Should Hogan have put over Michaels and/or Orton at Summerslam?

[buddyriffic]

I was watching my Hulk Hogan Anthology DVD and I came across the Shawn Michaels/Hulk Hogan Summerslam match and it had me wondering.....Hogan went on to face Randy Orton at the next year's Summerslam and he went 2-0 those 2 years. Should Hogan have "done the right thing" and put Michaels and Orton over in those matches? yes to both? no to both? one or the other? which one?

You have to consider also that Hogan did put over The Rock, Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar while he was there, he can't go losing to everyone. I was surprised he got to defeat HHH that time at Backlash and not receive his "payback", but you won't see many people complaining about that one tho .....I think he definitely should have put Randy over, no doubt. I was glad to see him beat Michaels, but then again Shawn Michaels was on top of his game at that time, he was in a class way above Hogan and arguably deserved the win big time.

Anyway the thread specifically pertains to the 2 Summerslam matches. Were they the right decisions?

 

[Mark0820]

I'd say so. HBK wanted Hogan there just so he could beat him. That's the only reason Hogan came in. Hogan vetoed that and we, again, saw how HBK hasn't changed. He tried to make Hogan look foolish and then ripped him the next night on Raw. Orton you could argue, but Hogan came in there to finish the Orton vs Legends feud. He did.

 

[SickJames]

Orton shouldve gotten put over for his gimmick

Shawn should have for their first ever encounter as it wouldve looked better, HBK > Hogan especially now it was good imo that it went the other way, the guy's ego is too big and he shouldve agreed to lay down for Austin when they were trying to put that match together

 

[Loveless]

Ideally Orton should have gone over Hogan but I don't think he had quite enough credibility for it to happen at that moment.
As for HBK, I've always felt it made more sense for him win at Summerslam and lose at Wrestlemania in the rematch. That way you avoid Hogan buggering off after he's beaten one of your top stars and you also get a massive rematch.

 

[Dr. Stinger A. Zoidberg]

Now you can make an argument for HBK, but Orton definitely should have been put over.

If Orton had been put over, just imagine where he would be right now. Bigger than Cena? Bigger than Trips? Hell I bet he would have even ended Taker's streak sooner or later. If Orton were to win, it would somewhat be 'unofficially' passing the torch to him.

HBK is a different story, he and Hogan had nothing more to gain from their match. I do think this match could have gone either way. Had Michaels won, it would be somewhat of a "Good job" type win. But since Hogan won, it was more of a sendoff for him if anything.

But yes, he should have put over at least one of them...

 

[theirishtaker]

For all the bad press HBK gets (some deserved) Hulk is deserving of worse press. I don't understand how ppl still think he's a draw. Anyway back on topic, wasn't this the match where HBK oversold absolutely everything?? If so then this has to be the most enjoyable hogan match i have ever witnessed.(with warrior beating him for title a close second....that must have killed hogan to lose to him) Hogan should have put over orton. hbk had not much to gain from being put over.

 

[Slyfox696]

No, Hogan should not have put either over, neither of them were worthy of it.

HBK is not, and never will be, the draw Hulk Hogan was and still is. For Hogan to lose to HBK would mean nothing..HBK would gain no further drawing ability, and Hogan's status would go down in prestige, much like Flair and Foley's did at the tail end of the careers.

Orton had just come off a 60 day suspension, had just been made Kurt Angle's bitch at One Night Stand, and had absolutely zero momentum going into that match. Simply being in a program with Hogan got Orton back on the right track, as evidenced by his World title run only a year later.

The right results happened both times.

 

[JayMiine]

Orton 100% should have been put over by Hogan. Then give Hogan a rematch maybe and let him go over. Think about what we'd be able to hear now, Orton could always boast that he killed Hulk-A-Mania(that would work well with Hogan now the competition, if you will). Orton had the gimmick and now has become huge. I agree he might not have had the credibility then, but it would have helped his gimmick and his ego to this day(if that can get MUCH bigger).

Orton had just come off a 60 day suspension, had just been made Kurt Angle's bitch at One Night Stand, and had absolutely zero momentum going into that match.

Ummm are you forgetting THE AMAZING CAR-K-O?!? That was a huuuge momentum gainer!

