- He later completed 9½ years of prison sentence for armed robbery and kidnapping which he started at the age of sixteen.
- Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) in-ring persona: an arrogant, self-obsessed athlete partially inspired by the fictional NFL wide receiver Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) from the 1996 film Jerry Maguire and the real-life wide receiver Terrell Owens.
- While in prison, he converted to Islam and changed his name from Alvin Burke, Jr. to Hassan Hamin Assad
- Due to his past criminal record, Assad’s visits to other countries on international tours are subject to permits and background checks for recent behavior
- Assad entered the professional wrestling business through the help of a corrections officer in his prison who also worked as a wrestler in the independent circuit.
- He has been a fan of Manchester United F.C. since he was 13, and his favorite player is Eric Cantona.
- In 2005, after a number of live events and dark matches, Assad signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and was assigned to their developmental territory Deep South Wrestling.
- Assad made a cameo appearance in the film MacGruber.
- He currently holds the distinction of having the longest United States Championship reign within the WWE
- MVP made his in-ring debut at No Mercy as a villain with a ring entrance featuring an NFL-like inflatable tunnel, before defeating Marty Garner.During the match, commentators Michael Cole and John “Bradshaw” Layfield (JBL) decried the choice of opponent, since it had been implied that it would be someone “more competent”, and joined in with fans mocking his athletic suit styled ring gear, calling him “pathetic” while the fans chanted Power Ranger.
Jun52014