Hulk Hogan On Why He Didn't Wrestle Bret Hart At Summerslam 1993 

That doesn't work for me brother.

Bret Hart vs 123 Kid on RAW from 1994 to this day is one of the best matches in RAW history.

Bret vs .mr perfect for the I.C.title i give a ten out of ten...

ONS 2005 was awesome

Solomonster. Bret was also my favorite growing up as well. I loved as a tag team with Niedhart. N his baby face run in the early 90’s. But my favorite Hitman was 1997 Bret n the Hartfoundation. To me 1997 was the single most important year in the history of WWF/WWE!

Brett Hart was a heel in the USA and babyface in Canada. That was very unique.

King of the Ring, as a PPV, needs to come back to the WWE

If you think about it Bret Hart got fucked over in a lot of ways in 1993 because I think it was suppose to be either at the Rumble or Mania I can't remember but he was suppose to face and beat Warrior but Warrior got fired and Hogan not putting him over and then Vince was trying to get Luger over and put Bret to the side for the rest of the year. Bret would've been a megastar if within a year he beat Flair, Warrior, and Hogan.

If Hogans such an old school guy, why didn't he do a feud with Bret in WCW when Hogan was a heel ?

That poster of Bret vs Hogan was in a WWF magazine...I remember as a kid having the magazine. It wasn't a poster in said magazine, but a 2 page spread.

Hogam refusing to work with Bret Hart made Yokozuna a bigger star.

Totally agree Brets my favorite too when I go back and actually watch some of his old stuff it really does still stand up

Hogan putting over Bret would have been money

Let me tell you something brother. Hulkster will not job to anyone, brother ;)

Hogan's Ego was so big it probably needed it's own dressing room

Always loved that he won the king of the ring with the victory roll, but owen countered it at WM 10. Really put over that he had studied his brother to beat him.

I couldn’t only wonder how much bigger Bret could have gotten if Hogan did “pass the torch” to him.

Shoot bret hart was bad ass throughout his entire career...inspite of the bad press bret had classics in wcw...critics be damned....

I have seen the poster. It was in a WWF magazine of the timein the UK. It was a kind of tug of war picture with Hogan and Bret Hart nose to nose. But i definitely saw it.

Hogan didn't want to put over Hart, and Hart didn't want to drop the title to Micheals. The wheels on the bus goes round and round.....LOL

Every good lie has just enough truth in it to get some of the people to buy it. No, Hogan doesn't have a point. At their height and weight discrepancies, the sympathy would have been with Hart, especially the way he could sell an ass-kicking, and Hogan didn't want the crowd to be against him. And who knows? Maybe the match would have been a dud because of the clashing of styles. But it's a crime that we'll never know.

Bret was a victim of Hogan's ego in both WWF and WCW.

I was listening for like 11 minutes and was just thinking wow brother Terry is being veerrrryyy quiet when confronted with all this history.

Hogan did make a valid point by saying Bret Hart vs. Hulk Hogan @ KOTR1993 Main Event match for the World Heavyweight title would split the fans 50/50. But... Hogan was likely not willing to take the bump for Bret. And back then, kayfabe was still alive and breathing in wrestling. People still held onto the belief it was staged to only be the good guy versus the bad guy. I remember hearing him make that point about Warrior too, but only during the stupid Self-Destruction DVD they released in 2005. He said something about why it was a bad idea pitting two babyfaces against each other and making the audience have to choose. But Hogan imo didn't want to give the rub to Bret, maybe he felt it wouldn't be believable that Bret could go over him. Idk what Hogan's true motives were for opting out of a title match with Hart and instead switching to Yoko in the effort to make Yoko that monster heel character. Yoko could do that all by himself, the man had Mr. Fuji as his ring manager and sometime later even Jim Cornette jumped on board the Yoko train. In the end, one person makes the final decision. Hogan could make any argument he wanted, but Vince McMahon is, was, and until his death will be the man that makes the final verdict. If I were to blame one source for those decisions made then and even now, I say Hogan in Vince's ear and Vince's final word were the deciding factor of the Yoko/Hogan match and finish. But I am glad that Bret Hart was finally granted that head guy spot once again. He was my absolute favorite wrestler as a kid. Something about him that drew not only myself but millions of people to his corner, chanting for the excellence of execution. And now we have the Big Dawg, smh...

