10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 2005 Facts
We never got Hogan vs. Bret at SummerSlam, so here's the next best thing.
Remember those catalogs of novelty items called, "Things You Never Knew Existed, But Now Must Have"? That's how one might feel about a match between Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels, two certified stars of a bygone era that still had something to offer in their later career stages. At the dawn of 2005, few would've outright asked for a Hogan-Michaels match (with Shawn playing the petulant, disrespectful heel once more), but it ended up being a ton of fun for a litany of reasons.
SummerSlam 2005 felt similar to the 2004 show in that it was heavily story-oriented (as compared to many of the thrown-together matches today), but the 2005 edition felt so much fresher. There were some clunkers in there, but all in all, this particular SummerSlam had a big-event feel, largely due to the Hogan/Michaels showdown.
The event also continued to crystallize John Cena and Batista as the pillars of the modern era, giving them no-doubt-about-it victories that prolonged their hearty World title reigns. Although for Batista, his reign wasn't supposed to make it past SummerSlam.
It was certainly a busy time for WWE, as they courted controversy at different turns, and counted down the weeks before their return to the USA Network. Fast times littered the present and the future, alike.
Here are ten facts about SummerSlam 2005 you may not have known.
10. Chris Jericho Was Once Set To Face Carlito For The Intercontinental Title
Jericho had made his mind up at some point in 2004 that he was going to take a sabbatical from WWE, beginning in the summer of 2005. With this in mind, Jericho was almost certainly going to be putting somebody over on the way out. In the spring of 2005, as the preliminary SummerSlam card came together, Jericho (still a babyface) was matched up with Carlito, who would be taking the Intercontinental belt from Shelton Benjamin in June of that year.
Jericho, however, wanted to put WWE Champion John Cena over on the way out, and made his pitch directly to Vince McMahon, who agreed to the idea. Jericho was turned heel officially that summer, and gave Cena a pretty good match on SummerSlam night. Carlito, meanwhile, was never issued a replacement opponent, and the Intercontinental belt went undefended at SummerSlam.