BTW I watched Monday War

[Maple Leafs]

Bret will never wrestle again -- he probably couldn't even take a bump as a manager.

Still, I think it's inevitable that he gets his farewell tour at some point. It just makes too much business sense. You could probably sell out every building in Canada for months just to see Hart wave to the crowd.

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Bret will never wrestle again -- he probably couldn't even take a bump as a manager.

Still, I think it's inevitable that he gets his farewell tour at some point. It just makes too much business sense. You could probably sell out every building in Canada for months just to see Hart wave to the crowd.

That's why I'm wondering why there hasn't been a Bret DVD yet. That thing would sell so well. I thought I read that Vince and Bret were talking about a DVD and book, but that was over a year ago.

[duckman]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

That's why I'm wondering why there hasn't been a Bret DVD yet. That thing would sell so well. I thought I read that Vince and Bret were talking about a DVD and book, but that was over a year ago.

Bret owns the rights to the "Hitman" moniker. Because of this, Vince has spoken with him on several occassions about releasing a Bret Hart DVD, but they never came to agreement. I think they have talked about Bret making a final return as a Hall of Fame member, but they could never come to agreement there either.

[Neon_Chaos]

I'd want him to go take that Hall Of Fame offer.

Go out with a bang, and leave all the bitterness inside the ring.

[jbmagic]

Originally Posted by DeToxRoxDVHStyle

Dave Meltzer is reporting that WWE will be dropping the Hassan character, and he will not be moving back to RAW

All over UPN demanding he be dropped from SD!

Hassan was an amazing charatcer with all sorts of heat. What a blow to the SD! brand

will PPV be the last time as Hassan character?

but he going to stil be on smackdown with a new character? i wonder how there going to spin that.

[Flasch186]

...they'll have him coming to the ring wearing a vest (whats wrong with me today!!)

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by Flasch186

...they'll have him coming to the ring wearing a vest (whats wrong with me today!!)

That'd be a cool way to end his character.

[duckman]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

will PPV be the last time as Hassan character?

but he going to stil be on smackdown with a new character? i wonder how there going to spin that.

Supposedly, Taker will "kill" Hassan at the PPV. He may have to go back to OVW for some time to develop a new image or make changes to this current one.

I would rather see him be "fired" by Long for something distasteful at the PPV and have him "hired" by Bischoff for RAW. The guy is a good wrestler with awesome mic skills. His character would probably fit cable better anyways.

[Neon_Chaos]

How about...

...being demolished by the UT, and then turning into a Righ-Wing Conservative Bible-thumping zealot, with the same hatred and passion, but a different religion.

[duckman]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

How about...

...being demolished by the UT, and then turning into a Righ-Wing Conservative Bible-thumping zealot, with the same hatred and passion, but a different religion.

You may be onto something!

[Flasch186]

LOL....we could name the character...nah, ill leave it alone

[duckman]

Some more Smackdown news:

http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/ne...?news_id=12184

Major plans for the brand could be changed due to Hassan situation...

The working plan for Smackdown over the past few weeks was to having Randy Orton cost the Undertaker his match against Muhammad Hassan at the Great American Bash PPV. This would then establish Batista vs. Muhammad Hassan for the World Title and The Undertaker vs. Randy Orton as the top two Smackdown matches for Summerslam. Batista was expected to go over Hassan while Orton was expected to go over the Undertaker, leading to a major Batista/Randy Orton program.

With Hassan's character now set to end at the Great American Bash PPV, it will obviously force WWE to make some significant changes in their plans.

Credit: PWInsider.com

[duckman]

Here is an AP story about it:

STAMFORD, Conn. -- World Wrestling Entertainment has agreed to remove an Arab-American character from a popular television show after complaints about an episode featuring masked henchmen that aired the day of the London bombings.

The Stamford-based wrestling company said it would no longer feature Muhammad Hassan on its "SmackDown!" program. UPN, the station that airs the show, had asked WWE to be sensitive about the character, WWE said.

"It was an interesting character," said Gary Davis, a WWE spokesman. "This was an unfortunate sequence of events. Some people drew the conclusion these people were terrorists even though they were not terrorists."

During the episode, five Hassan henchmen in ski masks and camouflage ran into the ring to beat up his rival, the Undertaker, who had defeated Hassan's sidekick. The men then carried Hassan's sidekick over their heads, which to some evoked a martyr's funeral.

The show did not air in London, but it did appear in the U.S. with an advisory to parents because of the bombings, Davis said. The segment sparked 200 to 300 complaints, he said.

"There really wasn't any time for UPN to edit the program. So they opted to put up an advisory," Davis said.

While Hassan will not appear again on "SmackDown!," he will be featured Sunday on a pay-per view event. Beyond that, his future is uncertain.

"SmackDown!" draws more than 5 million viewers per week, Davis said.

"We asked them to remove it because we thought that was the right thing to do," said Joanna Massey, a UPN spokeswoman.

Hassan, a character introduced last November and played by Mark Copani, grows up in Detroit as a typical American.

But after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he believes he is treated differently by his fellow Americans, leading him to embrace his Arab roots and feel alienated from the U.S.

"The whole point of the story line and this character was to point out the injustices Arab-Americans have suffered since 9-11," Davis said.

But the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee objected to the character. One of its campaigns resulted in nearly 500 complaints sent to WWE, a spokeswoman said.

The character could raise doubts about the patriotism of Arab-Americans, said Siwar Bandar, communications coordinator for the committee.

"The character deals with a very sensitive issue," Bandar said. "However, he does so in a context that is violent, that is turning his back on America."

The committee welcomed the decision to take the character off "SmackDown!" and hopes WWE will make major changes to the character or not feature the wrestler at all, Bandar said.

WWE counts on villains to draw fan interest in its plots, said WWE analyst Dennis McAlpine, managing director of McAlpine Associates in Scarsdale, N.Y. With the Cold War long over, Russians are out and it's getting tougher to find a bad guy, he said.

"You can't find too many more bad guys any more," McAlpine said. "I think the character was probably getting a bit over the top any way."

The controversy left Hassan angry on a recent episode in which he was greeted with shouts of "USA" as he entered the ring. One fan held up a sign telling him to leave the country.

"Because of my heritage, because of my background, I'm labeled 'terrorist,' " Hassan told the fans to a chorus of boos. "I have been denied my God-given right to pursue the profession of my choice, to pursue the American dream."

[jbmagic]

so what happen on the great amercian Bash tonight?

what the results?

any more news on Hassan character?

[duckman]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

so what happen on the great amercian Bash tonight?

what the results?

any more news on Hassan character?

Here are the results:

http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/tv...eports_id=2309

They did "kill" off the Hassan character after Taker powerbombed him through the stage after the match. They showed him lying on the concrete with his head busted opened. They sent him to a "local medical facility".

[jbmagic]

thanks duckman

wow no secret revealed by Eddie..

its going to be interesting to see what character Hassan comes back as on Smackdown

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

thanks duckman

wow no secret revealed by Eddie..

its going to be interesting to see what character Hassan comes back as on Smackdown

Probably as Simon Dean's fitness partner.