Mark Copani's pro wrestling career was much shorter than many of the contemporary greats in the sport, with only one major title reign to show for it. Yet Copani will still be remembered in pro wrestling history as one of the most controversial wrestlers to ever appear in World Wrestling Entertainment, and his impact on the sport cannot be denied.

Some wrestlers had to wait almost their entire career before signing a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. Copani barely had to wait at all. Copani was signed to an Ohio Valley Wrestling contract in 2003, the same year as his debut as Mark Magnus. Most of Magnus' training came with the OVW head man, Danny Davis, as Magnus learned the tools of the trade inside the squared circle. Magnus began wrestling in 'dark matches' for the company as early as February '03, facing off against men like Chris Nowinski and Johnny Spade. Magnus also started working on his tag-team abilities, teaming with up-and-comers like Mark Jindrak and Orlando Jordan. At Spring Break-Out '03 in April, Magnus & Jordan competed together on the event, but eventually lost to Mark Jindrak & Chris Cage.

Magnus next partnered for a short time with Johnny Jeter. But this all changed at the end of May '03, when, during a televised match between Magnus & Jeter and Johnny Spade & Chris Kanyon, Magnus turned on Jeter, opting instead to join up with Spade & the rest of the Revolution stable. Magnus would stay as a major member of the stable for a long while, joining in their various feuds with the Damaja (Danny Basham), Nick (Eugene) Dinsmore, Rob Conway, and other future stars. In October '03, Magnus made his first major mark in the sport, upsetting Jeter to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship. He would defend the belt into the next year, until losing to Nick Dinsmore at the beginning of January '04. Magnus later joined with Dinsmore & Conway when both went heel, competing with them against Jeter, Doug Basham, & the Damaja at March Mayhem '04. Unfortunately, things again went against Magnus' team, leading to the loss.

WWE Raw: 2004

In September '04, Magnus, now under the name of Muhammad Hassan, began appearing at house shows along with Shawn "Khosrov" Daivari, preparing for an Arab gimmick. At the beginning of November '04, the two began to cut a series of promos detailing how they were Americans, but how their lives had become so bad since 9/11. While Hassan would speak in English, Daivari would 'translate' everything into Arabic. After more than a month of promos, Hussan & Daivari made their first live appearance on the December 13th Raw, interrupting Mick Foley, who was in the ring talking about how he would be going to the Smackdown In Iraq show. Hassan and Foley exchanged heated words, with Daivari contributing some Arabic to the mix. While Hassan & Daivari were angry about the way they were treated in America, Foley talked about how they had the right to complain as loudly as they wanted. Foley then tried to get the two men to come to the ring for a fight, but Hassan refused, saying that he wouldn't fight a man he didn't respect. The duo then left, leaving Foley in the ring.

On the next Raw, Hassan & Daivari had another confrontation, this time with the announcers, Jim Ross & Jerry "The King" Lawler. The two wrestlers talked about how the announcers spread lies and misinformation about them, which eventually led to them nailing both announcers and knocking them down. The two heels then went to Eric Bischoff and asked for a tag-team match against the announcers, but were refused, instead having a debate set up. The two teams met on the next Raw in the debate, with Hassan & Daivari making strong arguments which were countered by chants of U.S.A. When JR told them to "Love it or Leave it", the debate 'ended', with Hassan & Daivari again attacking the two announcers, choking out JR and bloodying Lawler.

2005

Hassan met up with Lawler in a singles match at the New Year's Revolution pay-per-view, with Daivari on the outside for Hassan, while JR rooted for Lawler. It was a strange match, in that there were no announcers speaking about the various moves. Hassan started off strong, with several bodyslams on the legend. But Lawler came back, sending Hassan to the outside to recuperate. He got in a verbal battle with JR, though, which allowed Lawler to blindside him and get him back in the ring, with Daivari watching from the other side. After some more back-and-forth action, Lawler got a big DDT on Hassan and made the cover, but Daivari saved the match by putting Hassan's foot on the rope. Lawler then proceeded to chase Daivari around the ring, but the distraction worked, as Hassan was able to catch Lawler on the way back in with a Flatliner maneuver for the victory.

On the next Raw, Hassan, with Daivari, celebrated their victory. Hassan then took on the Hurricane. Daivari again proved to be a good asset to have, as he distracted the Hurricane, helping Hassan get the victory. The duo next appeared on Chris Jericho's Highlight Reel a week later, on a Raw held in Toronto, Canada. Hassan talked about how, like Arabs, Canadians were thought of as second-class citizens, with the difference being that he believed that Canadians deserved the name-tag. Daivari then gave a speech in Arabic, with Jericho 'translating' that Daivari wanted to get a signed autograph of one of Jericho's band's CDs. The three men eventually came to blows, with the double-team being too much for Jericho. As Daivari taunted him in Arabic, Hassan locked on the Camel Clutch. Chris Benoit made the save. A week later, Hassan defeated Val Venis to earn his entry into the Rumble match.

