I Was Wrong: Hulk Hogan VS. Shawn Michaels At Summerslam 2005

Doing this for over seven years now, there are many perks that come with writing columns about wrestling. Obviously, the monetary gain depending on the website. The chance to interact with other fans. The opportunity to interview/quote wrestlers. The platform to voice an opinion. The ego boost received through emails/tweets from readers. All good stuff. A part of that comes with the inevitable – gloating about being “right” when the history books are written.

From the man who predicted the sinking of the Titanic (what is his name?) to the man who predicted Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan at WWE WrestleMania 28 would last under a minute (hi!), there is always that motivation. Mine have been numerous throughout the years: everything about TNA Impact Wrestling’s current mess, Zack Ryder being a flash in the pan (if even that), John Morrison leaving WWE, Mark Henry being World Champion in 2011, CM Punk NOT coming back anytime soon, Sting working with WWE in 2014, weekly television ratings patterns, Daniel Bryan getting his payoff, etc. The list goes on and on. However, there are two sides to every coin…

I have also been VERY wrong over the years. Babbling on Twitter, deep in a wrestling forum, on Facebook, Skype with your buddies or making pointless predictions in the bottom of a comment section is one thing (that I do not personally do). Those are read by a select few and are basically irrelevant. Just spewing nonsense with no repercussions or accountability. As noted above, writing a column for the whole world to see makes it mean that much more. Thus, this concept was born. Instead of raving constantly about ‘calling it’ every week, why not flip the script? Humble myself a little? Sure. Sounds like fun.

Backstory

First off, WWE Summerslam is in less than a month. Therefore, expect to see a lot of columns about the annual August pay-per-view event. Secondly, the boss man wants Hulk Hogan content. He is clearly in the news these days and brings in the clicks, so that is easy to understand. Finally, I needed to think of something I was wrong about and after thinking for a loooong time, this match came to mind. Without any more stalling, here we go!

My Claim

In August 2005, I wrote the following:

“Shawn is the the man carrying this thing to SummerSlam. Hogan had his time for the VH-1 show, but the time is gone. The second season is coming back right around Mania, so we will see him again. Hogan could win, only to have HBK destroy him after the match putting him out of action. (HHH did it to HBK at SummerSlam 2002) Where does Bret Hart stand in all of this? Just 6 days before SummerSlam, Raw was in Montreal. Was that a clue to us of a return? I give the win to Michaels as he superkicked Hogan right back to 1984. I assume this will be the main event of the show, which I am all for.

Yikes. A rambling mess from yours truly ten years ago – not much has changed since, huh? Either way…

I was wrong about Shawn Michaels defeating Hulk Hogan at Summerslam 2005.

Now, let’s take a look at my thought process and the evidence to support both sides of the coin.

Build

As the video above shows, Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan had formed a tag team earlier in the year and were riding a wave of momentum together. It was a dream team and really was a fun pairing for the few matches it lasted. That all changed on the July 4th edition of WWE Raw (perfect date for a shocking turn of events). Shawn Michaels super kicked Hulk Hogan in the face after their victory, and it was one of the most surprising moments of the year. HBK had turned heel for the first time since returning to the company in 2002 and appeared to be on a collision course with The Hulkster. Instead of being buddies, they would be enemies wrestling each other one on one for the first (and only) time ever.

What followed were epic promos from Michaels and Hogan in the six week build. HBK went for the worked shoots, leading to cheers from the new school type of fans, while Hulk worked his usual old school promos about beating the bad guy. A clash of styles, but it worked. By the time we reached the go-home episode of Raw, things had reached a fever pitch. Michaels are excelling in his new role, and fans still adored Hogan for always playing the good samaritan. The PPV main event was hyped as Legend VS. Icon and was sure to live up to its billing.

Bret Hart?!?!

In a strange twist, Bret Hart and Vince McMahon were on the front page of WWE.com shaking hands right before Summerslam. Not only that, but the final Raw before the pay-per-view had a classic moment where Bret Hart’s music played to the LOUD approval of the Montreal live crowd, only for it to be revealed as a fake-out from Shawn Michaels. Even more than that, the show ended with HBK putting Hogan in the sharpshooter. Wow! Summerslam was now (if it wasn’t already) a must-see show, with the new tease of Bret Hart Hart getting involved…

HBK/Hogan Rematch Rumors

The popular rumor throughout this entire feud was that there would be one match at Summerslam, then a rematch at Unforgiven the following and possibly if WWE could stretch it out – a third rubber match down the line. A steel cage was the gimmick of choice if they went down this path. In any case, logic says the heel wins the first bout, and the face wins the next match to gain his revenge. Pretty basic stuff. Well, under those rules, HBK would use his newfound heel tendencies to ‘screw’ (get it?) Hogan at Summerslam and then get his commupences later on.

Seemed to make sense…

…except it never happened. The backstage online reports from July-August 2005 were truly unbelievable. Hogan did this. HBK did this. Vince McMahon wants this, that, and everything else. The butting of heads was back and forth. Not entirely unexpected but definitely worrisome as the match got closer. Would Hogan get the victory? How about a DQ ending? Could HBK get a cheap win first and then return the favor? Maybe interference from somebody? Nobody had a clue. Eventually, all the pettiness and intensity (on screen and off) was set aside, and the finish was determined. Hogan wins clean, no rematch, and zero followup.

Bell Time

Here is the thing though: I loved the match. Loved it. My viewing party was into every single second of the show (seriously, a very under rated PPV), and by the time the main event came, we were jacked! Hogan versus Michaels – first time ever. A very lively crowd on top of that. Man, it was glorious before they even locked up. You talk about a big fight feel, ladies and gentlemen. Then to the amazement of onlookers, the match delivered. Like, OVER delivered! My expectations were surpassed, and I still rank this as one of my favorite Summerslam matches ever. Whatever animosity existed behind the scenes, it did not show during the match (unless you count HBK playing the role of a ping pong ball).

Success

The building was sold out in Washington DC that night, but that goes without saying. Most arenas sell tickets just based on the ‘WWE’ name these days without a single match announced. On the pay-per-view side of things though, that goes to the main events, stars, and hype put out by the company. The first ever HBK/Hogan showdown was a massive, massive, MASSIVE success. Summerslam 2005 drew one of the largest non-WrestleMania PPV buy rates in WWE history. With a fairly stacked card and the fan’s desire to see the epic main event, it was the icing on the cake. It is almost a blessing in disguise we never got a second bout because unlike other dream matches, this one actually was once in a lifetime and stands alone.

Aftermath

Hulk Hogan went away from WWE television immediately after Summerslam 2005. The two shook hands after their match, and that was it. Shawn Michaels took some shots at the entire situation the next night on Raw but was back to being a face literally minutes later when (heel) Chris Masters attacked him. As it turns out, HBK did not exactly want to be the bad guy anymore in his life but with Hogan’s insistence and reassurance from Vince McMahon that it would be best for business, he played along for a month, so yes, I was wrong. HBK did not win at Summerslam, nor the planned rematch that never happened, and his new heel role was always destined to be a one-off joy ride leading to a loss to Hulk Hogan.

What a joy ride it was though!

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