So, we’re supposed to believe that:
– Hunter can beat Rosey and The Hurricane by himself …
– Batista can beat then-champs La Resistance single-handedly …
– Big Show can beat the Basham Brothers in a handicapped match …
– and Hogan can beat up Hassan and Daivari without any outside help …
– yet Shawn Michaels needs a tag partner to take on the two Arab-Americans?
I, my friends, call shenanigans.
Yes, I understand that Batista, Hunter, and Big Show are all > any tag team currently on either RAW or SD roster, and in WWE’s logic, that should lead to a 1-on-2 victory most of the time. Yes, I understand that the Hogan/Hassan/Daivari situation occured at Wrestlemania, not in an actual match, and likely catching the two by surprise as all of their attention was focused on Eugene. And yes, I understand that Eric Bischoff is the one who mandated Michaels pick a partner (even though he was seemingly fine with HHH facing the Superheroes by himself).
But doesn’t something seem fishy here, in a kayfabe kinda way?
Doesn’t it seem like either Bischoff or Michaels has something up his sleeve?
And wouldn’t the only way either of these two situations make sense be if either Bischoff was out to “get” HBK or HBK out to stick it to Hogan?
I’m willing to bet that Bischoff, as mixed as his tendencies have been as late — toeing the line between good and antagonistic — didn’t mandate a tag match to hurt Shawn. What would be the point? If he wanted to hurt Shawn, he should LET him go one-on-two. No, the only reasoning from Bischoff here has to be either (a) he genuinely felt Shawn couldn’t do it by himself or (b) he felt the need to flex some authority moments after HHH — another huge ego like both Michaels and Bischoff — took it upon himself to call a ref out for his match vs. The Hurricane and Rosey. Neither, of course, is malicious.
But why, when he earlier claimed to be able to take on both Hassan and Daivari by himself, would Michaels not only agree to pick a partner, but aim so high? Is it to make a splash? Does he have some self-doubt, coming after the upset loss in Daivari’s first RAW match? Or does he have an agenda?
I may be barking up some sort of funny-looking tree here, but wouldn’t all of this make just a bit more sense if the latter was true? He’s been on somewhat of a losing streak; he may have confidence issues; and he knows that a great way to steal the show at Backlash — a month after Hogan theoretically “stole” the Mania spotlight from him — would be to walk out on the Hulkster, leaving him to get beat down by Hassan and Daivari in the center of the ring.
Hey, Hogan’s not in the greatest shape anyway, so why not milk a Hogan/Michaels feud through Summerslam? HBK promised a rematch with Angle, but that can wait. The Heartbreak Kid and Stone Cold are probably the only two “big matches” left for Hogan anyway, and if WWE can sign him to RAW for the next year, they’re not only quite possible by Mania 22, but really enticing to think about.
And with Michaels the antagonist and Hogan the fan favorite, HBK vs. Hogan is a match-up I think we can all get pumped for this summer.