I feel like the reason WWE have never shown that SummerSlam '93 poster of Hogan and Hart is because its one of those things where WWE nixes an idea and they don't want people to know that it was going to happen. I'm sure they still have that poster but its probably under lock and key so that no one will see it

Ok as a fan in 1993 wrestling in wwf was changing the gimmicks were coming to an end lil by lil. Seeing bret hart holding the wwf title Felt weird im talking 93...hart was singles wrestler for 1 or 2 yrs and was i.c champ but most of my life before 93 i saw him as a tag team wrestler(back then tag teams barely used to break up). In 93 Bret hart was becoming a star he was the top star in wwf But he hadnt achieved megastar status he wasnt drawing much he used to get cheers but compare his crowd reactions to the likes of hogan, macho, warrior even piper they fell short. Look at mania 9 that crowd errupted after hulk won the title as a matter of fact hulk got biggest pop of the night if he was getting boo'ed i didnt notice maybe it was a couple of fans like 1 out of every 100 lol. I Honestly think Hulk being old school 6,7 303 lbs didnt feel it would look or feel right losing to a smaller guy who was just a midcarder in all his time there in wwf. In hulk's tenure in wwf vince treated bret like a midcarder or jobber a guy he was forced to sign in order to buy stu harts company is like vince never wanted the guy. Hulk probably taught "i lost to warrior a babyface and the guy left and it only hurted my product If i lose to bret an "experiment" vince just putting bret out there and seeing how it goes im gona hurt my stock even more if the hart experiment fails". Thats because vince was not even taking the guy serious himself if he did he wouldnt had hulk come back and win belt at mania 9. Hogan a smart business man thats why he made the most money. I blame vince...Vince didnt trust bret as much if vince wouldve said hulk i need you to comeback and put bret over because im gona make him the top wwf star for years to come but he needs the rub give it to him imma make bret keep the title at mania then defended against you then ill have him have a 3yr title reign ect...If you look at brets carreer he was never treated like a megastar he became one because of his Great matches but vince didnt like him as much as other stars in 93 he told bret you the man then said lets put belt on yoko for almost a year then have luger beat him but according to cornette vince scrapped luger because harts great fan reaction after rumble...Then vince wanted to turn diesel a 7foot 300 lbs guy into their poster boy then bret beats him yr later so that he can put hbk over...bret was always treated like a transitional champ. Hogan just wasnt sure how big of a draw bret would be so he chose not to risk it. Hogan knows vince just like vince knows hulk and hulk decided why should i job if even vince is not sure about this guy, Is not like lesnar where he knew vince was gona push lesnar to the stars and hulk had no problem jobbing to brock on national tv a rookie brock.

I don't believe this for one second. I always thought that Hogan thought that Bret wasn't main event material and might even take his spot. Also, you have to also add in, Hogan like working with big guys. Most of all of his career he wrestle big guys. He thought Bret was too small. Miss me with the bullshit. Hogan can be funny at times. People have their opinions of Bret. Main eventer or not. Bret deserved that match. He was very over then. Until Shawn came later of course.

Get the goods thanks man just took me right back to 1995 for about 30 seconds

I’m not feeling it, brother. CREATIVE CONTROL!

Bret's my A#1 too. Best ring psychologist ever

I agree with you. Hogan - Hart is the match that should have hapend. The especulation of what could have hapend, is just that, but bret was a superstar and was legitimetly loved, so was Hogan, but bret was in a ascendíag line and Hogan was on a desending one. There are more tan one examples of the dredfull "dosen't work for me brother" so my opinión is that Hogan should have stayed for SS and do the job for Bret. I Always imagined that Hogan would do the big boot and at the le drop, bret does so me kind of roll and turn it in to the sharpshooter. I think that would have been a turning point for wwe business. Maybe it could have worked, Maybe it couldn't. Bret never worked with big names, so at that time wwe was re constructing. On another note, ive never heard Hogan acknoleging theres was a plan for Hogan Hart, in every thing i've heard he dismises that idea as if Bret was crazy. Its nice to know Bret told the truth.

