Hassan or Hasan or Khasan may refer to:

Given name and surname[link]

• Hassan (given name), Arabic given name
• Hassan (surname), Arabic, Hebrew and Irish surname

Places[link]

• Hassan, Karnataka, a city in India
• Hassan District, India
• Hasan, Albania, a village in Albania
• Hasan, Iran, a village in North Khorasan Province, Iran
• Hasan, alternative romanization of Khasan, an urban-type settlement in Primorsky Krai, Russia
• Lake Hasan, alternative romanization of Lake Khasan, a lake in Primorsky Krai, Russia
• Hasan, Florida, a city in USA
• Hašani, a village in Bosnia
• Khasan-Chek, village in Kyrgyzstan

Places derived from the Dakota word chanhasen

• Hassan Township, Minnesota, a city in USA
• Chanhassen, Minnesota, a city in USA

Named after Imam Hasan ibn Ali

• Hassan Town, a city in Pakistan
• Abou El Hassan District, Algeria

Other uses[link]

• Hassans, the largest law firm in Gibraltar
• Hassan II Trophy
• Hasan (hadith)
• Hassan Uprising
• Hassan (character), a character from the Pakistani drama serial Dastaan
• Hassan, a 1922 play by James Elroy Flecker

See also[link]

• Hassane, the traditionally dominant warrior tribes of Mauritania and Western Sahara
• Khasan (disambiguation)
• Beni Hassan, a Bedouin tribe
• Awlad Hassan, a tribe
• Hassaniya, an Arabic variety originally spoken by the Beni Hassan Bedouin tribes
• Asan, Guam, a village located on the western shore of the U.S. territory of Guam
• Mount Hasan, volcano
• Hosen, a moshav in northern Israel
• Hassan (crater), an impact crater on the southern hemisphere of Saturn's moon Enceladus

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Hasan Nasrallah (born August 31, 1960; Arabic: حسن نصرالله‎)^[1] became the third Secretary General of the Lebanese political and paramilitary organization Hezbollah after Israel assassinated the previous leader, Abbas al-Musawi, in 1992.^[2] Hezbollah is regarded as a legitimate resistance movement and political party throughout much of the Arab and Muslim worlds,^[3] but is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, the Netherlands, Israel, and Canada. The group's military wing by itself is designated a proscribed terrorist group by the governments of the United Kingdom and Australia.^[4][5]

Personal life[link]

Hasan Nasrallah was born the ninth of ten children in Bourj Hammoud, Matn District (an eastern suburb of Beirut) on August 31, 1960 .^[2] His father, Abdul Karim, was born in Bazouriyeh, a village in Jabal Amel (South Republic of Lebanon) located near Tyre to Iranian grandparents. Although his family was not particularly religious, Hasan was interested in theological studies. He attended an-Najah school and later a public school in Sin el Fil (Christian area) Beirut.

In 1975, the Lebanese Civil War forced the family to move to their ancestral home in Bassouriyeh,^[2][6] where Nasrallah completed his secondary education at the public school of Sour (Tyre). Here he joined the Amal Movement, a Lebanese Shi'a political group.^[2][6]

Nasrallah studied at the Shi'a seminary in the Beqaa Valley town of Baalbek. The school followed the teachings of Iraqi-born Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr, who founded the Dawa movement in Najaf, Iraq during the early 1960s.^[7] Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had Sadr executed in 1980. After a period of Islamic study in Najaf, Iraq, Nasrallah returned to Republic of Lebanon in 1978 when Iraq expelled hundreds of Lebanese religious pupils. He studied and taught at the school of Amal’s leader Abbas al-Musawi, later being selected as Amal's political delegate in Beqaa, and making him a member of the central political office.

Nasrallah joined Hezbollah after the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.^[8] He became noted for his sharp and fiery sermons. In 1987, Hasan Nasrallah traveled to a seminary in Qom, Iran to further his religious studies. He went back to Lebanon in 1989.

Despite his ongoing commitment to Hezbollah, in 1989 Nasrallah resumed his efforts to become a religious jurist by returning to the Iranian city of Qom to further his studies. Nasrallah believes that Islam holds the solution to the problems of any society, once saying, “With respect to us, briefly, Islam is not a simple religion including only prayers and praises, rather it is a divine message that was designed for humanity, and it can answer any question man might ask concerning his general and personal life. Islam is a religion designed for a society that can revolt and build a community.”^[9]

In 1991, Abbas al-Musawi became secretary general of Hezbollah and Nasrallah returned to Lebanon. Nasrallah replaced Musawi as Hezbollah's leader after the latter was killed with his wife and young child by the Israelis.^[2][10] Nasrallah lived in South Beirut with his wife Fatimah Yasin (who comes from the Lebanese village of Al-Abbasiyah)^[6] and five children: Muhammad Hadi (d. 1997), Muhammad Jawaad, Zainab, Muhammad Ali and Muhammad Mahdi. In September 1997, his eldest son Muhammad Hadi, was killed in battle with Israeli soldiers, after a Navy commando unit operation in which 13 Israeli soldiers were killed^[11] in Jabal al-Rafei in the South of Lebanon.^[6]

Leadership of Hezbollah[link]

Nasrallah became the leader of Hezbollah after the Israelis assassinated the previous leader, Musawi in 1992.^[2][6] During Nasrallah's leadership, Hezbollah acquired rockets with a longer range, which allowed them to strike at northern Israel despite the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. In 1993 Israel carried out Operation Accountability. Much Lebanese infrastructure was destroyed during the operation, which Israel claimed was successful. An agreement was eventually reached whereby, Israel ended its attacks in Lebanon and Hezbollah agreed to stop attacks on northern Israel.