HBK I feel could have gone over, but I'm not too bothered that he didn't. This might have been a fatal blow to an already oversized HBK "bad backstage ego". He might have bragged too much. HBK could have went over, but Hogan winning was good.

 

[saundo]

The way the story was told, it made perfect sense for Hogan to beat HBK at Summerslam. The way he disrespected Hogan in the ring was pure HBK at his best(worst). Regarding 2006, Orton should have got the win, and led to a huge rematch at Survivor Series, even with them perhaps leading a team each, with Hogan having legends the legend killer had taken down before, and Orton havong a few guys who could have used the step up. Orton would have been left 401 against Hogan, Roberts, Piper and Snuka for instance, and they could all have hammered him and he ran back and got counted out, thus leading to a money match at Rumble 2007 where ogan could have got his revenge, Feud then is played out over 6 months, and makes Orton a bigger star than he was. Thoug hes pretty huge now.

 

[THE RKO ANIMAL]

HBK was already an established superstar at SummerSlam 2005 so I don't think Hogan should've put him over. As for Orton he should have put him over, it really would have cemented Randy Orton as "The Legend Killer". But I could understand why they had Hogan win. I just think it would have been a better booking decision to have Orton win.
Now going back to Michaels it didn't really matter who won because they were both icons.

 

[Tastycles]

I don't think these big stars really need to put anyone over. Putting people over is the work of people who are about to retire. These marquee workers who come back for one off appearances are there for the feelgood factor, and nobody feels good about them losing. Orton got a rub out of making Hogan go to the wire, and Michaels looked like a petulant ******, because that is how he was behaving. He easily could have looked like his legacy is up there with Hogan's if he hadn't have acted like that. So, no, Hogan didn't need to put either of them over.

 

[buddyriffic]

Slyfox I understand your point about where Orton was at that point in his career, I guess I just wanted the win for him because of what it could have meant to a guy who was undoubtedly the future anyway. The whole management crapping on Orton era (and probably deservedly so) IMO went on for too long, with him going on to be just filler in Money in the Bank and quite under-featured with the whole "Rated RKO explodes" angle. This win would have been huge for Orton.

And as far as Michaels goes I can see your point and I want to reiterate that I was personally glad to see Hogan getting the win there. I was just making the arguement for the sake of the fact that Shawn Michaels was doing huge business back then. He had also had to put over Kurt Angle earlier that year at Wrestlemania, so he really could have used the win.

But all things aside, this wasn't the "Come Pin Hulk Hogan Tour", he deserved to have some wins.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I've stated time and time about HBK so I'm going to go with Orton. You do realize that you can put somebody over without losing. Orton was Angle's bitch before facing Hogan and soon after that was feuding with top company guys in HHH and HBK. The Legend Killer was one of the most overrated gimmick in recent memory. Who did he actually kill? He defeated Foley but he was back wrestling less than two years. Great way to kill somebody. Hogan did what he was supposed to do. I could understand him losing to either one if he was going to stay for a while so he could get his "revenge" but he didn't so the right decisions were made.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Personally I think Hogan should of put both guys over for 1 simple reason.

Both Michaels and Orton were full time wrestlers and main eventers whereas Hogan showed up a handful of times a year. Albeit Michaels didn't need the push he was still a main eventer and he could of used that win to give a little more leverage to other guys that needed to be put over (like if he put over Cena a month after he beat Hogan it would of made Cena look a lot more indestructible especially since Michaels does nothing but put people over these days). Orton on the other hand definitely could of used a huge push at that time and Orton beating Hogan at Summerslam would have made a lot more sense than Hogan winning (Side note: Has Hogan even had a match since beating Orton?) especially since Orton was a full time main eventer on the rise, a victory over Hogan could of done wonders for Orton, it wouldn't of done that much for Michaels, but it could of helped in putting over other guys that Michaels would feud with in the upcoming months (if done the right way that is).

Another Side Note:I always thought that even though Michaels lost the match, he proved he was a better worker and even made Hogan look bad in their SS match. I thought Michaels looked great whereas Hogan looked like complete Dogshit.