It’s just to bad they couldn’t come up for a better finish for Bret beating Yokozuna at WM10. They had Bret beat Yoko because Yoko was clumsy and fell off the 2nd rope.

I remember seeing the magazine with the photo of Hogan and Bret and the belt.. It was released in 1993.

I would say Hogan *might* have had a point *if* the main event of Wrestlemania 6 hadn't happened 2 years ago. Its almost unanimously agreed on that Warrior's run was *all* *downhill* from that match.

The way they said it went down in Hulk Hogan's book when he said putting Yokozuna over as an unstoppable heel so Bret could look like an underdog sounded like it made sense? Hogan should have turned heel in the WWF. Maybe not? Shawn would have stayed in the mid and if Hogan stayed. I forget the backstage politics and I see why "the click" formed. Those guys together had backstage stroke. The click had an impact in both WCW and the WWF. The NWO and DX. That's impressive. Changed wrestling and it was the best time to be fan.

Come on Solomonster what about Wrestlemania 17 the greatest wwe ppv of all time.

I just don't really feel like it, brother.

I love to see Bret Hart wrestler hulk hogan at summer slam 1993 for the wwf championship

If anyone other than Hulk Hogan said that, I'd say it makes sense. But Hogan is a pathological liar who only cares for himself, so that reeks of an excuse to get heat of of him. But not gonna work myself into a shoot brother.

Bret is my best of all time as well. Great show. Enjoy listening.

If I had to pick who my favourite wrestler of all time I would have to say Eddie Guerrero.

Bret Hart vs Mr Perfect was the match which made me a wrestling fan. Such a great exhibition.

You really should read the book, Jason. You will enjoy it.

2 things. First, I'm almost positive that the change in plans was all Vince's idea and Hogan was the fall guy. I think he was looking for any reason to get the belt on his idea of a top star, hence Lex Luger. Bret was just the transitional champion while Vince got thru the steroid trial. Second, I love Bret but I can understand Hogan's point of view here. If Vince isn't 100% sold on Bret, why would Hogan want to put him over?

I love Hulk but I wanted him and Bret to have a big match so badly. Hulks match with Muta is my fav. Match.

SummerSlam was in Auburn Hills Michigan.

Smooth edit to get the episode right

I grew up in Philly. N I loved going to the old spectrum with my Hart t shirt on n cheering on the hated Canadians! Great year it changed the course of WWE! The double switch with Austin n then the screw job is what won the wrestling wars for WWE! Vince turning heel which sparked the rivalry with Austin. Bret likes to talk about himself but he was that big a deal !!!

Bret was so good that he took ass beating for a LONG time yet dnt come across eaten up/buried/looking weak. It was bc his selling was so believable & credible. Watching him LIVE he was able to get you the SUSPEND YOUR DISBELIEF. You mentioned Shawn's selling, if you want to be technical Shawn's Flair bump in corner, Henning bump & feed style selling is great & hard working but compared w Bret: Shawn's not as genuine or credible. No.2 in garnishing Babyface sympathy when both are faces. Bret's my fav worker of all time and even though HOGAN'S reason for not doing business is BULLSHIT, his phoney ass reason is a truth. If the SUMMER SLAM match woulda happened, There would be a ultra high unpredictability in a WWF crowd Possibly at that point ever. Before WM6 at live events and tv tapings, WARRIOR was clearly the more over guy. At the PPV it was a HOGAN crowd. So regardless of the reality. The WWF UNIVERSE subconscious mind gets programmed w "OH HOGAN S THE GUY" Add in HOGAN has that unique relationship in that he is people's childhood & the babe Ruth of Wrestling: If you don't have AUSTIN across from him in a baby face Match, I can't name anyone else in history who as a face would get over more than HOGAN in that kind of crowd Environment . Plus in the actual match itself, would HOGAN actually put over Bret in the physical storytelling of the match?!?!?! NOBODY in history ever was better at losing a fucking match, 1 2 3 in the middle and the opponent who won the match was worse after. Personally, HOGANS ass in the Sharpshooter still sounds fun to me!! level of audience

I will admit that Hogan does have a good point here. But I think it's obvious to everyone that Hogan was looking out for himself and that excuse is complete bullshit. He didn't want to put over Bret because he was one of the smaller younger guys who in Hulk's mind wasn't on his level. A big monster heel like Yoko was perfect for the hulkster because that's what he made his career off of.