However, after a short pause, hostilities resumed. In 1996 Israel launched Operation Grapes of Wrath, blocking important Lebanese harbour cities and bombing a Syrian military base. After 16 days of Israeli attacks in Lebanon, the Israeli–Lebanese Ceasefire Understanding was agreed upon. Again, Hezbollah agreed to stop rocket attacks in exchange for Israel halting its attacks. However, as in 1993, the peace did not last for long.

In Israel, it was increasingly debated whether the presence of Israeli forces in southern Lebanon was working, since it was clear that the 'security zone' could not stop Hezbollah rockets reaching into Israel. Some Israeli politicians argued that the conflict would only end if Israel withdrew from Lebanon. In 2000 Ehud Barak finally withdrew Israeli forces from Lebanon. Following the Israeli withdrawal, the South Lebanon Army, which was supported by Israel, was quickly overrun by Hezbollah. Some SLA members escaped to Israel, but many were captured by Hezbollah. This success against Israel greatly increased Hezbollah's popularity within Lebanon and the Islamic world.^[2]

Consequently, Nasrallah is widely credited in Lebanon and the Arab world for ending the Israeli occupation of the South of Lebanon, something which has greatly bolstered the party's political standing within Lebanon.^[12]

Nasrallah also played a major role in a complex prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hezbollah in 2004, resulting in hundreds of Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners being freed and many bodies, including that of his son, being returned to Lebanon. The agreement was described across the Arab world as a magnificent victory for Hezbollah, and Nasrallah was personally praised for achieving these gains.^[13]

A December article in the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat stated that command of the organization's military wing was transferred from Nasrallah to his deputy, Na'im Qasim in August 2007.^[14] Hezbollah denied this suggestion, declaring it an attempt to "weaken the popularity" of the movement.^[15]

National compact with Free Patriotic Movement of Michel Aoun[link]

Nasrallah negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding with the Free Patriotic Movement headed by Michel Aoun, the former premier and a Maronite Christian. Aoun described the ten-point compact in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal published on July 31, 2006. A key point is that Hezbollah agreed to disarm upon the return of its prisoners and the occupied Shebaa Farms. It also agreed to the pardon and return of fugitive South Lebanon Army (SLA) members. The Free Patriotic Movement in turn agreed to work for reform of the confessional electoral system of the Parliament of Lebanon and move it in the direction of one man, one vote. Aoun made the point that the political process was in effect disarming Hezbollah without any loss in lives from unnecessary wars.^[16] Critics of this agreement say that is not very clear concerning the disarmament, and that it served to strengthen Hezbollah internally, giving it a non-Shiite cover inside.

2006 Israel–Lebanon conflict[link]

A sign in Nabatieh reads "The Divine Victory"

During the 2006 Lebanon War, Israeli bombardments seeking Hezbollah targets caused damage in many parts of Beirut, especially the poorer and largely Shiite South Beirut, which is controlled by Hezbollah. On August 3, 2006, Hasan Nasrallah vowed to strike Tel Aviv in retaliation for Israel's bombardment of Lebanon's capital. "If you hit Beirut, the Islamic resistance will hit Tel Aviv and is able to do that with God's help," Nasrallah said in a televised address. He added that Hezbollah forces were inflicting heavy casualties on Israeli ground troops.^[17]

During the conflict, Nasrallah came under intense criticism from pro-Western Arab regimes, including Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Jordan's King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned on July 14 of the risk of "the region being dragged into adventurism that does not serve Arab interests," while the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal called the Hezbollah attacks "unexpected, inappropriate and irresponsible acts." He went further, saying, "These acts will pull the whole region back to years ago, and we cannot simply accept them."^[18]

Nasrallah also came under intense criticism from some in Lebanon. Walid Jumblatt, leader of the Progressive Socialist Party of the Republic of Lebanon and the most prominent leader of the Druze community, spoke out quite forcefully: "Great, so he's a hero. But I'd like to challenge this heroism of his. I have the right to challenge it, because my country is in flames. Besides, we did not agree..."^[19] Jumblatt is also quoted as saying: "He is willing to let the Lebanese capital burn while he haggles over terms of surrender."

Following the cease-fire, which Nasrallah and Hezbollah declared a great victory, came what is known as the "Green Flood" (Al-sayl al-akhdhar), according to Iranian-born journalist Amir Taheri. "This refers to the massive amounts of U.S. dollar notes that Hezbollah is distributing among all the citizens that were effected from the war in Beirut and the south. The dollars from Iran are ferried to Beirut via Syria and distributed through networks of militants. Anyone who can prove that his home was damaged in the war receives $12,000, a tidy sum in wartorn Lebanon."^[20]

In a TV interview aired on Lebanon's New TV station, Sunday, 27 August, 2006, Nasrallah said that he would not have ordered the capture of two Israeli soldiers if he had known it would lead to such a war: "We do not think, even one percent, that the capture led to a war at this time and of this magnitude. I'm convinced and sure that this war was planned and that the capture of these hostages was just their excuse to start their pre-planned war, but if I had known on July 11 ... that the operation would lead to such a war, would I do it? I say no, absolutely not."^[21][22]

