Tommaso Ciampa Recalls 'Apologizing To The Network On Live TV' After Notorious WWE Angle
Back in 2005, then-independent wrestler Tommaso Ciampa became Muhammad Hassan's lawyer on WWE programming under the name of Thomas Whitney. His character arrived in WWE just after Hassan's controversial character was taken off WWE television following a terror-themed angle that aired on the day of the July 7, 2005, London bombings. Ciampa recalled being told to apologize to the TV network (the now-defunct UPN) on-screen during that brief run while appearing on the "Insight with Chris Van Vliet" podcast.
"Yeah, he [Muhammad Hassan] disappeared after this," Ciampa said. "But they were like, 'You have to do an apology for his actions last week. And it has to come off sincere and real because we're actually apologizing to the network on live TV because that's what they requested.' And it was just bizarre because, in my head at this point, I'm like, with Jamie [Jamitkowski], the promoter [of Chaotic Wrestling]. I'm like, 'Why didn't they just hire an actor? Why didn't they hire somebody professional?' And I was like, 'This is so bizarre.'
"But I was a promo guy. I've always been a promo guy. He's like, 'It's just like your penmanship promo. Just go do one of your penmanship promos.' I'm like, 'Thank God, I have this script. I can read it.' And like they were like, 'You're reading it. You don't have to memorize it.' So I was like, 'Okay.' And then I did an in-ring rehearsal with Undertaker, with Hunter [Paul "Triple H" Levesque], and Steph [McMahon], and Vince [McMahon], and everybody watching me."
The terror-themed angle that was filmed on July 4, 2005, for that week's "WWE SmackDown" broadcast saw five masked men attack The Undertaker and carry out Daivari — Hassan's associate who had just been defeated by "The Deadman" — above their heads.
The footage aired hours after the terrorist attacks had occurred in the United Kingdom. UPN, the channel that broadcasted the blue brand show in the United States at that time, forced WWE to keep the Hassan character off television following backlash from fans and the media. Hassan's character was officially written off WWE programming at WWE The Great American Bash 2005.
If you use any quotes in this article, please credit "Insight with Chris Van Vliet" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.