Hogan would have been thoroughly embarrassed by Bret Hart that's why he didn't want to wrestle him!!!

This match falls alongside the list of ‘what could’ve been’ alongside Hogan vs Flair WM 8 in 92’. Biggest match you could’ve done at the time in 93’ was Hart vs Hogan (since Flair left in February of 93’) and done big business despite the valleys that the wrestling industry ran into in that period. Shame when wrestling politics get in the way and not see the bigger picture.

>Believing Hogan I have a Saudi Prince that you should talk to...

Bashing Hulk Hogan and what he meant to wrestlings worldwide succcess is like boxing fans bashing Mahamad Ali. Its complete ignorance.

You know reality, I do think putting the belt on yokozuna in the summer of 93, whether it be at king of the ring or summer slam was the right move. I think if they put it on Bret Hart The fans would have popped that night really big for him getting the title back but the only problem is is where did they go from there? You would have bread going to wrestlemania 10 having beach and everyone on the roster and no real challenge for him at wrestlemania 10. There would be no build up if the title was given back to bread in the summer. That’s one thing I think the NWA/WCW did good, Whether it was Ric Flair, Hollywood Hogan, or big van Vader, they would put the title on the hill with the most heat and have the most over baby face chase them for the belt through the year.

Awesome show bro, hey if you ever need someone to do any reviews with you-hit me up!

I agree that Hogan vs Bret would have been a bigger match, however, I feel Hogans theory made sense in this case. No matter his reasoning or intentions, Yokozuna SLAYING Hulkamania imo DID make Bret feel like a bigger deal when he beat him. Yokozuna

No.... in my opinion, it has nothing to do with Hogan or Hart. Both performers worked for a promotion, and were paid by the promoter as basically independent contractors. Pending the specifics of each individuals' contract, in regards to creative control, and whether or not it's clearly stated as a right of refusal, any performer should adhere to the time honored tradition's of the business. Professional wrestlers/sports entertainers should always respect the business responsible for their success, and "do business the right way." As unique as this business is, any contractor who works for any business, and refuses to not do a job that they are being paid to do, should snfwould be fired. This is example is a perfect analogy as to why putting someone over is called, "doing a job." In this particular situation, if the promoter and booker wanted Hart to go over Hogan, then The Hulkster should've done his damn job....and as far as Hogan wanting to protect Hart? At that point in his career, Hogan protected one person, and it sure as hell wasn't The Hitman.

Not Saginaw. WWF doesn't run B-shows in Saginaw. It was in Auburn Hills at the Palace. And Detroit was big Hogan territory. Hart would've gotten booed I think.

Hogan putting Bret over would have meant way more then Yoko! Hogan was looking out for Hogan

Hogan's history tells us that he's full of shit. There's been so many times he claimed he was looking out for his opponent but was only looking out for himself. Being a two-faced liar is his calling card.

Let's all be honest here Hogan does what he wants to do he didn't want to put Bret over because he felt like he was probably going to get booed out of the building and the fans at that time were for Bret not saying they're wearing any Hogan fans but it probably would have been another Warrior and Hogan scenario like I would happen at WrestleMania 6 it's a shame that Hogan never went into business and done what was right it should have put bread over and Hogan probably could have retired or could have went his way after that Hogan tells a much different story but nobody believes that anything that he says he's nothing but a liar and everything that's happened to him now it's pretty much Karma that came back to him that's why I don't feel sorry for the guy

I've been in the back all day brother.

if the hulk vs bret match happend at summerslam 1993 i would of liked to seen hulk kick out of the sharpshooter then start to hulk up and give bret the big bot and leg drop then bret kicks out of the leg drop and rolls up hulk with a small package

Bret 89-91 was great too

Lmao as a way to protect bret 😂😂😂

Sure would like to hear a secret recording of what the Hulkster has to say about Canadians

Hogan later admitted he felt bret wasnt a big enough star for him to put over and he didnt want to do the same mistake he did for warrior.

Bret pretty much lays it out in his book. He knew, in 1993, he would be cheered against Hogan. He just didn't figure that Hogan knew that too. You can call it selfish or self-preservation, but I think Hogan figured he had little to gain. And Bret is my favourite too.

