Over the years, fans have witnessed countless dream matches in WWE between huge legends, future and current Hall of Famers, young stars on the rise, and even inter-promotional matches too, back when WWE would work with other companies. Throughout history, fans have been gifted mega matches, with the likes of The Rock taking on both Hulk Hogan and John Cena in generational clashes between headliners from different eras. Wrestlemania has played host to a lot of matches many deem as dream affairs, with The Undertaker taking on CM Punk, AJ Styles facing Shinsuke Nakamura in a WWE ring, and The Rock vs Brock Lesnar.
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There have been occasions where WWE’s dream matches have sometimes failed to live up to expectations, with Brock Lesnar and Goldberg’s initial Wrestlemania match being one of the biggest failures in the event’s history, or the poorly received rematch between John Cena and The Rock at Wrestlemania 29. Bad booking is sometimes at play when it comes to underwhelming dream matches, with some suffering from disqualifications or countout finishes, meaning that mouth-watering affairs between top stars never got a decisive winner.
6 Shawn Michaels Vs RVD
On paper, this clash of styles and ring full of pure talent should’ve stolen any show. Seeing one of the biggest stars from WWE in former multi-time World Champion Shawn Michaels going up against one of the most popular ECW stars in Rob Van Dam was enough to have fans salivating. However, the match ended up being a disappointment.
The match on Raw in 2002 was much slower than many expected, especially with the two vastly talented professional wrestlers who were involved, however it made sense considering the two had just competed in an Elimination Chamber match days before. Triple H interfered in the match, landing a pedigree on RVD causing a disqualification finish to a match which never really got started anyway. These two would never get another chance to find or spark up any sort of chemistry nor complete a match properly in the future, with this remaining their one and only singles contest.
5 Ronda Rousey Vs Charlotte Flair
At Survivor Series 2018, Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey was set to face the Smackdown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch in a dream match which fans were heavily invested in. Due to an injury suffered from an inadvertent blow at the hands of Nia Jax, Lynch was rendered unable to complete at Survivor Series. Charlotte Flair stepped in to make this match still a dream encounter, with many never expecting to see Rousey in a wrestling even just one year prior, so a match against Flair was huge.
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The match itself was great, as was the case with most of Rousey’s WWE matches, but the finish saw Flair further cement a heel turn in attacking Rousey with various weapons, causing a disqualification finish. This would help to set up an eventual dream match at Wrestlemania, which ultimately underwhelmed, due to a long and tiring event, and fans wanting to see Lynch and Rousey go one-on-one instead.
4 Braun Strowman Vs Tyson Fury
This may not necessarily have been a dream match to many before it was announced but seeing the clash of two giant individuals from different sports was a sight to behold, and certainly a money-making fight. Fury, being one of the biggest names in boxing, entering the world of professional wrestling was enough to drive intrigue from many fans and mainstream media.
The match itself was a plodding contest between two heavyweights, with Fury clearly not quite up to scratch when it came to performing inside a wrestling ring. The crowd were still into it, and they managed to get through it in one piece. It ended after Fury landed a blow to Strowman, causing him to be unable to make his way back into the ring, ending the match in a countout. It was a little underwhelming but made sense in protecting both men.
3 Shawn Michaels Vs Mr Perfect
At Summerslam in 1993, young up and comer Shawn Michaels faced off with Mr. Perfect, in a match for the Intercontinental Championship which should’ve stolen the show, considering the talents of the two men involved, with each being considered up there with the best in WWE history in terms of in-ring capabilities.
The match wasn’t what it could’ve been, with a slower pace, and the pair never getting up to speed with each other. At the end of the match, Diesel, who was Michaels’ bodyguard at the time, interfered, throwing Perfect into the steel ring steps, making him unable to return to the ring, causing a countout victory for Shawn Michaels, retaining his Intercontinental Title.
2 The Steiners Vs The Harts
The window in time that this match could take place in was so small that it’s a miracle it happened at all. Rick and Scott Steiner’s initial stint in WWE took place between 1992 and 1994, with Bret and Owen Hart only briefly being on the same page during this period too, with tensions always on the up between the two brothers.
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Regardless of circumstance, this tag team dream match took place, and it ended in a double countout. That may seem like a shame, but the match itself was a great encounter, as one would imagine when it comes to four of the best wrestlers of the era. There was no winner, nor was there any follow up, but the match itself from a WWE Wrestling Challenge taping is definitely worth a revisit.
1 The Rock Vs Bret Hart
Two of the biggest names from two different generations came head-to-head when young Rocky Maiva was still finding his feet in the wrestling business, defending his Intercontinental Championship. This match is more infamous for the alleged backstage rumours that both Triple H and Shawn Michaels wanted to halt the young star’s momentum by having Bret Hart dethrone him for the IC Title.
However, Hart disagreed with this direction, with a DQ finish happening instead between the pair, in what would be the only ever encounter between these two huge legends. Bret Hart would leave WWE for WCW that year, in a run which was one of the biggest missed opportunities of all time. They never got the chance to go at it again when The Rock was a certified star in WWE.
