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WWE has seen many dream matches throughout its long history. From Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant to The Rock vs. John Cena, WWE have displayed some of the biggest Superstars in history against one another on big stages. However, WWE has also missed out on many huge matches for a number of reasons.
In 1988, WWE attempted to give us Ric Flair vs. Macho Man Randy Savage at Summerslam. Years later, we also never got to witness Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Goldberg due to being in opposite promotions and then the career-ending neck injury of Austin.
In this article, we will discuss five dream matches in WWE we never got to see. This will be a list of Superstars who were in WWE at the same time, but we just never got to witness them clash due to a number of reasons. We will also list the WWE event that the dream match could have taken place.
#5 Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Brock Lesnar (WWE Wrestlemania 19)
This match is one that has been talked about for years. Back in 2002, Stone Cold Steve Austin was one of the top stars in WWE, but he was unhappy with the way he was being used.
On a random Monday Night RAW in June 2002, WWE advertised Austin against the rookie upstart "The Next Big Thing" Brock Lesnar in a King of The Ring qualifying match with no build-up. Feeling slighted by the company, Stone Cold decided to walk out on WWE without warning and would not return until the following year.
When Austin did return to RAW, Lesnar was a former WWE Champion and on the Smackdown brand. The two men would both be in big time matches at Wrestlemania 19 against The Rock and Kurt Angle respectively. However, we never got to see them clash one-on-one.
Austin and Brock would get into physical altercations ahead of Wrestlemania 20 when Lesnar would meet Goldberg with Stone Cold as the guest referee, but what if these two men had met at 'Mania in the year prior? A dream match at Wrestlemania 19 would have been a huge encounter that everyone would remember.
WWE could have used the real life circumstances that stopped their first contest to make this a deeply personal war as well. This would have been an intense physical contest that would have been a big time draw on the Wrestlemania stage.
#4 Shawn Michaels vs. Eddie Guerrero (WWE Wrestlemania 22)
This is the one Eddie Guerrero match that has been most rumored since his untimely death in November 2005. Many reports have said over the years that WWE was planning on delivering Eddie against "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 22. This clash is one that we had to include in this list.
In 2005, Guerrero was coming off a successful heel turn and subsequent feud with his best friend, Rey Mysterio. On the other hand, Michaels had an ill-timed heel turn himself that same summer ahead of his Summerslam 2005 clash with Hulk Hogan.
Michaels would turn back to the babyface side following Hogan's departure. WWE had an opportunity to give us one of the most charismatic babyfaces of all time against one of the most entertaining heels ever on the grandest stage of them all.
These two men share a lot of similar traits both in and out of the ring. Eddie had well documented issues with substance abuse and fights with addiction, while Shawn had his own battles. They both also used a new connection with religion to overcome their issues, which could have been used to add extra layers to the build-up to their battle.
HBK and Latino Heat are also two of the very best between the ropes so there is no doubt that their match would have been highly entertaining. Michaels' ability to step up at Wrestlemania is universally known. However, Eddie was never able to have that one true classic on the biggest show in WWE. This match would have given him that opportunity against "Mr. Wrestlemania".
We missed out on an instant classic in every sense.
#3 Kurt Angle vs. CM Punk (WWE Wrestlemania 23)
This is another dream match that slipped through the hands of WWE in the year 2006. On August 1st, 2006, CM Punk debuted on the ECW brand after some hype. Later that same month on the 25th, WWE granted an early release to former WWE Champion Kurt Angle due to the situation surrounding his health issues. Before his release, Angle was on the ECW brand as well, so this is a match we could have seen.
Although Angle was injured in a match with RVD and was self medicating prior to leaving WWE, "The Olympic Hero" would go on to compete for Total Nonstop Action (TNA) just a few months following his release. Angle would have a stellar run with TNA, including a legendary feud with Samoa Joe.
It is not out of the question that WWE could have held on to Angle and allowed him time to recover, as well as deal with his addiction, prior to a return ahead of Wrestlemania in 2007.
With Kurt out, WWE could have built the ECW brand around their young star in CM Punk, leading to a confrontation at the grandest stage of them all. Punk could have went in as the ECW Champion against the most decorated superstar in the land of extreme.
Not only would this be a tremendous contest, it would elevate the ECW brand, the ECW Championship and Punk. With the Straight Edge Superstar facing a wrestler the caliber of Angle in his first 'Mania appearance, WWE could have shown a dedication to their third brand and a future star in a time when it was rarely seen.
#2 Undertaker vs. Sting (WWE Wrestlemania 31)
After years of being the one WCW wrestler who never came to WWE, Sting made his debut at Survivor Series 2014 by helping Dolph Ziggler overcome The Authority. This would lead to a huge match against Triple H at Wrestlemania the following year. However, due to Sting's early retirement, we never got to see the one dream match everyone wanted to witness for years.
The Undertaker vs. Sting has always been the top choice for a WWE vs. WCW match fans have begged for. Their dark personas, as well as connection to their respective promotions during the Attitude Era, made this an epic encounter everyone salivated for.
The allure of this match would get bigger as years went by. When Sting finally jumped to Titan Towers, this was the contest we all wanted to see but would be robbed of, unfortunately.
This should have been Sting's debut match in WWE. Undertaker was coming off the streak ending at Wrestlemania 30 and needed a huge rehabilitation match to mark his return.
Although his match with Bray Wyatt was anticipated, it would not be able to match the level of enthusiasm the WWE Universe would have had for a confrontation with The Stinger.
Wrestlemania 31 is one of the best editions of the biggest show in WWE. However, the addition of this legendary encounter would have further made the event even more memorable in the eyes of fans. Sadly, we have to keep dreaming.
#1 The Rock vs. Randy Orton (WWE Wrestlemania 20)
The Rock is one WWE legend that has had many dream matches in his career. Whether it be his encounter with Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania X-8 or his "Once In A Lifetime" clash with John Cena at Wrestlemania 28, The Great One has made many memories in matches at the grandest stage of them all. However, one dream match with a Superstar that has been compared to him never came to be.
Like The Rock, Randy Orton is a third generation superstar who went on to greatness in the WWE. With his "Legend Killer" moniker, Orton caught his first huge break apart of Evolution in 2004.
The prior year, "The Viper" struck "The Hardcore Legend" Mick Foley in a memorable beatdown. This encounter would lead to Evolution against The Rock N Sock Connection at Wrestlemania 20.
In this scenario, Foley would not return to WWE from his beatdown at the hands of Orton yet, but instead The Rock would fight in the honor of his fallen friend. The two Superstars compared to one another at the time would have had a stirring battle, both on the mic in the build-up and in the ring at MSG.
A match with The Rock would have elevated Orton tremendously. It also would have set the stage for Foley's return and set up the Hardcore Match with Orton at Backlash 2004.
WWE would also have had another dream match that made Wrestlemania 20 even bigger and given credence to their "Where It All Begins Again" moniker for the show.
Like the rest of the contests mentioned in this article, we will just have to wonder in our dreams what this epic match would have been like.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