Yeah well I wonder how many fans are afraid to see their hero wrestle another hero, because it means their hero might lose cleanly. But I think booking two very popular wrestlers against each other is a natural climax and a lot of fans would rather see it even if their hero loses and they get sad.

King of the Ring '93 marks the end of the Golden Era/Hulkamania & the rise of Bret Hart & the New Generation

i like to see hulk hogan vs Bret Hart at 1993 summer slam for the wwf championship

*Hogan wouldnt put Bret over because he knew that match would turn him heel. Bret spent two years working hard in the main event, and fans knew Hulk screwed him over for the belt.*

Nah, don't buy it. That story, while plausible, is the result of Hogan facing questions and heat from both Bret and others over why he nixed the match, and deciding to finally come up with a good story that would seem sensible. According to what Bret says, Hogan never came back with that sort of explanation - rather, Hogan tried to make it seem as if it was Vince's idea to nix the match which led both of them to have a meeting with Vince, where Vince confirmed the change. And actually, I'm pretty sure Hogan himself suggested that in an interview like 10 or 15 years ago. I think it was just a case of Hogan not thinking Bret was worthy of the honour, or just worrying that the fans might favour Bret more in the match.

Hulk's point is pretty valid. A babyface probably shouldn't be the guy who makes Hulk retire from the WWF. If the notorious quote of "I'm not losing to a fucking midget like Bret Hart" is true, I'd have to say no. Though, in those days it WOULD have been shocking for Hogan to lose to Bret, he wasn't as big as he used to be, and they could have easily done a match that made sense. Hogan is overpowering Bret, but Bret would show guts and heart, make a quick comeback using his "wrestling" skills, then eventually find a spot to get a convincing pinning combination, Hogan pops up at 3.1, but doesn't dispute it. Instead, he just smiles and shakes Bret's hand. So the match works, but I'll tell you what, Hogan would have eaten Bret alive on the mic, even if he wasn't trying to. And you know he's gonna try to. It's hard to say because Hogan is known as being full of shit, and Bret is known as being bitter and whiny, and the business really was different back then. And let's be clear.... it didn't *have to* be Summerslam. Maybe Bret wins the title at the Rumble and cuts a promo saying what he really wants is a match with the greatest WWF Champion of all-time, Hulk Hogan. Then WM X is Bret vs Hulk, Bret wins and Hogan goes to WCW. But again, Hulk may be right. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and the fans may have been more pro-Hogan than expected.

Brett Hart was horrible for revenues as the top guy. Even other wrestlers said business was WAY DOWN with Brett on top. He also hurt other wrestlers on making money, because as champion he was more into having the belt then making money. He never drew like Austin, Hogan, Rock (not even close).

No he should of put him over. Somebody put hulk over every night. Also add these to your Facebook page to get a better discussion started.

Hulk only after him self his track history on everything and everyone! I still think to this day when taker had Hogan tied to his bike on smackdown was takers revenge for fucking him over back in the 1992 match with the chair!

Hulk Hogan didn’t even put Ultimate Warrior over cleanly at Mania. There was no freakin’ way he was going to put Bret Hart over. Hogan’s full of crap.

You can’t take down a guy like the Hulk and not be hated for it, fans are very fickle, in Any sport.

bret hart vs hulk hogan at wrestlemania 10 would of been good if hulk had stayed champion for 1 year

What does Bret say to Yoko implying Hogan should not put Yoko over? Does Bret feel Yoko didn't deserve it? Everyone thinks Hogan is selfish (in reality most wrestlers are) but Bret is way more selfish. So the WM9 finish was bullshit yet the fans went crazy and loved it? Also, don't compare Rock and Bret. Bret was never over in the same stratosphere as Rock.

Hogan has always been very noble after all

Hogan would have gotten booed over Bret. He was afraid of Bret’s popularity. The wwe used to dub the crowd reaction when it came to hogan. Sid viscous confirmed that the crowd was dubbed in that 92 royal rumble cause they were booing hogan loudly.