Views on international politics[link]

Pre-2000 Israeli occupation of Lebanon[link]

• "If we are to expel the Israeli occupation from our country, how do we do this? We noticed what happened in Palestine, in the West Bank, in the Gaza Strip, in the Golan, in the Sinai. We reached a conclusion that we cannot rely on the Arab League states, nor on the United Nations .... The only way that we have is to take up arms and fight the occupation forces."^[23]

On Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict[link]

• In an interview with The Washington Post, in 2000, Nasrallah said "I am against any reconciliation with Israel. I do not even recognize the presence of a state that is called 'Israel.' I consider its presence both unjust and unlawful. That is why if Lebanon concludes a peace agreement with Israel and brings that accord to the Parliament our deputies will reject it; Hezbollah refuses any conciliation with Israel in principle."^[24]

• On May 26, 2000, after the Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon Hasan Nassrallah said: "I tell you: this "Israel" that owns nuclear weapons and the strongest air force in this region is more fragile than a spiderweb".^[25][26]

• In 2006 Nasrallah said "There is no solution to the conflict in this region except with the disappearance of Israel". ^[27]

• Despite declaring "death to Israel" in his public appearances, Nasrallah said in an interview to The New Yorker, "At the end of the road no one can go to war on behalf of the Palestinians, even if that one is not in agreement with what the Palestinians agreed on."^[28] When asked whether he was prepared to live with a two-state settlement between Israel and Palestine, he said he would not sabotage what is a "Palestinian matter", but that until such a settlement is reached, he will continue to encourage Palestinian resistance.^[29]

• On November 30, 2009, while reading the party's new political manifesto, Hasan Nasrallah declared "Our problem with [the Israelis] is not that they are Jews, but that they are occupiers who are raping our land and holy places."^[30]

• In a television interview ^[31]on 17 April 2012, Nasrallah said that Israel “is and will be an illegal state… It was established on the basis of occupying the lands of others.” He added, “If I occupy your house by force it doesn't become mine in 50 or 100 years.” While “Hezbollah does not want to kill anyone”, the only solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he argued, was to establish a democratic state on Palestinian land where Muslims, Jews and Christians live in peace but that the US “won't let people listen to Hezbollah.”

On the September 11, 2001 attacks and the United States[link]

• "What do the people who worked in those two World Trade Center towers, along with thousands of employees, women and men, have to do with war that is taking place in the Middle East? ? ... Therefore we condemned this act—and any similar act we condemn. ... I said nothing about the Pentagon, meaning we remain silent. We neither favored nor opposed that act .... Well, of course, the method of Osama bin Laden, and the fashion of bin Laden, we do not endorse them. And many of the operations that they have carried out, we condemned them very clearly."^[23]

2011 Arab World uprisings[link]

• In a 2011 televized speech, Nasrallah voiced support for the popular uprisings which took place in countries like Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Bahrain; he was more outspoken towards the Bahraini issue, expressing strong support for the popular movements, a feat which fueled tensions between Lebanon and Bahrain. However, he stopped support for these uprisings when they reached his allies in Damascus. Nasrallah has praised the stated reform process in Syria and said that the country faces attempts at destabilization by outside powers such as the United States ^[32] and from armed groups threatening the Syrian people and government. ^[33] He has also noted what he says is the general popularity of the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad among the Syrian people as a whole. ^[34]

2012 Syrian Crisis[link]

In a television interview aired on 17 April 2012^[35] Nasrallah stated that Hezbollah supports Syrian president Bashar al-Assad since Syria had supported resistance in Lebanon and “hasn't backed down in the face of Israeli and American pressure.” Nasrallah said Assad’s regime had also “served the Palestinian cause very well.” This is why Hezbollah supported the so-called Arab Spring in Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt and elsewhere, but when it came to Syria, Hezbollah urged the opposition to engage in dialog with President Assad: “This is the first time I say this – We contacted […] the opposition to encourage them and to facilitate the process of dialogue with the regime. But they rejected dialogue,” he revealed. “Right from the beginning we have had a regime that is willing to undergo reforms and prepared for dialogue. On the other side you have an opposition which is not prepared for dialogue and it is not prepared to accept reforms. All it wants is to bring down the regime. This is a problem.”

Nasrallah called for balance on the Syrian issue as “armed groups in Syria have killed very many civilians” although international blame is leveled solely at President Assad. He argued that several Arab & non-Arab states are arming and funding the rebels, while Al-Qaeda simply wants to turn Syria into a battle ground.

Nasrallah urged dialogue as the solution: “There is fighting in Syria – when one party retreats, the other will advance, it will go on as long as doors to dialogue are shut,” Nasrallah said that without it, "civil war is the only alternative." In his words "this is exactly what America and Israel want… Arab states are ready for tens of years of dialogue with Israel but won't have two months to try a political solution in Syria."

