5 WWE dream matches that didn’t happen (and the reasons why)

One of the most striking facts about wrestling is that it is a proper blend of nostalgia and talent. Fans from all around the world spend their money to enjoy a wrestling match where the top names of this industry sacrifice quite a lot to entertain the audience.

Over the years, we have seen many matches that were once considered to happen only in the most ideal of situations. The Undertaker vs Goldberg was a dream match for many fans. Fans agree that the match should've happened decades ago, but nothing can be done about it now.

In this article, we will look at five such dream matches that should’ve happened but didn’t take and the reasons why.

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#5 CM Punk vs Steve Austin

CM Punk and Steve Austin almost had a clash

Last weekend, at Starcast III, CM Punk was part of an interview where he spoke about a plethora of topics. When quizzed about one Superstar he desperately wanted to work with, Punk revealed that he wanted to have a match with Steve Austin back in 2010 and it nearly happened, but the plans were changed, although he didn’t reveal why.

After a dark match at RAW in San Diego, Punk asked Austin to give him and the other heel Superstars that were present in the ring a stunner. The Texas Rattlesnake agreed and did exactly that. Punk also revealed that this made Austin like him as a wrestler and even though WWE had teased a rivalry between the two, their match never happened.

Think that's where Steve kind of took a liking to me, ya know what I mean? ... So that's when I started prodding him, like 'Let's work this match motherf---er, let's go.' I think there was a sliver in time where it was going to happen, then the next minute, it didn't.

#4 Hulk Hogan vs John Cena

Hulk Hogan and John Cena

In 2009, John Cena main evented WrestleMania alongside The Big Show and Edge for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. He won the match and became a champion. However, it seems like he wasn’t supposed to be with Big Show and Edge in the first place. Instead, WWE had plans for Cena vs Hulk Hogan at the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Hogan could have main evented the pay-per-view but he had surgery a few weeks before the event could take place, which also eliminated the chances of him slugging it out against WWE’s former franchise player, John Cena.

“You know what, I was supposed to wrestle John Cena for the title, and about four weeks ago I had back surgery. Vince and I were talking about how much involvement I wanted to have in WrestleMania, and if I wanted to keep wrestling, and out of nowhere my back just got really crazy.

I went in for an MRI and I had to have some emergency surgery that threw me out of the game. I was kind of flipped out about it, I thought I’d be the main event this year.” (Credits for the quotes)

#3 The Rock vs Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels (L) and The Rock (R)

This is one of those rivalries that never converted into an in-ring match. Fans always wanted to see The Rock locking horns with Shawn Michaels but the People’s Champ wasn’t interested in facing him. Last year, pro-wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer appeared in Chris Jericho’s Talk is Jericho podcast and he spilt the beans as to why this dream match never happened in WWE.

“There was a time when the Midnight Rockers were on a show in Hawaii and Rock’s grandmother was the promoter and I guess there were problems in the dressing room and Rock wanted to beat up Shawn.” (Credits for the quotes)

It’s been nearly two decades since Rock’s debut in WWE and it seems like both Superstars have buried their hatchet. While we won’t see a match between them now, it would have been great to see two of the biggest WWE Superstars working together in the ring.

#2 AJ Styles vs Shawn Michaels

Interesting photo..... is it not? pic.twitter.com/MKgF4XoAF1

— AJStyles.Org (@AJStylesOrg) October 20, 2016

When AJ Styles teased a match with Shawn Michaels in 2016, the fans were hyped, and one can understand why. Styles had joined WWE earlier that year while it had already been 6 years since Michaels had retired.

But ignoring that fact, fans demanded the two to square off against each other at the 2017 Royal Rumble PPV. The match was built up well but despite that, it didn’t happen. Recently, Styles was interviewed by Cathy Kelly and during their talk, the former WWE Champion revealed that this dream match would have happened if Michaels hadn’t rejected the offer.

I asked Shawn [about a match] and he said ‘No.’ Well, That’s on Shawn, guys. I can’t do anything about that. I would love to opportunity to do that match.

Even though Michaels returned to the ring in 2018, we shouldn't expect him to wrestle again as he has made it clear that it won’t happen.

#1 The Undertaker vs Sting

The Undertaker vs Sting

The Undertaker and Sting were two of the scariest wrestlers in WWE and WCW, respectively. The Deadman was WWE’s definition of fear, while The Icon was the face of WCW.

When Vince McMahon bought his rival company, fans expected Sting to join WWE and work against the likes of The Undertaker and more. However, it didn’t happen and the WCW megastar joined TNA instead.

We never thought Sting would work for WWE but when he made his debut in 2014, fans were hopeful that he would face The Undertaker. Instead, we got to see his rivalry with Triple H where he lost. It’s been over five years since Sting retired and there’s no way he would return to the ring again, considering his neck injury is severe.

However, we should note that Undertaker vs Sting was always planned but McMahon, in particular, wasn’t invested in this bout. He never thought that this match would draw attention so he never booked it for a show.