How would a Hogan/Hart match go at SSlam 93

[dirtyoldman]

There is the story that Hogan and Bret were originally planned to have a match at Summer Slam, weather it was for the title or not is up for debate.

But if the match went ahead, how do you think it would go? Would it be good?

What if Hogan won?
The more I think about it, I can see that being the result. Hogan wasn't going to job to Shawn when both were past their peak in 2005 so I can't see what chance Bret had in 1993.
I imagine Bret steering a little into heel terority but not full heel so he can stay face afterwards, like Piper at wm8.
Maybe Hogan could bleed so at least while Bret loses, he still drew blood.
I imagine they would shake hands at the end with even Hogan raising Bret's hand as a well done gesture.

What if Bret won?
Not as likely but if it did it would not be clean (even the Warriors victory over Hogan has a slightly non clean element).
I imagine Bret would adopt a more heel like tendacy than if Hogan won, but still able to come across as a face after it was over. I suspect there'd also be a ref bump, giving Bret a chance to hit Hogan with a chair or the belt, but only once as any more would be evil.
The pinfall would have to be something like a small package but not quite as cheap, maybe a crucifix after Hogan sets him up for the big boot, or when Hogan goes for a leg drop, he misses and bret appears to go for the shsrpshoot he rolls over him and pins him.
Ending something similar, hand shake and the winner raises losers hand but I think Bret would be wearing the crimson mask to show that he just about beat Hogan

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

Ideally, this would been a match where Hogan got to dip into more heel mannerisms and take over as the more physically dominant person in the match which would allow for Bret to get some good babyface heat

However, Bret could have and most likely have been the person to steer more heel in a matchup and use underhanded tactics to take down the bigger Hogan. He wouldn't have gone full heel but def borrow from some of what him and Piper did at Mania with him being conflicted about winning by any means but resolves to not go about it that way

Can't see Hogan laying down clean so Yoko comes out and knocks them both down for a DQ or Bret picks up a roll up W with Hogan kicking out at 3.1

[MolotovMocktail]

As far as match quality, Bret’s gotten more out of worse workers, so if Hogan was willing to cooperate, the match could’ve been good if not spectacular.

I don’t see Hogan agreeing to submit in the Sharpshooter, the finish would probably be Bret rolling him up after missing the legdrop. And then, like he did with Warrior, the show would’ve ended with a handshake and Hogan congratulating Bret.

[Mozenrath]

Apr 21, 2020 14:10:21 GMT -5 MolotovMocktail said:

As far as match quality, Bret’s gotten more out of worse workers, so if Hogan was willing to cooperate, the match could’ve been good if not spectacular.

I don’t see Hogan agreeing to submit in the Sharpshooter, the finish would probably be Bret rolling him up after missing the legdrop. And then, like he did with Warrior, the show would’ve ended with a handshake and Hogan congratulating Bret.

This is about what I'd expect, yeah, with it being put over as some kind of technical counter.

I get that Hogan was very protective of his marketability, and that he probably wasn't convinced he was leaving for almost a decade, but I still really don't think it would have hurt his image at the time. I actually like how he lost it to Yokozuna, but it's interesting to think about how it would have been had Hogan been more professional.

[MolotovMocktail]

Apr 21, 2020 14:24:20 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Apr 21, 2020 14:10:21 GMT -5 MolotovMocktail said:

As far as match quality, Bret’s gotten more out of worse workers, so if Hogan was willing to cooperate, the match could’ve been good if not spectacular.

I don’t see Hogan agreeing to submit in the Sharpshooter, the finish would probably be Bret rolling him up after missing the legdrop. And then, like he did with Warrior, the show would’ve ended with a handshake and Hogan congratulating Bret.

This is about what I'd expect, yeah, with it being put over as some kind of technical counter.

I get that Hogan was very protective of his marketability, and that he probably wasn't convinced he was leaving for almost a decade, but I still really don't think it would have hurt his image at the time. I actually like how he lost it to Yokozuna, but it's interesting to think about how it would have been had Hogan been more professional.

It’s one of my favorite what-if scenarios to play with. I wonder if he would’ve gotten to slam Yoko, but part of me wanted it to still happen that way, and then develop (no pun intended) a storyline from the interference of that photographer.

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

I figure you take the legdrop and go down for the 3, brother.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

I dunno but I highly doubt he was submitting Hogan to the sharpshooter like he says....I’m confident that was never, ever gonna happen.