Views Attributed to Nasrallah[link]

• According to the pro-Israeli group CAMERA, Nasrallah stated that "The Lebanese refuse to give the Palestinians residing in Lebanon Lebanese citizenship, and we refuse their resettlement in Lebanon. There is Lebanese consensus on this...we thank God that we all agree on one clear and definite result; namely, that we reject the resettlement of the Palestinians in Lebanon."^[26] There is broad consensus in Lebanon against the permanent resettlement of Palestinians, due to fears that it could reignite Lebanon's civil war.^[36] Likewise, Palestinian refugees in Lebanon consistently favor right of return over Lebanese naturalization.^[37]

• Lebanese writer, Amal Saad-Ghorayeb quotes Hasan Nasrallah as saying, "If we searched the entire world for a person more cowardly, despicable, weak and feeble in psyche, mind, ideology and religion, we would not find anyone like the Jew. Notice, I do not say the Israeli."^[25] Charles Glass questions the attribution of the quote to Nasrallah, noting that both the footnote in Saad-Ghorayeb's book and her original dissertation instead attribute the quote to an interview she conducted with a Hezbollah member of the Lebanese Parliament, Muhammad Fneish.^[38][39]

• According to Israeli military source Shaul Shay, Nasrallah has often made anti-Semitic statements that not only revile Israel as a state, but also the entire Jewish people, while using themes taken from classic and Muslim antisemitism.^[40] Two of the claims he makes are that:
  • In a 1998 speech marking the Day of Ashura, and published in what was Hasan Nasrallah's official website^[41][42][43] at that time, Nasrallah referred to Israel as "the state of the grandsons of apes and pigs – the Zionist Jews" and condemned them as "the murderers of the prophets."^[44][45][46] The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA), a pro-Israel media watchdog group, MEMRI, and Shaul Shai interpret this language as broadly antisemitic.^[26][44][46]
  • Nasrallah said in a speech delivered in Beirut and aired on Al-Manar TV on September 28, 2001: "What do the Jews want? They want security and money. Throughout history the Jews have been Allah's most cowardly and avaricious creatures. If you look all over the world, you will find no one more miserly or greedy than they are."^[40]

• According to the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Robert Satloff, in a speech carried during Ashura on April 9, 2000, Hasan Nasrallah said that: "The Jews invented the legend of the Nazi atrocities. It is clear that the numbers they talk about are greatly exaggerated".^{[47][48][49][50]}

• Journalist Badih Chayban in an October 23, 2002 article in The Daily Star, wrote that Nasrallah said, "If they [the Jews] all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide." Charles Glass believes that the quotation was likely a fabrication, citing other published accounts of Nasrallah's speech that had no reference to the anti-Semitic comment, and statements by the editor-in-chief of the Lebanese newspaper which published the quotes, that questioned both the translation and the "agenda of the translator."^[51] Glass also wrote that a Hezbollah spokeswoman, Wafa Hoteit, denied that Nasrallah made the statement.^[51]

• According to the US-Israeli organisation MEMRI, in a speech aired on Al-Manar and Al-Jazeera in 2006, Nasrallah expressed support for alleged Holocaust denier Roger Garaudy calling him a "great French philosopher" who "proved (sic) that this Holocaust is a myth".^[52]

• During the 2006 Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah declared in a speech aired on Al-Manar TV and Al-Jazeera TV that: "If there had been a Muslim to carry out Imam Khomeini's fatwā against the renegade Salman Rushdie, this rabble who insult our Prophet Mohammed in Denmark, Norway and France would not have dared to do so. I am sure there are millions of Muslims who are ready to give their lives to defend our prophet's honour and we have to be ready to do anything for that."^[53][52]

• On February 24, 2012, in a speech in Nabi Sheet for the "remembrance of the fallen martyrs Abbas al-Musawi, Ragheb Harb, and Imad Mughniyah," Hasan Nasrallah said, "I say that the American administration and the American mentality lacks nothing from Satanism. But that kind of behavior and that kind of mistreatment of holy books [referring to the Quran burning incident in Afghanistan in February 2012^[54]] and prophets, and the prophets' sanctities, and others' sanctities; this behavior is Israeli and let us say it is Jewish, between quotation marks, - now they will say that this is anti-Semitism - [but] the Holy Quran told us about this people: how they attacked their prophets, and how they killed their prophets, and how they affronted their prophets, and how they affronted Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, and how they affronted Mary, peace be upon her, and how they affronted Allah's great messenger Mohammad, May God exalt and bring peace upon him and his family. This [behavior] pattern about affronting holy books, and prophets, and messengers, and sanctities; this is their mentality, and maybe they want to push things more and more toward a religious war worldwide."^[55][56]

Alleged 2008 assassination attempt[link]

Almalaf, an Iraqi news source on 15, October 2008, quoted sources in Lebanon saying Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah had been poisoned the previous week and that he was saved by Iranian doctors who went to Lebanon to treat him. The sources told the paper that a particularly poisonous chemical substance was used against the Shi'a resistance leader. His medical condition was apparently critical for several days until Iranian doctors came and managed to save his life. Almalaf claimed that the sources believed it was highly likely that the poisoning was an Israeli assassination attempt.^[57]

Hezbollah denied that Nasrallah had been poisoned. Lebanese parliament member Al-Hajj Hassan, a member of Hezbollah, said: "This is a lie and a fabrication. It's true that I haven't seen Nasrallah this past week, but he's okay." The Iranian doctors arrived on Sunday at approximately 11:00 P.M., apparently on a special military flight. According to Almalaf officials considered flying Nasrallah to Iran for further treatment.

