If you're able to find that September PPV (No Surrender I think?) you can see Hogan has a hunch that Bully was behind the Hardy attack. It was definitely read between the lines. If that was the plan all along, then they deserve props for sticking to it this long.
Again, anybody with reasonable intelligence figured Bully was turning, but the story unfolding was entertaining enough that we're willing to smile and nod along.