HBK not happy with match at summerslam

[Dave Youell]

For many fans, the quality of effort Shawn Michaels put into his match with Hulk Hogan likely gave the impression that he was thrilled to have the opportunity to work such a match. In reality, however, negotiations with Hulk Hogan brought the RAW superstar to a point of disgust.

Because Hulk Hogan's contract called for creative control, Shawn Michaels was powerless in trying to propose anything other than a clean victory for The Hulkster. Michaels, thinking he was skilled enough in backstage politics to go head-to-head with Hogan, ignored the advice from friends that he should work out a finish prior to agreeing to the match. That failure to take friendly advice would come back to haunt Michaels, as there was no way Hogan was going to accept anything other than a win with the legdrop. Vince McMahon eventually made it clear to HBK that the match was to be done Hogan's way.

While Michaels' late suggestion for a DQ finish was not considered, the idea of running a rematch at Unforgiven was. Thinking it would give each of the wrestlers the opportunity to get a victory, Michaels gladly signed off on the idea. Hogan, however, was not interested in doing the job. Hogan's idea was to win the initial Summerslam match, and then win a steel cage rematch by crawling out the door seconds before HBK climbed out from over the top of the cage. Michaels was certainly not interested in doing the job twice, so they went back to the original plan for a single match.

Michaels' sarcastic promo this week on RAW was his way of venting frustration related to the match. The interview saw Michaels mockingly suggest that Hogan's in-ring ability was just too superior to be touched.