In September 1997 an Israeli Mossad team tried to assassinate Hamas political chief, Khaled Mashal by drizzling poison in his ear.^[58] The attempt failed, and two of the agents were captured while others took refuge in the Israeli embassy in Amman. Nasrallah's second-in-command Imad Mughniyah was assassinated in February 2008 in a Damascus bomb blast. Hezbollah accused Israel of responsibility for the explosion, although Israel denied responsibility for the act.^[59] Nasrallah's predecessor Abbas al Musawi was killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon in 1992.^[60]

Nasrallah's refutation of the attempt[link]

On October 25, 2008 in an interview with the Hezbollah owned Al-Manar channel, Nasrallah denied the assassination attempt, accusing the Israelis and Americans of fabricating the story and considering it as part of the ongoing psychological war against Hezbollah that aimed to imply that the party was suffering from internal disputes and assassination plots.^[61]

He also explained that "if research was done on the internet websites posting such unfounded information, it would reveal that they are all being run from that same dark room, and that their aim is to serve American-Israeli interests."

He added that at first the organization had considered denying the false information with a written message, "but when the news agencies began to publish it we decided to hold a televised interview, and here I am before you telling you I was not poisoned."^[62]

Nasrallah in popular culture[link]

Two popular songs were written about Nasrallah during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, with vastly different views of the Hezbollah leader: The Hawk of Lebanon in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Yalla Ya Nasrallah, against Nasrallah, in Israel. In 2007 Lebanese singer Alaa Zalzali composed a tribute song entitled Ya Nasrallah. Another popular song composed in tribute to him was by Lebanese Christian singer Julia Boutros, called "Ahebba'i" meaning "my loved ones", which was inspired by Nasrallah's words in a televised message he sent to Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon during the 2006 War.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Hassan Nasrallah

• "Hizballah: A Primer", Lara Deeb, 07/31/06
• "Inside the Mind of Hezbollah", Washington Post, 7/16/2006.
• Nasrallah: Israel temporary country YNET
• Daniel Sobelman. New Rules of the Game: Israel and Hizbollah After the Israeli Withdrawal, Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Tel Aviv, 2004
• The Nasrallah Enigma, Al-Bawaba, 11/10/03
• "Seyyed Hasan Nasrallah's Autobiography", Ya Lesarat Ol-Hoseyn (Tehran), Federation of American Scientists Intelligence Resource Program, 2006-08-10
• Profile: Hassan Nasrallah by Council on Foreign Relations
• Latest speeches by Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah translated into English: Insight-info.com

Speeches and interviews[link]

• Nasrallah's Sun Video
• Speech given on May 26, 2008
• Video Clip of Speech given on August 14, 2007
• Interview on August 11, 2007
• Speech given on December 7, 2006
• Interview with Al-Jazeera on July 20, 2006
• Speech on August 8, 2006
• Speech on August 3, 2006
• Speech on July 31, 2006
• Speech on July 14, 2006
• Speech on March 8, 2005
• Video Clip of Victory Speech on September 22, 2006
• Interview with Al-Jazeera
• The Beirut File: An Interview with Hassan Nasrallah by Mahir Tan (May, 2003)

Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin at a house show in November 2006
Ring name(s)	Shelton Benjamin
Billed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1]
Billed weight	248 lb (112 kg)[1]
Born	(1975-07-09) July 9, 1975 (age 36)[2] Orangeburg, South Carolina
Resides	Spring, Texas
Billed from	Orangeburg, South Carolina[1]
Trained by	Ohio Valley Wrestling
Debut	November 14, 2000[2]

Shelton James Benjamin^[2][3] (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted as an assistant coach in amateur wrestling. He first spent time in Ohio Valley Wrestling, where he held the Southern Tag Team Championship four times. WWE then moved him to the main roster and put him into an alliance with Kurt Angle and Charlie Haas, known as Team Angle (and later the World's Greatest Tag Team). During his tenure with the company, he won the Intercontinental Championship three times, the United States Championship once, and the WWE Tag Team Championship twice with Haas. He currently wrestles for Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is one half of the World Tag Team Champions with Charlie Haas.^[4]

Amateur wrestling[link]

Benjamin grew up in Orangeburg, South Carolina.^[1] He began wrestling while in the tenth grade at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School.^[5] While in high school, Benjamin achieved a 122–10 win-loss record and was a two-time South Carolina state high school heavyweight wrestling champion, earning the title in both 1993 and 1994.^[1][2][5][6] Benjamin also was a Junior College National Track Champion in the 100 meter and won the junior college national wrestling heavyweight title in 1996 while attending Lassen Community College in Susanville, California.^[5][6] He was then accepted to attend the University of Minnesota, where he achieved a 36–6 win-loss record.^[2] Moreover, while attending the university, Benjamin was a two-time All-American heavyweight wrestler.^[5] After graduation, he served as an assistant coach at the University and trained with future OVW tag team partner Brock Lesnar.^[5][6] In 1997, Benjamin went 36–6 with 12 pins and placed sixth in the Big Ten Championship.^[6] Instead of trying to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics, Benjamin decided instead to try to pursue a professional wrestling career.^[6]

Professional wrestling career[link]

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment[link]

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2000–2002)[link]

Benjamin was offered and accepted a contract from the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was placed in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) as one half of a tag team with Brock Lesnar, who was a wrestling teammate at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.^[7] Together they were known as the "Minnesota Stretching Crew,"^[6] and they held the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship on three occasions.^[8] The first two reigns occurred during February and July 2001.^[6] They were scripted to win the title for a third time from Rico Constantino and The Prototype on October 29, 2001.^[6] After Lesnar was called up to the main roster in November 2001, Benjamin formed a tag team with Redd Dogg Begnaud called "The Dogg Pound" and once again won the OVW Southern Tag Team Title on July 17, 2002.^[2][6] Throughout the remainder of 2002, Benjamin wrestled at several house shows for the main WWE roster and eventually on Sunday Night Heat as a face character.^[6]

