10 WrestleMania matches that almost happened

#5 Kurt Angle vs Sting - WrestleMania 18

Thank you, TNA!

When WCW went out of business in March 2001, WWE was only able to secure two top ex-WCW stars for the Invasion angle, Booker T and Diamond Dallas Page. Everyone else, Goldberg, Ric Flair, Scott Steiner, Kevin Nash and others all collected on their Time Warner deals and joined WWE shortly after. That is all but one, the Icon Sting.

WCW's captain to go down with the ship, Sting claimed several times over the years that he didn't want to go to WWE due to a fear of how they would book him, citing Booker and DDP's poor runs as an influence. However, in early 2002 shortly after WWE announced the signings of Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, it was leaked that WWE had been negotiating with a few other former top WCW stars, one of which being Sting.

Apparently, at one point WWE considered Sting coming in as a lock and planned a match between him and Kurt Angle for WrestleMania 18. However Sting backed down and we wouldn't see him sign with WWE until 2014, meanwhile Kurt was given a throw-away mid-card match with Kane in Toronto.

Thankfully the Kurt Angle vs Sting match would eventually happen, 4 times in TNA Wrestling. The first encounter between them, at Bound For Glory 2007 had been cited as Sting's best match since 1999. The 3 follow matches were also all well received.