 

[SickJames]

No, Hogan should not have put either over, neither of them were worthy of it.

HBK is not, and never will be, the draw Hulk Hogan was and still is. For Hogan to lose to HBK would mean nothing..HBK would gain no further drawing ability, and Hogan's status would go down in prestige, much like Flair and Foley's did at the tail end of the careers.

Orton had just come off a 60 day suspension, had just been made Kurt Angle's bitch at One Night Stand, and had absolutely zero momentum going into that match. Simply being in a program with Hogan got Orton back on the right track, as evidenced by his World title run only a year later.

The right results happened both times.

I think that's a bit disrespectful to HBK to say he didnt deserve it when Hogan DID put over HHH

Because HBK is a bigger star than HHH so HBK would look great beating Hogan
Just like Rock did & Austin would have

It wouldnt go down in prestige either it would be a great thing for Hogan not to run through everyone or it makes them look bad altogether. Hogan being a bitch about who he loses to is fucked up. Flair atleast did it more often. I just dont see why Hogan couldnt put over Orton when he likely wouldve loss to Cena in the rumored match I hear was originally suppose to happen between them at WrestleMania 25

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I think that's a bit disrespectful to HBK to say he didnt deserve it when Hogan DID put over HHH

Because HBK is a bigger star than HHH so HBK would look great beating Hogan
Just like Rock did & Austin would have

It wouldnt go down in prestige either it would be a great thing for Hogan not to run through everyone or it makes them look bad altogether. Hogan being a bitch about who he loses to is fucked up. Flair atleast did it more often. I just dont see why Hogan couldnt put over Orton when he likely wouldve loss to Cena in the rumored match I hear was originally suppose to happen between them at WrestleMania 25

Flair lost to everybody and Hogan has put plenty of over. Maybe not when you want him to but he knows the right time in which to put them over. Orton was in a better position after facing Hogan then before. He went from being a bitch to tag team and world champion a year later. HBK doesn't need to add to his legacy and HBK was being the bitch in their match. I could understand if HBK wasn't happy but you don't bring that unhappiness into the ring. That was an embarrassing display he put on at Summerslam and I'm surprised Hogan didn't beat the fuck out of him with a steel chair or something because that would have made the match more better to me.

 

[SkunkApe]

Are there seriously people in this thread defending Hulk Hogan? Are you kidding? He is the biggest backstage Ego of them all. No one else comes close. HBK may not be the "draw" Hogan is but he surpasses him in EVERY category as a wrestler. If it wasn't for HBK that match wouldn't even had been suitable for free TV.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Are there seriously people in this thread defending Hulk Hogan? Are you kidding? He is the biggest backstage Ego of them all. No one else comes close. HBK may not be the "draw" Hogan is but he surpasses him in EVERY category as a wrestler. If it wasn't for HBK that match wouldn't even had been suitable for free TV.

If you knew what exactly what a wrestler is, you would realize that Hogan surpasses HBK in every category. That match wasn't suitable for PPV or free TV because HBK wanted to act like a spoiled brat and oversell even the simplest punch. Hogan was the true professional in that match even if some claim he has the biggest backstage ego of them all.

 

[Ducey13]

Simpley, Yes, Hogan should have gone over in BOTH matches. People wanted to see the Immortal Hulk Hogan win and thats what they got. HBK was already an established star and didn't need the WIN. It could have made more sense for Randy to go over on Hogan because of the whole Legend Killer Angle. But Ultimately Randy went on to be what he is today. A MEGASTAR. So did it ever come back to Hurt Randy? NO. Therefore you can justify Hogan winning.

Just Like you said before. In Hogans Last Run before this. He Tapped out to Kurt Angle, and lost to Brock Lesnar via Bear Hug. Yes he Also Lost the Undisputed Title to Undertaker. The Second Time he had lost the strap to Undertaker. Then theres the Rock. He lost to the Rock TWICE! Rock SHOULD have returned the Favor to Hulk at some point but never did. Anyways. I know in wrestling that as you get older you start putting over younger talent. Pass the Torch so to speak. Give back to the Biz that gave so much too you. I Feel Hogan did this during his run and then some. It got to the point I didn't get AS excited for Hulk anymore because i knew He most likely "do the job". But During the 2 summerslam much you can bet your Ass I got excited. Cause it was Hulk Frickin Hogan!