The World's Greatest Tag Team and WWE Tag Team Champion (2002–2004)[link]

Benjamin with Team Angle/The World's Greatest Tag Team partner Charlie Haas

Benjamin was offered a full-time World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) contract in September 2002.^[6] He joined WWE's Smackdown brand as a villain on December 26, 2002, forming Team Angle along Charlie Haas, with Olympic gold-medalist wrestler Kurt Angle as their on-screen mentor.^[9] Their first official match together in WWE was on the January 2, 2003 episode of Smackdown against Edge and Chris Benoit.^[10]

They continued their storyline feud with Benoit until No Way Out, when Benoit teamed with Brock Lesnar to defeat Team Angle.^[11] The duo were scripted to win their first WWE Tag Team Championship just a month after their debut by defeating the champions, Los Guerreros (Eddie and Chavo Guerrero) on February 6, 2003.^[12] The two then went on to compete in their first WrestleMania match at WrestleMania XIX, retaining their tag title in a Triple Threat match against Los Guerreros, and Chris Benoit and Rhyno.^[6] Team Angle later lost the title to Eddie Guerrero and his new partner Tajiri at Judgment Day in a ladder match.^[6] The storyline concluded on the June 12, 2003 episode of SmackDown!, when Angle confronted Benjamin and Haas and fired them from Team Angle.^[13] They began referring to themselves as The World's Greatest Tag Team and won the tag title back on the July 3 episode of Smackdown.^[14] They lost the title on September 18, after Benjamin suffered a legitimate knee injury during a match against Los Guerreros.^[15] Benjamin was sidelined for approximately one month,^[6] but the pair competed together again, taking part in a Fatal Four-Way match at WrestleMania XX.^[16]

Intercontinental Champion (2004–2007)[link]

On March 22, 2004, Benjamin was drafted to the WWE Raw brand as part of the 2004 WWE Draft.^[17] After arriving, Benjamin quickly became a face when he scored an upset pinfall victory over Triple H with the help of then World Heavyweight Champion Chris Benoit.^[18] Benjamin then feuded with Triple H, beating him three times in total all: once by pinfall, once by count-out, and once by disqualification.^[19] As part of the storyline, Benjamin then feuded with the other members of Triple H's stable Evolution. Benjamin defeated Ric Flair at Backlash and lost to Randy Orton in an Intercontinental Championship match at Bad Blood.^[20][21]

Shelton Benjamin at a house show in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

During a match with Garrison Cade on WWE Heat, Benjamin punched Cade's knee brace, legitimately breaking his hand in the process and briefly taking him out of action.^[6] Benjamin returned in the fall of 2004 and was chosen by the fans to compete for the Intercontinental Championship in a match against then-champion Chris Jericho at Taboo Tuesday. Benjamin was scripted to win the match,^[22] giving him his first singles title in the company.^[2] During his reign as Intercontinental Champion, Benjamin retained the title against challengers such as Christian at Survivor Series,^[23] Maven at New Year's Revolution,^[24] and Chris Jericho at Backlash.^[25] Benjamin lost the title to Carlito when he debuted on Raw during the June 20, 2005 episode, ending the longest Intercontinental Championship reign of the decade.^[26]

Benjamin's next storyline began on the December 5, 2005 episode of Raw, when Shawn Michaels was scripted to give Benjamin a speech to get him "psyched" for their tag match together later in the night.^[27] As a part of the scripted ending to the match, Michaels was preparing to finish the match when Benjamin tagged himself in and missed a crossbody, allowing Carlito to pin Benjamin.^[2] Benjamin was then depicted as having a "losing streak" over the next several weeks,^[2] which led to Benjamin's noisy, scolding, and domineering "Momma" (played by comedian/actress Thea Vidale) coming to Raw to confront Benjamin. Momma slapped and yelled at Benjamin every time he lost a match.^[28] Before long, she assisted Benjamin in his matches, often interfering on his behalf.^[29] This led to Benjamin once again becoming a villain. In 2006, Benjamin had a staged on-screen rivalry with then-Intercontinental Champion Ric Flair. On the February 20 episode of Raw, Benjamin defeated Flair to regain the Intercontinental Championship after Momma faked a heart problem, causing enough of a distraction to allow Benjamin to cheat and win the title.^[30] Benjamin continued to feud with Flair, but Momma no longer accompanied him to ringside. As part of the scripted events, Benjamin stated that she was undergoing heart surgery in the hospital and that he held Flair responsible.^[31]