And to be fair business was down when hogan, flair and yoko were champion as well. The wwe today wants to blame Bret for the decline in business in those years because they would never say Michaels wasn’t a draw since hhh is his best friend and it’s more convenient to blame Bret since he’s constantly bashing hhh. Yes business was down during Bret Hart’s championship run but it wasn’t because of him. They had the steroid scandal and sexual molestation scandals around the early 90’s. Plus like I wrote Bret wasn’t the only champion at that time. There was flair, hogan, yoko....then in the mid 90’s there was backlund, diesel and Michaels (which by the way once Michaels was champion in 96 is when wcw started to dominate in the tv ratings) but the wwe will NEVER mention that today. It’s always “business was down when Bret was champion”. Just BS. That’s why I hate the wwe and I know this isn’t right for me to say but I’m glad today they’re experiencing the worse raw ratings of all time.

Vince could had warrior and macho man put over Bret. Vince didn't believe Bret wasnt a draw.

It seems like it would of been bigger for Bret to have beat Hogan even if it was at Summerslam and not Mania as Hogan was the biggest star in wrestling. Bret even though did not have the title for the whole time between 93-97, it is hard to debate that it was not the Bret Hart era. So Yoko beat Hogan at King of the Ring and what became of Yoko, really nothing of any relevance in the World title picture. Yoko held the title until until Mania 10, Mania 11 was the mystery tag partner for Owen and won the Tag titles and by Mania 12 was in the opening six man match. If Bret would of beat Hogan for the title, it could of been like some people say the passing of the torch and could of shot Bret up to an even bigger star then he became. I also heard about the business being down in 93 when Bret was Champion. Did anyone take into consideration that in 93 is when Raw was on TV weekly. Not sure if that is anything but no more full on squash matches against no name jobbers every week on tv, now you get to see the matches on free tv that you could see at a house show. The business was changing during that period. Bret could of had a much better run in WCW, as Hogan actually may of wanted to work with him to try and get his win back. There are a lot of if's so we will never know.

Bret Hart should of turned heel so that it would of been heel vs Babyface match if that's the only way Hogan would of wrestled with him, but at least they fought In wcw years later

owen was in a dark match at the king of the ring 1993...next year ..owen won the whole thing !!!

It would’ve made Bret a bigger star than he actually is. That means he would’ve been protected at any costs. Especially by Shawn Michaels who never wanted to put Hart over.

Look... Hulk was scared of Bret's wrestling and totally out classing him and being thoroughly embarrassed by his ring prowess an technical ability to break Hogan down. That babyface excuse is just bullshit .... Which Hogan is full about 100% of the time.

Vince should have had Hulk put over Bret and at the end of the match had Hulk turn heel.

That ppv still pisses me off, he should have put bret over the right way. Bret deserved it.

Hogan said Bret was not ready at the time. That's Bs.

Bret wasn’t on Hogan’s level as far as carrying a company ever. That’s just fact. People with hindsight goggles can say he was, but I’ve never got the feels for a Bret match. I’ve enjoyed a few but I have yet to rewatch one. Him and Shawn just didn’t do it for me.

Hind sight is 20/20 Hulk vs Bret is the better plan. But in 1993 the better idea might have seemed to let the giant heel destroy the baby face and then see who can take over. You can blame Hogan but Vince still didn’t give Bret the shot at Summer Slam after Hogan was gone. So Vince wasn’t even confident in Bret at that time.. It’s also interesting in this interview with Prichard, he gives a different account of the same event. He says the plan was always Hogan vs Yoko and near the end he has no memory of the tug of war photo of Hulk and Bret.. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XeAH4BMLJhk.html

they did face vs face when they put him against the warrior he just didnt want to put bret over typical Higan

I'm not going to even waste time putting up the mile-long list of people Hogan has jobbed to. It's like the opening crawl of a Star Wars movie. The point is, it's popular to bash Hogan. It doesn't take any intelligence to bash him. It's easy. You actually have to fire a synapse in your brain to remember how many times this guy put people over. People CHOOSE to believe what they want so go on doing so.

Bullshit!!! ....Hulk Hogan was scared of Bert out wrestling him in every single way making him look like an amateur because he was compared to Bert Hart.

Hogan is a legend but he's a shit for not working with Hitman , Rude and others and for making shitty racist comments. I remember as a kid even being pissed off when he took the belt after bret v yokozuna