Lastly. To the People that say Hogan never put anyone over. Quit your bitching. Hogan put over Ultimate Warrior when they were both on top. Gave Undertaker his break. (And we know how all of you bow down to Taker these days) And countless other guys in WCW. The biggest being GOLDBERG who went on to RUN that compnay for a stretch.

 

[SkunkApe]

Thanks for the laugh, Hogan marks. I needed that.

How about that time when Hulk Hogan faced Sting at Starrcade? That match/angle had been built up for a YEAR and he refused to put him over cleanly. For the 10s of people you can name that he put "over" there are a hundred more that he fucked over.

Hogan might be the best sports entertainer ever but to call him a wrestler is hilarious.

 

[DL23]

HBK is was a legit star, and it was battle of the legends, and I don't think HBK needed to be put over, plus I always forget about that match, it's a like a forgotten classic, probably because it was at Summerslam,

Orton again it's a funny situation, as ideally Orton needed the brush, he had built up a legacy at Survivor Series as soul survivor, and Summerslam he had started to dethrone legends and big names (Benoit and Taker previously) adding Hulk to that list would of pushed him far beyond what we expected.

Hulk Hogan did a lot of good for wrestling, BUT his ego kept a lot of good/better guys down which sucks, but wrestling history has a nack of been rewritten to suit peoples needs.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

When will all of you get over Hogan's ego. He draws money, and at the time, neither HBK nor Orton deserved it. It was previously stated, but HBK would not benefit from pinning Hogan, except to stroke his OWN ego. Orton wasn't in the same ballpark as Hogan was, so there was no need for Orton to beat him.

The thing is, Hogan gets a lot of slack for having an ego and not wanting to put people over... and some of it can be warranted. This is one of those times. Hogan didn't need to be pinned for them to be stars. The fact that Hogan was in the same ring with them was good enough.

 

[SickJames]

If you knew what exactly what a wrestler is, you would realize that Hogan surpasses HBK in every category. That match wasn't suitable for PPV or free TV because HBK wanted to act like a spoiled brat and oversell even the simplest punch. Hogan was the true professional in that match even if some claim he has the biggest backstage ego of them all.

Well I can understand why Shawn did that, besides it was funny as hell. Especially overselling the leg drop. The funniest overselling I've ever seen.

But the fact that they are both big stars means neither then HAD to go over the other, not just Shawn. And so Shawn shouldve gotten the win, it just wouldve been a better ending and more believable and a need to happen imo. It shouldve been a Shawn wins & then Shawn & Hogan shake hands moment, that's what I wanted to see that night

 

[TheThirdHebner]

HBK: No way should he have gone over. He was as big of a star as he was ever going to be at that point, beating Hogan would have done nothing except to feed Michaels ego. It was right for Hogan to go over, the crowd loved it, and they were happy.

Orton: Maybe. If it happened now, I'd say yes, because Orton is firmly established as a big star. But back then, he wasn't, and as you point out, Hogan had put over several guys while he was there already. He can't put over everybody, or it means nothing, because everybody beats him.

For those of you saying Hogan should of gone over because HBK a legit star, then what is Hogan? Hogan is one of the most popular stars of all time. HBK just jobbed to Kurt Angle eariler that year. And from reports, wasn't Hogan suppose to return the favor but Hogan re-neg and HBK ended up fighting Chris Masters at the next ppv? So Hogan beating HBK and Orton was only feeding Hogan's ego right? And he was only working part time!!! So yes I think he should of put over HBK and Orton.

Hogan is the bigger star. That is why.

 

[russyruss21]

For those of you saying Hogan should of gone over because HBK a legit star, then what is Hogan? Hogan is one of the most popular stars of all time. HBK just jobbed to Kurt Angle eariler that year. And from reports, wasn't Hogan suppose to return the favor but Hogan re-neg and HBK ended up fighting Chris Masters at the next ppv? So Hogan beating HBK and Orton was only feeding Hogan's ego right? And he was only working part time!!! So yes I think he should of put over HBK and Orton.