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Pro wrestling is a not like any other sport in a variety of ways. For instance, its athletes can often perform a lot later into their lives than those from other walks of life such as footballers and basketball players. That means from time to time, we bear witness to Superstars from different generations clashing with one another.
It happened at WrestleMania X-8 when Hulk Hogan squared off with The Rock. The Undertaker and CM Punk clashing 11 years later is also a great example of wrestlers from different eras squaring off. We can't always get what we want though.
Intergenerational matches are unfortunately few and far between. That's what makes them so special. We may have been treated to a few but there are many, many more that we will sadly never see. Here are five of those dream matches that would have stolen the show if they had taken place.
#5 The Dragon vs The Demon
Ricky Steamboat is one of the most talented Superstars never to clinch a World Championship while in WWE. The Dragon's matches with Ric Flair and Randy Savage will forever go down in history as some of the best of all time.
Someone from today's roster who would unquestionably give Steamboat a terrific match and a run for his money is Finn Balor. It may not be a dream match that instantly springs to mind for many fans but there's no doubting it would be a spectacle.
If both men had wrestled at a time when they were both at their peak then a match between the two would have brought the house down. It could have been billed as The Demon versus The Dragon and would have stolen the show anywhere in the world.
#4 Alexa Bliss vs Trish Stratus
WWE currently has a more talented women's roster than ever before. The females of the company are now judged by their in-ring ability and are given a real chance to shine rather than being put in bra and panties matches and given five minutes on Raw each week.
The lack of time and focus on the women in the past wasn't the fault of the Superstars themselves, and many ladies of the past would fit right into today's landscape. That thinking conjures up a number of dream matches between women of the past and those currently in WWE.
Since being called up to the main roster current Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss has excelled. WWE's resident Goddess has made a point recently of making fun of Mickie James for being old. If Trish Stratus has been watching she would probably have something to say about that. If only Stratus were around now to take on Five Feet of Fury.
#3 "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs Brock Lesnar
This match is probably the one on the list that came closest to actually taking place. During Brock Lesnar's first run with WWE, he naturally had a lot of momentum behind him. That momentum was supposed to take him to a marquee match against Austin on Raw in 2002.
The Texan believed a match of that magnitude would be wasted outside of a PPV, especially with next to no build. The disagreement led to the Rattlesnake leaving the company for a while and hence the match never took place.
When Stone Cold returned, he didn't stay long and retired after a match with The Rock at WrestleMania X9. However, The two have clashed and Austin even refereed The Beast's match with Goldberg at WrestleMania XX. They never wrestled a match, though, and they obviously never will.
#2 CM Punk vs Roddy Piper
There are few wrestlers on the roster today who weren't inspired in some way by Roddy Piper. Even athletes outside the business took elements of the Hall of Famer's legendary persona. He's even the reason that Ronda Rousey refers to herself as Rowdy.
When Piper passed away CM Punk made sure to pay his respects via social media to a man that had inspired him to become a wrestler. Seeing that tribute from Punk would have likely conjured up thoughts in many fans' minds of what could have been had the two ever met in the ring.
A match between the two would have been great, but the promo battles would have been even better. Piper and Punk were two of the greatest promos in the history of the business, and it's a shame they weren't closer in age so that they could have had a program with one another.
#1 Shawn Michaels vs AJ Styles
Performers like Shawn Michaels come around once in a generation, if you're lucky. Well, we may very well have this generation's HBK on the WWE roster right now in the form of SmackDown Live's current champion, AJ Styles.
A match between these two world-class performers would be unbelievable, even now. Earlier in 2017, it looked set to come to fruition. The Phenomenal One even tweeted out a promotional poster sparking rumours that he was going to clash with Michaels in San Antonio.
The match never happened of course and, instead, Styles had a match of the year candidate with John Cena. HBK revealed recently, though, that WWE legitimately approached him about the bout. However, he turned it down and said that he wanted to remain retired.
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