The professional wrestling industry is one that is based on long-term story telling and setting up feuds between wrestlers, which allows both of them to look strong and come out on the other side as bigger stars than when they went in. This usually involves multiple matches between all the Superstars involved in the feud.
Hell, during the lengthy careers that some WWE Superstars have enjoyed, you would expect that they have faced off against most of the other big names in the company at least a few times. That seems pretty normal, and in most cases, yes, that is indeed the case.
But, there are some matches, that for whatever reason, have happened just once in the history of the WWE. These are between some damn big names but a plethora of reasons ensured that the men on this list never met in singles competition more than once in a WWE ring.
So, without any further ado, here are 5 rare WWE matches that happened only once:
#5 The Rock vs. Eddie Guerrero
In 2002, The Rock was on top of the WWE world when he picked up the WWE Undisputed Championship and ascended to the top of the wrestling ladder yet again. As he was preparing was his first promo after the title win on an episode of Monday Night Raw, he was interrupted by none other than Eddie Guerrero.
Latino Heat was still a mid-card talent at this point and it was surprising to see him challenge someone like The Rock. A match was made between the two for later on that night, and it proved to be a prelude to what the next few years would hold for Guerrero.
He came up short against The People's Champ in a breathless encounter but he was suddenly on everyone's radar as a potential main eventer. Sadly, the two men would never face off in single's competition again as The Rock would soon leave for Hollywood and Guerrero would tragically pass away in 2005.
#4 The Macho Man Randy Savage vs. Shawn Michaels
The early nineties saw the emergence of Shawn Michaels as a legit singles competitor and offered glimpses into the legendary Superstar he was destined to become. Also at this time, The Macho Man Randy Savage was at the top of his game and at the top of the WWE.
So, when the WWE came to the UK in 1992, it made perfect sense to offer the young and hungry Heart Break Kid a show at the WWE Championship held by Savage at the time, so that's exactly what Vince and co did.
Savage and Michaels would put on an instant classic as their styles gelled perfectly and even, though, HBK came up short, it was clear for all the world to see that this was a legendary career in the making.
Unfortunately for fans everywhere, the two would never lock horns again as Savage left for WCW and never returned to the WWE.
#3 Triple H vs. Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan's miraculous run to the become the World Heavyweight Champion was the best moment of WrestleMania 30. But, it was a long and winding road that got us to that point, with Bryan being foiled by Triple H and The Authority at every turn.
When the two faced off in the early stages of Wrestlemania 30 with the stipulation that Bryan would be inserted into the main event should he win, few expected the match to be as good as it ended up being.
The Game and The Leader of the Yes Movement tore the house down and Bryan got a hard-earned victory to propel himself into the main event, where he defeated Batista and Rady Orton in a Triple Threat match to win the aforementioned WWE World Heavyweight Title.
It's extremely surprising that Hunter and Bryan never locked horns before or after this matchup. However, a scheduled match was cancelled the next night on Raw due to outside interferences.
#2 Brock Lesnar vs. CM Punk
One of Brock Lesnar's sternest tests on his return to the WWE came in the form of one Mr CM Punk. With Paul Heyman leaving Punk's side to return to his role as The Advocate of The Beast, this was a matchup for the ages.
Both men were in the prime of their careers and put on a hell of a show. Lesnar even required the help of Heyman's interference in order to pick up the victory. A rematch seemed to be destined between the two but it never happened.
These days, of course, Punk has followed the Lesnar route and gone into the world of MMA.
#1 Bret Hart vs. Hulk Hogan
Bret Hart vs. Hulk Hogan was the dream match for all WWE fans in the nineties, as everyone saw The Hitman as the natural heir to The Hulkster, taking over as the new face of the WWE. Unfortunately, that never happened.
Rumour has it that Hogan refused to drop the belt to Hart because the latter is a smaller sized wrestler and the two never locked horns until 1998. On a random episode of WCW Monday Nitro, Hogan and Hart finally had their match – on free television.
It was a move by the WCW to try and keep their tenuous grasp on the summit of the Monday Night Wars.
They might have won the ratings battle on that night but it proved to be a false dawn, as WCW lost every other ratings battle going forward bar one. It was the death knell for the company.
With Hart retiring soon after and Hogan returning to the WWE, the two never again met inside the ring to do battle.
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