At the '05 Royal Rumble Match, Hassan came in at #13. At the time, four Raw superstars and four Smackdown superstars were going at it in the ring, in an all-out federation brawl. But when they saw Hassan coming, they all stopped and waited for him. Hassan did a quick Arab prayer, then entered the ring, only to be attacked by all 8 men! Hassan, badly outnumbered, was quickly beaten down, including a 619 from Rey Mysterio, among other maneuvers. All 8 wrestlers then picked the man up and tossed him out of the ring, showing their unity against the Arab-American. A furious Hassan brutally attacked the next entrant into the Rumble, Scotty 2 Hotty, taking him out with the Cobra Clutch to ensure that Scotty didn't even enter the Rumble. Hassan then left, still upset. Batista went on to win the Rumble.

Hassan & Daivari bitterly complained the next week about the unfairness of the other wrestlers teaming up against him, using it as another argument for the 'bigotry' against Arab-Americans. A few weeks later, Hassan & Daivari interrupted another Jericho Highlight Reel to complain about their treatment in the company. Jericho came back with some insults, leading to a match between himself and Hassan. Thanks to Daivari (painfully) distracting Jericho, Hassan picked up the victory, his biggest yet in the company. Hassan & Daivari next started a growing feud with Chris Benoit, with the two beating down Benoit after the Crippler challenged Hassan to a match. A week later, Hassan & Benoit had a match with a strange ending, as Daivari tossed a downed Hassan the ring bell, but Hassan failed to turn around in time to hit Benoit with it during the Flying Headbutt. The announcers seemed unsure how to call it, as the ending was obviously flubbed (Hassan was supposed to have cleanly knocked out Benoit with the belt, to continue his winning streak). Benoit kicked out of Hassan's pin attempt at two, and the bout continued for a short time, before ending in a DQ when Hassan used a blatant low blow.

For the next few weeks, Hassan & Daivari continued to come out in protest of the fact that they weren't booked on the biggest PPV of the year, Wrestlemania. Hassan thought he should be in the "Money In The Bank" Match, but couldn't convince GM Bischoff, causing him to even call Bischoff a rascist. His continued protests attracted the attention of Shawn Michaels, who told Hassan that he just hadn't earned the right yet. This set up a match between the two at the end of March '05, with Hassan trying for his biggest win yet. However, Michaels was in control near the end, despite Daivari's interference, and had Hassan set up for some Sweet Chin Music. But Michaels was then attacked by Kurt Angle (whom he was feuding with at the time), causing the DQ, Hassan's second DQ loss in a row. Hassan was interested in joining Angle in beating down Michaels after the match, but Angle just saw Hassan as another target, hitting him, then going back to Michaels, as Hassan rolled out of the ring.

At Wrestlemania 21, Eugene came out, celebrating being at the historic event. But his enthusiasm was cut down some, as Hassan & Daivari came out, still upset that Hassan wasn't wrestling at the event. Hassan & Daivari soon attacked Eugene, putting him in the Camel Clutch. This led to Hulk Hogan, who had been inducted into the '05 Hall of Fame the night before, coming out to make the save and take out both Hassan & Daivari. A bitter Hassan & Daivari interrupted a Shawn Michaels interview the next night on Raw, complaining about Hogan's return, as well as insulting Michaels for tapping out to Angle. Hassan and Michaels then brawled, with a cheap shot from Daivari allowing the two men to beat down Michaels and leave him laid out in the ring. A week later, Michaels wanted a match with Hassan, but Hassan, who was still getting himself announced as having never been pinned or forced to submit, told Michaels that he wasn't worthy, and instead put Michaels against Daivari. This seemed like a major mismatch, but after Hassan hit Michaels with a low blow, Daivari got the pin, scoring the upset.

Hassan took on Michaels on the next Raw, with Daivari again being a distraction at ringside. But when Michaels took control, Daivari became too involved, causing the DQ. This didn't stop Hassan & Daivari to both attack Michaels after the match. But, surprisingly, Hulk Hogan again came out (having been called by Michaels), clearing the ring and standing tall with Michaels. Hogan agreed to be Michaels' tag-team partner against Hassan & Daivari at the next PPV. Meanwhile, the next week on Raw (which was in Britain), Hassan & Daivari continued to anger the locker room, as they insulted William Regal and his fans. This led to a Non-Title Match between Regal & Tajiri and Hassan & Daivari, with Daivari surprisingly getting the win after a flying elbow drop off the top rope. Afterwards, Hassan & Daivari beat down Regal as well, double-teaming him.

