Cody Rhodes thinks some wrestling fans spend so much time worrying about what supposedly happened backstage that they miss what actually happened in the ring.
On the Mythical Kitchen YouTube channel, Rhodes picked Shawn Michaels vs. Hulk Hogan at SummerSlam 2005 as an underrated match. He acknowledged the long-running stories that Michaels was unhappy about working with Hogan, but argued the lore has become a distraction.
Everyone thinks that there’s some mystery thing going on and Shawn Michaels was mad at Hulk Hogan. And what you don’t know about Shawn Michaels is he was always performing, and he still is. And that’s why he’s probably the greatest to ever do it.
In his view, Michaels was always performing, which is part of why Rhodes considers him possibly the greatest ever, and the match plays better when viewed for what it is.
Rhodes praised the match’s storytelling, pointing to the image of Michaels holding Hogan with blood running down his arm as so well executed that it stays with viewers. He described it as two of the best ever doing what they do best.
He also said he finds it funny when people outside the business insist they know what really happened behind famous moments like the Montreal Screwjob. His advice was simple: stop trying to solve every mystery and enjoy the show.
She’s not going to be able to fall asleep when Shawn’s holding Hulk and the blood is pouring down his arm. It is so well done. And to this day, I love when people who aren’t in my business try to tell me that they know about, ‘No, here’s what was really going on. The Montreal Screwjob.’ Dude, just enjoy it.
Backstage stories are interesting, but Rhodes feels that shouldn’t take away the weight of the performances or become more important than the matches.