[Crappler El 0 M]

The tough thing is Bret's finisher was the Sharpshooter. Hogan's big comeback ("Hulking up") works after a kickout at two following a finisher. It wouldn't work after a Sharpshooter. Of course Bret could have tried to establish something else during the spring/summer for the purpose of setting up a big finish with Hogan. Maybe Bret uses the move he establishes which leads Hogan to kick out and Hulk up. When Hulk goes for the big boot, Bret grabs Hogan's boot, kicks Hogan's other leg to drop him to the mat, then locks in the Sharpshooter. Bret wins and becomes champ again.

Of course it's hard to imagine Hogan agreeing to lose to the Sharpshooter, but this could have worked as I can't recall anyone ever blocking the big boot like that, plus it's an obvious way of getting on the Sharpshooter.

[XaviersSS2015hair]

In the ring? I don't know.
Backstage? There would have been a lot of "that doesn't work for me brother".
That I am sure of.

[RedDevil]

For the match to have any real purpose at that point, then it needs to be a “passing of the torch” match - Bret would have had to go over. So for the whole match to happen, it assumes Hogan is cooperative to that conclusion, otherwise the match wouldn’t happen - which of course is why it didn’t happen.

I agree Hogan can’t lose in the Sharpshooter - however cooperative Hogan is willing to be, that’s a step too far - Hulk Hogan doesn’t surrender, it’s not in his character. Bret has to win by pin-fall, and I think it needs to be clean.

I like the ideas of channelling the Piper match, that’s a good vibe for each guy to have moments of evil intention to fight as the match goes on. I think ultimately though Bret needs to be the one to push Hogan towards crossing the line rather than the other way round, but then we’re basically doing a straight re-run of the Piper vs. Bret match so maybe not.

The Hulking-up part is interesting - I think it could actually work in the Sharpshooter; I don’t remember it being done in a submission move before, certainly not like that, but imagine Bret has Hogan in the Sharpshooter, Hogan is selling but refuses to quit, his head drops-down and his face is flat on the canvas, then he bangs his fists down to the mat and raises his head again so we see that familiar look in his eyes, he’s shaking his head staring at the referee saying “no”, and he starts pushing up on the mat, Bret struggles to hold-on to the move but just manages to do so, Hogan presses again and again until Bret flies off Hogan into the ropes, Hogan spins around onto his knees in full Hulk-up mode. Bret tries to get back on him, Hogan pushes him off and eventually we get the no-selling punches routine, etc.

Big boot, power slam, leg-drop. Maybe Hogan misses the leg-drop? Too close to the WM6 match I think. Instead I think Hogan connects with the leg-drop: one, two, thr... kick-out! Had anyone kicked-out of the leg-drop at that point? I can’t remember. Undertaker maybe? Sid sort of did, but that wasn’t acknowledged due to the botched run-in. If not, then that’s a hell of a way to put Bret’s fighting spirit over.

Hogan drags Bret up, tries to think of something to do with him, ends-up throwing him into the corner, Bret raises his feet, spins Hogan around, victory roll and the three count. Of course Bret had just beaten Bam Bam like that at KOTR, but in this reality maybe he’s still the WWF champion and thus wasn’t in the KOTR tournament, or if Bret is winning the title off Hogan in this SummerSlam match then maybe we can get away with a small-package finish, but ideally I’d want something a bit more decisive. But the basic idea is that Bret out-wrestles him into a pin of some sort. Clean and decisive, but more frustrating for Hogan than outright defeat.

Bret would’ve definitely thought of something good to finish the match in that way, with Hogan not looking at all bad in defeat, and free to go and try his hand at acting whilst Bret had been anointed as the man.

Hogan still would’ve gone to WCW I think; though maybe he would’ve been motivated to return to get his back against Bret in 1994 maybe? I mean, he’s still Hulk Hogan...

[GuyOfOwnage]

Apr 21, 2020 18:13:44 GMT -5 Crappler El 0 M said:

The tough thing is Bret's finisher was the Sharpshooter. Hogan's big comeback ("Hulking up") works after a kickout at two following a finisher. It wouldn't work after a Sharpshooter. Of course Bret could have tried to establish something else during the spring/summer for the purpose of setting up a big finish with Hogan. Maybe Bret uses the move he establishes which leads Hogan to kick out and Hulk up. When Hulk goes for the big boot, Bret grabs Hogan's boot, kicks Hogan's other leg to drop him to the mat, then locks in the Sharpshooter. Bret wins and becomes champ again.

Of course it's hard to imagine Hogan agreeing to lose to the Sharpshooter, but this could have worked as I can't recall anyone ever blocking the big boot like that, plus it's an obvious way of getting on the Sharpshooter.

Not necessarily. You could have Hogan nearly pass out, only to Hulk Up and break the Sharpshooter and do the usual sequence from there.