At Backlash '05, Hassan & Daivari took on Michaels & Hogan, with the fans rabid at seeing the legendary Hulkster in "one more match". Hassan & Daivari worked to use every dirty tactic that they could come up with, but in the end, it proved not to be enough, as Daivari tasted some Sweet Chin Music, followed by Hogan's Big Leg Drop, getting pinned. A disgusted Hassan came out on the next Raw and blasted GM Bischoff for leaving him out of the Gold Rush Tournament that had been scheduled to begin that night. He also blamed his loyal follower, Daivari, for the loss at Backlash, saying that Daivari cost him the match. He brutally attacked Daivari, then left the ring, with Daivari surprisingly following him down the aisle, staying loyal. To prove himself to Hassan, Daivari issued an open challenge on the next Raw, taking on Chris Jericho. Unfortunately for Daivari, he couldn't come through, being forced to tap out to the Walls of Jericho. However, Hassan did come out afterwards, attacking Jericho and beating him down, until Shelton Benjamin made the save. Later that night, Hassan & Daivari ambushed Shelton after his match, getting another double-team beatdown in, with no one making the save this time.

Hassan & Daivari took on Benjamin & Jericho in a tag-team match the next week. Problems between Benjamin & Jericho showed through during the match, as Jericho seemed a little more distracted than usual. This allowed Hassan to pick up the win, hammering down Jericho and pinning him. A rematch between the two teams was scheduled a week later, but Jericho no-showed, making it a "Handicap" Match. This gave Hassan & Daivari all the advantage they needed, as, while Daivari distracted the referee, Hassan attacked Benjamin from behind, taking him out for Daivari to get the pin, their second win over Benjamin in two weeks. Jericho later showed up, saying that he was late because he had been touring with his band.

At the end of May '05, Hassan & Daivari confronted the World Champion, Batista, and Eric Bischoff when it was announced that Triple H would be challenging the champion for his belt at the next PPV. Hassan correctly brought up that Triple H had lost at the last two PPV's, and that Hassan was a more worthy candidate. Batista quickly told Hassan that he'd be taking his rage towards Triple H out on Hassan that night. The match itself was a slaughter, with Batista busting open both Hassan & Daivari. It was so brutal that the ref DQ'ed an out-of-control Batista, technically giving Hassan a win over the champ. But both Hassan & Daivari were left in bloody heaps in the ring, having been Batista Bombed. Hassan threatened to sue Raw for the assault, which caused GM Bischoff to set up a "Handicap" Match, with Hassan & Daivari taking on the Intercontinental Champion, Shelton Benjamin. Even if Daivari won the match, Hassan would become the champ. Late in the match, Hassan got a cheap shot in on Benjamin, then made the pin, with the ref counting to 3. But as Hassan celebrated, the ref saw that Benjamin had put a foot on the ropes, and restarted the match. Later on, Daivari fell to Benjamin's T-Bone Suplex and was pinned, with Hassan once again announcing that he'd been screwed by the rascist system of WWE.

A furious Hassan talked to Bischoff after the match, who told him that a representative from WWE would talk to him the next week: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Austin heard out Hassan & Daivari's complaints the next Raw, watching a video that Hassan had put together. While Austin didn't like Hassan, he also said that he thought Hassan had been wrong, leading to Austin giving Hassan an IC Title rematch against Benjamin! Austin was the special enforcer outside the ring, to keep things fair. As the match went on, Daivari got involved, causing Benjamin to throw him out. This allowed Hassan to get a low blow, then lock on the Camel Clutch, apparently about to win the title. Austin then entered the ring and attacked both Hassan & Daivari, causing the DQ! Austin declared Hassan still undefeated (via pin or submission), then had a beer bash with Benjamin.

A week later on Raw, WWE Champion John Cena came out to challenge Chris Jericho and Christian to a fight. Instead, Hassan & Daivari both came out, again protesting how they'd been treated, while Cena, who was complaining, had been welcomed by the fans to Raw. Bischoff soon booked Hassan against Cena for Cena's WWE Championship. However, the match was terrible for Hassan, as Cena was easily able to take out Daivari from the equation, then beat Hassan with the FU in only a few minutes, ending Hassan's run of not being pinned on Raw. It was soon seen that it was another milestone for Hassan, as it was his last match on the show.

