan/Benjamin would've been a good feud. Now it looks like Shelton may turn heel. Hassan/Benjamin would've even wrote itself since Shelton was in the patrotic Team Angle at one time. Hell, they could even bring up his wrestling backround or something to throw some more fuel on the fire.

 

Damnit!

[Coffey]

You know, had I thought of it, I'd have made this post a poll. Oh well, I'll remember to do so next time.

[sek69]

I love how Joey Styles is all sorts of offended over what's basically the modern version of the Iron Sheik gimmick. I mean, he worked for a promotion that had a crucifixtion, and almost had a guy bleed to death in the ring so naturally Hassan's the most offensive thing he's ever seen.

 

Personally I love Hassan and Daivari. I love the fact that they're basically saying things that are right and that's why they are heels. I think they're in danger of missing the boat with him since they seem destined to make him a one note comedy heel. When Sgt. Slaughter came out to confront him, that was a golden opportunity to point out that he was once an Iraqi sympathizer rather than doing the usual rah-rah USA is great routine.

[Guest Bruiser Chong]

From what I've read, Styles seems to be offended by anything that's anti-America.

[Strummer]

Joey is being hypocritical after all the stuff ECW did in the past that he conveniently doesn't bring up when bashing the WWE for being "insensitive"

[Coffey]

No shit. I mean, his catchphrase was "Oh my God." That might offend some people. Styles is just being a bitch because he hates WWE.

[Guest KingPK]

I dunno, he sometimes wavers into generic "America, ptui!" territory sometimes, but I'll agree that he's got a good look and can cut some pretty good promos. He needs some seasoning in the ring, but that hasn't stopped them before from pushing guys heavily (see Cena, John). Daivari is great as the old-school manager, annoying the fans and running interference for his man. I brought up my idea of Daivari being drafted to SD so Hassan can complain about more discrimination, didn't I? It's probably a bad idea to break them up this soon, but it would probably be beneficial to the Hassan character (and Daivari could probably do well in the Cruiserweight division).

[Guest Some Guy]

If he can learn to work then he'll be awesome based on his mic skills. I don't really like the gimmick, I think it is a little too serious for wrestling, where as Shiek and Volkoff were cartoon characters.

 

I think Hassan would be a little better off if he had a few more months in OVW, although OVW has yet to turn out a great worker. Orton is probably the best of the bunch.

 

I really think that Shelton Bengiman is the next big star, he has the work down and he hasn't really been allowed to talk.

[Coffey]

Brock Lesnar came from OVW and he's definitely better than Orton. Or at least he was.

[Guest Some Guy]

True enough.

[Coffey]

Just to give this thread a little bit of new life, what do you guys think about the throat slit gesture? I actually was digging it. I didn't think that it was in poor taste. He's a heel and it was signifying that the end was near. It was during his finisher.

 

Benoit does the same thing but I guess it's to his own neck and not to his opponents.

[Loss]

I don't think it was in poor tastes at all, but I understand why some thought it was. There is very little in wrestling that can get an emotional reaction out of viewers anymore, and I have no problem with them pushing the envelopes to fuck with people's emotions and comfort zones. That sort of thing is definitely more compelling than the fart joke-style booking that defined the Attitude era.

[Coffey]

I actually thought that it added another dimension to his character. The little things that he points out via talk are just ignored. Like when the crowd chants USA at him but he's from Michigan. That doesn't make sense.

 

However, when he provides the visual, like with the throat slit, you can't ignore it.

 

I like how he puts his own flare on the Camel Clutch too. With the throat slit and the sideways applying of the head, it seems fresh.

[Guest Hunter's Torn Quad]

It might not have been in bad taste had there not been rash of real life beheadings, that is still going on to this day.

 

As for trying to "fuck with people's emotions", there are better, and less offensive ways, to do that than by mocking the murders of innocent people. It's one thing to do an angle that plays off of the people who are willingly taking part in the combat, though no less tacky. But I feel it crosses the line to make fun of the murder of people who had nothing to do with the combat itself, and were kidnapped by extremists just to have their heads cut off for propaganda purposes. If more American soldiers had suffered such a fate, I doubt that they'd have added the gesture to Hassan but it was just innocent civilians, so I guess it's fair game to make light of their tragedy.

[Coffey]

The way I see it, Hassan is playing a character. You should look at it in that light. It's not disrepectful unless you take things too seriously and are looking at things with too much scrutiny.

 

When I seen him do the throat slit gesture on Eugene at Wrestlemania, I didn't start thinking about 9/11 or beheaded people. I thought that it meant that it was over for Eugene.

[Guest Hunter's Torn Quad]

If it's just a character, then why not have someone do a pedophile gimmick and do an angle where he kidnaps the 13-year old daughter of his main rival. Have everyone freak out, and wonder what's going on, and then the wrestler and the kid can show up after a month, and she can reveal she's pregnant from the pedophile.

 

It won't matter that it will offend pretty much everyone out there. I mean, it's just a character, right ?

[Loss]

It's a double-edged sword. If they're just "playing a character", then WWE should just completely stop caring about maintaining kayfabe outside of the show. Enemies on television dramas aren't restricted from traveling with each other, and they're not told to stay in character in public at all times either. At the same time, I personally wouldn't be offended by them crossing that line because I know it's a show. The problem is that even though the average fan knows it's fake, he doesn't watch it in the same way he watches a movie or a TV show. The dynamic is a little bit different, so the rules are a little bit different.

 

Wrestling is just weird all the way around, and Vince has struggled with corporate identity for a long time. Vince says what they do is not a sport, yet JR refers to the competitors as athletes on WWE television. So which is it? He came out and admitted wrestling is fake to avoid commission fees, but why hasn't he pushed to get the wrestlers recognition in the Screen Actors Guild? I know the answer to all those questions; it's because Vince has always been about convenience. Until he goes one way in full or the other, he's going to be limited in what he can do without causing a public outcry.

[Guest Danny Dubya v 2.0]

If it's just a character, then why not have someone do a pedophile gimmick and do an angle where he kidnaps the 13-year old daughter of his main rival. Have everyone freak out, and wonder what's going on, and then the wrestler and the kid can show up after a month, and she can reveal she's pregnant from the pedophile.

 

It won't matter that it will offend pretty much everyone out there. I mean, it's just a character, right ?

I fear for whomever in the audiences would have the nerve to cheer on the pedophile. Knowing the paranoia around here, neighboring fans would suspect that the fan himself is a pedophile and kick the shit out of him, even if it's just someone with a foul sense of humor.

 

The way I see it, Hassan is playing a character.

What helps him (or Daivari, or both... I know Hassan isn't Arabian) is that he has to put up with that discrimination for real, due to playing that character and being recognized by people outside of WWE, so that adds some realism to it.

[Coffey]

If it's just a character, then why not have someone do a pedophile gimmick and do an angle where he kidnaps the 13-year old daughter of his main rival. Have everyone freak out, and wonder what's going on, and then the wrestler and the kid can show up after a month, and she can reveal she's pregnant from the pedophile.

 

It won't matter that it will offend pretty much everyone out there. I mean, it's just a character, right ?

Well, we get Jerry Lawler acting like a horny old man around all the women and we had Triple H raping corpses. It's not that far off, is it? Let's not forget Val Venis the porn star & The Godfather the pimp.

 

Afterall, Lita was raped by Kane and now they seem to be in love. Make Lita thirteen....