Benjamin competed in the second Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 22.^[32] Benjamin then had an on-screen rivalry with the winner of that match, Rob Van Dam, in an attempt to take Van Dam's Money in the Bank contract. During this time, Benjamin emphasized his new heel persona with a new gimmick: wearing shades, jewelry, and occasional colored shirts while entering the ring.^[33] At one point, Benjamin was defeated by his former tag team partner, the returning Charlie Haas, during an episode of Raw. A predetermined stipulation added to this loss meant that Benjamin had to defend the Intercontinental Title in the same match as his shot at Van Dam's contract,^[34] meaning at Backlash it would be a "Winner Takes All" match. Rob Van Dam won at Backlash and became Intercontinental Champion.^[35] Benjamin regained the title from Rob Van Dam in a Tornado Tag Team match, pitting Benjamin, Triple H and Chris Masters against Van Dam and WWE Champion John Cena;^[6] both the WWE Championship and WWE Intercontinental Championship could be won by whoever pinned the appropriate champion. After Triple H Pedigreed Van Dam, he turned his attention to John Cena and went for the pin on the WWE Champion. Benjamin got to Van Dam first, picking up the pin and his third Intercontinental Championship.^[36] Subsequently, Benjamin feuded with Carlito and others for his Intercontinental Championship before losing the title to Johnny Nitro in a Triple Threat match also involving Carlito at Vengeance.^[37]

During December 2006, Benjamin's former tag team partner Charlie Haas came out to celebrate with Benjamin after he defeated Super Crazy.^[38] The World's Greatest Tag Team was officially reunited when they defeated The Highlanders on the December 11, 2006 episode of Raw.^[39] The duo feuded with Cryme Tyme and competed mainly on Heat.^[40]

The Gold Standard and United States Champion (2007–2010)[link]

Shelton Benjamin as United States Champion.

On the November 20, 2007 airing of ECW on Sci Fi, Elijah Burke introduced Benjamin as the newest ECW superstar. Benjamin, who had dyed his hair blond before leaving Raw, began wearing gold wrestling attire and referring to himself as "The Gold Standard". On ECW, Benjamin began once again receiving more airtime and higher profile matches, defeating Tommy Dreamer in his debut.^[41] Benjamin then qualified for the Royal Rumble match and won an over the top rope preview. Benjamin appeared in the Rumble match, entering at number 17, but was eliminated by Shawn Michaels.^[42] He suffered his first loss since coming to ECW to Kane by count-out, on the January 29, 2008 episode of ECW on Sci Fi. On the February 22 episode of SmackDown!, Benjamin defeated Jimmy Wang Yang in a qualifying match for the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXIV,^[43] which was won by CM Punk. After WrestleMania, Benjamin briefly feuded with Punk, before he began an on-screen rivalry with Kofi Kingston, who defeated Benjamin on the April 22 episode of ECW. On ECW's 100th episode, however, Benjamin defeated Kingston, thus ending the latter's undefeated streak. To end the feud, Kingston then defeated Benjamin in an ECW Extreme Rules match.

As part of the 2008 Supplemental Draft, Benjamin was drafted to the SmackDown! brand.^[44] On the July 11, 2008 airing of SmackDown!, Benjamin defeated United States Champion Matt Hardy in a non-title match, earning himself a future title shot. At The Great American Bash, Benjamin once again defeated Hardy to win the United States Championship.^[45][46] Throughout his reign as champion, he retained the title several times against competitors such as R-Truth and Hurricane Helms. On the 500th episode of SmackDown!, on March 20, 2009 Benjamin lost his United States Championship to Montel Vontavious Porter, ending Benjamin's reign at 243 days.^[47] Benjamin then participated in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXV, but failed to win as CM Punk won the match for the second year in a row.^[48] On June 29, 2009, Benjamin was traded back to the ECW brand.^[49] The following night, Benjamin returned to the brand in a losing effort to the debuting Yoshi Tatsu.^[50] However, he would defeat Tatsu in a rematch the following week on ECW.^[51] After a tag team match, Benjamin was attacked by his partner Sheamus after Benjamin was pinned. Over the following weeks, Benjamin and Sheamus began feuding with and traded wins against each other on ECW and Superstars, resulting in Benjamin becoming a face character. The feud lasted until Sheamus was moved to the Raw brand on October 26. The next night on ECW, Benjamin lost to Sheamus in Sheamus' final match on the brand.^[52] Benjamin wrestled Christian at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs for the ECW Championship in a Ladder Match, but came up on the losing end. On the final episode of ECW on Syfy, Benjamin formed an alliance with Vladimir Kozlov. Together, they defeated three members of the ECW roster: Vance Archer, Caylen Croft and Trent Barreta. On the February 26th episode of Smackdown, Shelton Benjamin debuted, once again qualifying for the Money in The Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 26, beating CM Punk. However Benjamin failed to win the Ladder match.^[53] He defeated the returning Joey Mercury in his last match at the SmackDown tapings on April 20 in a dark match.^[54] On April 22, 2010, Benjamin was released from his WWE contract, along with Jimmy Wang Yang, Kung Fu Naki, Slam Master J, Mickie James and Katie Lea Burchill.^[55]

Independent circuit (2010–present)[link]

Benjamin as one-half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions.

Benjamin made his independent circuit return on July 24, 2010, in San Diego, California against Scorpio Sky. On July 31, 2010, during the World Wrestling Council's "La Revolución" show in Puerto Rico Benjamin defeated Ray González to win the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship.^[56]

At Crossfire, 27 November, Benjamin lost the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship to Carlito.^[57]

On March 8, 2011, Benjamin wrestled in a dark match prior to the SmackDown tapings in Houston, Texas, defeating Curt Hawkins.^[58] On March 9, 2011 Shelton Benjamin won the MWF Heavyweight Championship.

