Shawn Michaels wrestled an infamous match with Hulk Hogan at SummerSlam 2005, something that Eric Bischoff has since lambasted him for.
The main event of WWE’s 2005 SummerSlam saw Shawn Michaels battle Hulk Hogan. Hogan took the win over ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ with an Atomic Legdrop, but the match was made instantly notorious for Michaels’ consistent overselling throughout the contest.
Shawn Michaels hilariously sold each move more than was necessary, drawing both criticism and praise for adding a touch of comedy to the outing. Eric Bischoff, who was Raw’s General Manager at the time, has slammed ‘The Showstopper’ for not taking the match as seriously as he perhaps should have.
Speaking on his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff revealed how furious he was at the WWE Hall of Famer:
“I was pissed off. Internally, I saw what was going on. It was so obvious right out of the shoot. I felt bad for Hulk [Hogan]. It’s such a terrible thing to do to somebody. If you’ve got an issue with somebody in the ring, take care of it before you get to the ring or after you get out. When you get into the ring, don’t get into business for yourself, don’t get cute.
Because of whatever personal issues you have and that’s exactly what Shawn Michaels did, in my opinion. If you go back and watch the match and pay attention in terms of how much Shawn Michaels oversold to the point of being a parody, that was just him being a d*ck.”
Eric Bischoff elaborated, explaining that his feelings towards Shawn Michaels weren’t solely because of his established working relationship with Hulk Hogan. The two had spent a few years working together in World Championship Wrestling. Instead, Bischoff claims that his problem with Michaels stemmed from the unprofessionalism surrounding his actions.
Wrestling Shawn Michaels marked Hulk Hogan’s penultimate match in WWE, as ‘The Hulkster’ wrestled just once more in the McMahon-fronted sports entertainment phenomenon when he defeated Randy Orton at the following year’s SummerSlam.