WWE Smackdown: 2005

During the month of June '05, a Draft Lottery had been taking place between Raw and Smackdown. On the final night of the draft, GM Theodore Long announced that 5 wrestlers would be competing to decide the new Smackdown Champion the next week (since Cena had been drafted to Raw): John Bradshaw Layfield, Chris Benoit, Booker T, the Undertaker, and the Big Show. He was interrupted, though, by the first appearance of Hassan & Daivari on the show, as Hassan had been drafted to Smackdown! Hassan demanded equal treatment, since he hadn't received it on Raw, and was given it by Long, who put Hassan in the Title Match! However, the other wrestler then beat down both Hassan & Daivari, with Long quickly capitalizing by putting Hassan in a match against the Big Show. Things seemed bad for Hassan, but he still had Daivari working as a distraction, and with the ref's back turned, Hassan struck the Big Show with a chair, then made the cover, winning his debut match on his new show.

When the Big Show was drafted to Raw the following week, Christian (who had just come over from Raw) was put in his place in the big match. Before the match, Hassan talked in the ring about how he would win. When the Undertaker came out to interrupt, Hassan challenged the Dead Man, saying that he had never beaten Hassan. Daivari then tried a sneak attack with a chair, but the Undertaker shrugged it off and Chokeslammed Daivari, as Hassan bailed out of the ring. Later on, in the match, the Undertaker went straight after Hassan, hitting Hassan with a chair shot of his own! The Undertaker was DQ'ed for the shot, but he kept going after Hassan, who was eventually counted out as he ran from the Dead Man. JBL eventually won the match (but not the title, as World Champion Batista was the final draft pick).

Going into July '05, Hassan pleaded his case to GM Long about being the next #1 Contender, since he had not been pinned. Long instead set up Hassan to face the Undertaker at the next PPV, with the winner getting a title shot. Meanwhile, that night on Smackdown, Hassan surprisingly put Daivari in a match with the Dead Man, getting him to be a 'sacrifice'. It definitely ended up that way, as Daivari was Chokeslammed and Tombstoned before being pinned. However, afterwards, a group of masked men ran out and attacked the Undertaker, choking him out with a wire! Hassan then came out and put the Undertaker in the Camel Clutch, before the group carried Daivari out like a martyr. Unfortunately for Hassan, on the same day that Smackdown aired, a terrorist attack took place in London, England, causing a massive protest against WWE and UPN, who condemned the act and ruled that Hassan was banned from being seen on their network for a time.

For the next few weeks, Hassan did not appear on television, although his lawyer did (he was Chokeslammed & Tombstoned by the Undertaker). Hassan did appear at the '05 Great American Bash, still facing the Undertaker for the #1 Contender spot. Hassan also said that, if he didn't beat the Undertaker, he would never show his face on Smackdown again. It wasn't much of a match, as, even with his masked allies with him, Hassan was still beaten by the Undertaker's Chokeslam. The Undertaker didn't stop there, taking out all of the masked men, then grabbing Hassan and Powerbombed him through the stage! A bloody Hassan was eventually taken out of the hole and taken to the hospital, a victim of the Undertaker's rage. It would be the last time Hassan was seen on Smackdown, as UPN refused to have his character on the show. A few months later, in September '05, Hassan was released from his WWE contract, apparently giving up wrestling for good in order to try to become an actor in Hollywood.

Pay-Per-View/Show Summary: (1 - 10)
- OVW Spring Break-Out '03 (April 11) = Mark Magnus & Orlando Jordan fell to Mark Jindrak & Chris Cage.
- OVW Super Summer Sizzler Series (June 27, '03) = Magnus & Johnny Spade lost to Team Angle.
- OVW Muncie Show (January 29, '04) = Magnus & Chris Masters were beaten by Rob Begley & Mike Taylor.
- OVW Crusade Slamfest (February 7, '04) = Magnus & Nikita fell to Johnny Jeter & Jim Cornette.
- OVW Hodgenville Show (February 21, '04) = Magnus lost, via DQ, to Standing Thunder.
- OVW March Mayhem '04 (March 6) = Magnus, Nick Dinsmore & Rob Conway were taken down by Johnny Jeter, Doug Basham & the Damaja.
- OVW Crusade Rumble (November 12, '04) = Muhammad Hassan was beaten by Elijah Burke.
- WWE New Year's Revolution (January 9, '05) = Hassan defeated Jerry Lawler.
- WWE Royal Rumble '05 (January 30) = Hassan competed in the Royal Rumble, which was won by Batista.
- WWE Backlash '05 (May 1) = Hassan & Daivari fell to Hulk Hogan & Shawn Michaels.
- WWE Great American Bash '05 (July 24) = Hassan lost a "#1 Contenders" Match to the Undertaker. Due to prematch stipulations, Hassan could now never show his face again on Smackdown.

Title Summary:
- OVW Heavyweight Champion (10/17/03 - 1/07/04)

PWI Achievement Awards: (0 wins, 0 1st RUs, 0 2nd RUs, 1 3rd RU)
- 2005 Most Hated Wrestler, 3rd Runner-Up