Benjamin is booked to appear on the World Wrestling Fan Xperience (WWFX) Champions Showcase Tour in Manila, Philippines on February 4, 2012, where he will be wrestling under the name his real name.^[59]

Ring of Honor (2010-present)[link]

On September 11, 2010, at Glory By Honor IX, Benjamin and Charlie Haas made their Ring of Honor debuts in a match, where they were defeated by The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli).^[60]

Benjamin and Haas returned to ROH at the Ring of Honor Wrestling television tapings on December 9, where they defeated the Bravado Brothers.^[61] The following day, at the second set of television tapings, they defeated the All-Night Express of Kenny King and Rhett Titus, and participated in an eight-man tag team match, teaming with the Briscoe Brothers against the Kings of Wrestling and the All-Night Xpress, which ended in a no contest.^[62] On December 18 at the Final Battle 2010 pay-per-view Benjamin and Haas announced that in 2011 they would be wrestling regularly for Ring of Honor.^[63] At the following pay-per-view, 9th Anniversary Show, on February 26, 2011, Benjamin and Haas defeated the Briscoe Brothers in the main event of the evening to earn another shot at the Kings of Wrestling and the ROH World Tag Team Championship.^[64][65] On April 1 at Honor Takes Center Stage, Benjamin and Haas defeated the Kings of Wrestling for the ROH World Tag Team Championship.^[4] On June 26 at Best in the World 2011, Benjamin and Haas successfully defended the ROH World Tag Team Championship in a four-way match against the Briscoe Brothers, the Kings of Wrestling and the All-Night Express.^[66] The following day ROH announced that both Benjamin and Haas had signed contracts with the promotion.^[67] On December 23, at Final Battle 2011, Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team lost the ROH World Tag Team Championship to the Briscoe Brothers.^[68] On May 12, 2012, at Border Wars, Benjamin and Haas regained the ROH World Tag Team Championship from the Briscoe Brothers.^[69]

New Japan Pro Wrestling (2012)[link]

On December 9, 2011, New Japan Pro Wrestling announced that Benjamin would be joining MVP for a tag match against Masato Tanaka and Yujiro Takahashi at Wrestle Kingdom VI in Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2012.^[70] Benjamin and MVP were victorious in the match, after MVP submitted Takahashi.^[71]

Personal life[link]

Benjamin is an avid video gamer, winning WWE's THQ Superstar Challenge, a video game tournament that takes place every year during WrestleMania weekend, four years in a row before retiring in 2007.^[72][73] He spends time every day playing.^[73] Benjamin is also proficient in art, creating comic book level work. He considered a career in the field.^[74]

Benjamin, along with Dave Batista and Josh Mathews, represented WWE at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in an effort to encourage fans to register to vote in the 2008 Presidential election.^[75]

In wrestling[link]

Benjamin performing a clothesline on Lance Cade.

Benjamin performing a T-Bone Suplex on Carlito.

• Finishing moves
  • 450° splash^[2] – 2000–2002
  • Dragon whip^[76] / Money Clip^[2] / Shell Shocka^[2] – 2003; used as a signature move from 2004–present
  • Paydirt^[77] (Jumping reverse STO) – 2007–2010
  • Superkick^[2] – 2003–2006; used as a signature move from 2007–present
  • T-Bone Suplex^[1] (Exploder suplex lifted and dropped into a modified powerslam pin)^[2] – 2005–present

• Signature moves
  • Arm trap backbreaker^[2]
  • Diving clothesline^[78]
  • Hammerlock front powerslam^[2]
  • Multiple suplex variations
    • Belly to belly^[79]
    • German^[80]
    • Northern Lights^[2]
  • Samoan drop^[81][82]
  • Stinger splash^[2][83]
  • Turnbuckle powerbomb^[84]
  • Springboard into either a bulldog^[2] or a somersault neckbreaker^[2]

• Managers
  • Nidia^[85]
  • Paul Heyman^[85]
  • Momma Benjamin^[85]

• Nicknames
  • "The Gold Standard" (WWE)^[86]

• Entrance themes
  • "Medal" by Jim Johnston (2003; Used while a part of Team Angle)
  • "Desperate Times" by Jim Johnston
  • "Shout Out" by Jim Johnston
  • "Vapor Rock" by Jim Johnston
  • "World's Greatest (2003-2004, 2007, 2008; Used while teaming with Charlie Haas)
  • "Ain't No Stoppin' Me" by Lou$tar^[87] (WWE; 2004–2008)
  • "Ain't No Stoppin' Me (Remix)" by Axel^[88] (2008–2010)
  • "T.N.T." by AC/DC^[89] (2011-present; Used while teaming with Charlie Haas)

Championships and accomplishments[link]

Benjamin has been a two time Tag Team Champion in WWE

• Black Athlete Sports Network
  • African–American Wrestler of the Year (2005)^[90]

• Ohio Valley Wrestling
  • OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Brock Lesnar (3) and Redd Dogg (1)^[91]

• Millennium Wrestling Federation
  • MWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[92]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Tag Team of the Year (2003) with Charlie Haas^[93]
  • PWI ranked him #9 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2005^[94]

• Ring of Honor
  • ROH World Tag Team Championship (2 times, current) – with Charlie Haas^[4][69]

• World Wrestling Council
  • WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[56]

• World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWE Intercontinental Championship (3 times)^[95][96][97]
  • WWE Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Charlie Haas^[98][99]
  • WWE United States Championship (1 time)^[45]

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Most Underrated Wrestler (2005–2007)^{[citation needed]}

Footnotes[link]