"I'm sorry, I love you" - 4 times WWE Superstars wrestled their heroes
Never meet your heroes, WWE Universe. You might have to wrestle (or retire) them someday!
Many superstars today have confessed to being inspired by legends of the business, even borrowing from their movesets. Well-known examples of icons who inspired today's stars include Roddy Piper, from whom Ronda Rousey has taken moves, aspects of her look, and the "Rowdy" nickname.
Rousey is part of a small group of superstars who went from watching their heroes entertain the masses to emulating them. An even smaller group of superstars had the honor of competing against their idols in the squared circle.
Here are four superstars who wrestled their heroes.
#4: Kevin Owens main evented WrestleMania with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
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Kevin Owens is a self-professed life-long WWE fan, often citing fellow Canadian superstar Bret Hart as one of his biggest inspirations. Besides Hart and other hometown heroes like Edge, Christian and Chris Jericho, he has also cited "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as a great influence. The Prize Fighter even adopted Austin's finishing move, The Stunner, and made it his own.
Owens arrived in WWE more than a decade after The Texas Rattlesnake's initial retirement at WrestleMania XIX, so a dream match between them seemed impossible.
However, Austin utterly shocked the world by coming out of retirement to face the former Universal champion in the main event of WrestleMania 38, Night 1. The Rattlesnake won the No Holds Barred match, sending the Texas crowd home in ecstasy and fulfilling a lifelong dream for his opponent.
#3: Shawn Michaels retired Ric Flair at WrestleMania
Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair are two of the most iconic WWE Superstars of all time. They both combined technical wizardry, incredible showmanship and nearly unrivaled in-ring IQ to carve out iconic careers lasting decades.
The similarities in their characters were partly due to the fact that Michaels' career was inspired by The Nature Boy.
This mentor vs mentee story came full circle at WrestleMania XXIV, where they faced off in a career-threatening match. They told a very emotional, soap opera-like story which culminated in Michaels whispering the iconic "I'm sorry, I love you" line before hitting Sweet Chin Music.
The duo briefly embraced in the ring before The Heartbreak Kid exited, leaving his hero to soak in the fans' adulation. The immense stakes of this match and the magnitude of the careers that were on the line mean that it is still one of the most emotional moments ever.
#2: Becky Lynch and WWE Hall Of Famer Lita made history in Saudi Arabia
WWE held the Elimination Chamber premium live event in Saudi Arabia for the first time in 2022. Apart from the two chamber matches, the event presented two dream matches, the first of which was the Spear vs Spear showdown between Goldberg and Roman Reigns. The other dream match at the event was Becky Lynch facing her idol, Lita for the RAW Women's Championship.
The build-up to the match focused on Lynch's childhood admiration for the Queen of Xtreme, with Big Time Becks warning her opponent that her time was up. Having made history as the first WWE women to feature on Saudi billboards, they delivered arguably the match of the night, where Lynch retained her title.
Big Time Becks was a heel at the time, so she couldn't break the character to thank her opponent on screen, but it must have been a great moment for her.
#1: The Rock went from idolising Hulk Hogan to facing him in an Icon vs Icon match
The Rock, like many young WWE fans in the 1980s, looked up to Hulk Hogan, who was the company's biggest star for most of that decade. The Brahma Bull has named The Immortal One his childhood hero multiple times, including the iconic opening segment of WrestleMania XXX.
However, there was a time when The Great One had to go up against his idol on the grandest stage of them all.
Hogan was one of WCW's pillars during the Monday Night Wars and returned to WWE after the company bought out their competition in 2001. Naturally, a clash between these two generational stars became a dream match for many, one which came to pass at WrestleMania X8.
The incredible energy of the crowd in attendance for this match created one of the most electric atmospheres in history before a punch was even thrown.
The saying "Work hard until your heroes become your rivals" has never been so apt.