[Wieners=$$$]

I would've loved to have seen two spots. The first happens when, after a long match of Bret working over Hulk's legs and back, Hogan hits the leg drop jarring his spine, and he sells it. The second happens where Hogan goes for a second leg drop, only for Bret to roll into it and catch Hulk's leg, finally rolling it into a Sharpshooter from the ground and getting the win.

What could have been?

[Deleted]

I don’t think Hogan (as a babyface) would have ever jobbed to Bret, so it would have been pointless to do the match. I also think Vince lied to Bret and this match was never in the cards to begin with, but that’s another discussion.

As far as how it would be booked, a DQ with a heel causing it. Both babyfaces run the heel off and shake hands in the end. That’s the only other scenario aside from “Hogan wins” that would have been realistic if that match ever happened in 93.

[mauled]

For the match I'd have Hogan breaking into his Japanese style. I think the audience would lose it him doing an Enziguri on Bret
Bret could still go over. Just look at the Piper/Bret match from WM8 as a template
youtu.be/-uGvtJF2dvY

[repomark]

There was a thread on this in Sept last year, and here was my effort at booking it then:

I actually think it is pretty straight forward to get to the match in that all you have to do is stipulate that winning KOR leads to a title match at Summerslam, and have Bret win in exactly the same way he did. Yokozuna and Hogan can battle to an inconclusive match at KOR in which Yokozuna is disqualified and leaves Hogan laid out after a post bell bonsai drop or two.

The US Intrepid show doesn’t have to be about slamming Yokozuna. Instead you just have a Hogan v Yokozuna rematch, that Hogan wins decisively. Bret can face off against Jerry Lawler to make up the rest of the card.

Hogan and Bret then play up the whole respect for each other stuff with an under current of tension about how Hogan won the belt in the first place leading up to the Summerslam match.

In terms of the match itself, it goes back and forth establishing Hogan as the stronger and Bret as the more proficient wrestler. Eventually Hogan knocks himself out on an exposed turnbuckle (which he himself accidentally exposed escaping an earlier sleeper) attempting his charging clothesline in the corner as Bret moves out of the way at the last moment.

Bret hits three driving elbow drops from the second turnbuckle to ensure Hogan is done, but Hogan somehow kicks out, and Hulks up. After the standard point and three punches, Hogan hits the big boot and goes for the leg drop. Bret roles out of the way, and as Hogan spasms in pain, locks in the Sharpshooter.

After much pain and coming close to tapping, Hogan reaches the ropes and escapes. Bret aggressively pummels Hogan’s back, but as he bounces of the ropes to deliver a clothesline, Hogan catches him again with the big boot and this time connects with the leg drop. Unbelievably Bret kicks out.

A clearly frustrated Hogan can’t believe it. He pummels Bret’s head with a series of punches, and then - with a smile on his face lifts Bret’s legs to go for the Sharpshooter. In a momentary mistake - Hogan cups his ear as he had done so many times before to ask for fan approval before he locks it in. This leaves one of Bret’s legs free - which he uses to lock in a small package for the victory.

[Hit Girl]

Hogan puts Bret in the Hulkshooter and gets the win, brotha.

[AJ Smudgico]

As many have said, play up to the Piper WM8 match, but be more blatant and obvious. Have Piper as guest referee as he knows what it's like to battle both. Bret is the plucky underdog babyface who keeps kicking out of the offense, and when Hulk starts showing signs of frustration, Piper hands him the bell. Nice visual throwback. Hulk can't decide and looks to the crowd before throwing it down and berating Piper. This gives time for Bret to surprise Hogan with a roll up or small package for the win. Hogan and Piper BOTH then put Bret over as the better man

[somsta]

It would probably set the world record for amount of atomic drops in one match

[jason1980s]

Apr 22, 2020 8:50:34 GMT -5 @conebone69 said:

I don’t think Hogan (as a babyface) would have ever jobbed to Bret, so it would have been pointless to do the match. I also think Vince lied to Bret and this match was never in the cards to begin with, but that’s another discussion.

The strange thing is I do believe there was a WWF Magazine in 1993 that had a few page report on a future Bret and Hogan match. I think it was the cover with Hulk in a studio photo. I want to say May 1993 which would have been even before WrestleMania considering magazines were a few months behind. That could have just been a "what if" what no intentions though. I seem to remember a "where are they now" feature in 1996 with Demolition yet of course they weren't slated to come back. If the magazine I'm thinking of was post-1993 edition than maybe something was planned.

[thehottag]

Even as a massive Bret fan, I still see Hulk getting cheered. Hogan definitely wouldn't lose clean either, & Bret would still end up bitter about it.