5 Dream matches WWE could have booked but didn't
Fantasizing about wrestling dream matches is something every pro wrestling fan does. We are often fortunate enough to see some of them unfold in front of our very eyes, but some do not come to fruition.
Some dream matches truly lived up to the hype, like The Rock vs Hogan at WrestleMania 18, Hulk Hogan vs Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania 6 and many more, while some couldn't, like The Undertaker vs Ric Flair at WrestleMania 18 and Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 20.
One of the best things about being a wrestling fan is to visualize dream matches before they happen and thinking about what could happen and what could not.
So, here is a list of 5 dream matches that could have happened as both participants performed on the same night for WWE, but unfortunately were not booked against each other.
#5 Steve Austin vs Hulk Hogan: WrestleMania 18
Hulk Hogan was arguably the biggest name in all of professional wrestling over the late 80s and early 90s. He was the biggest babyface wrestling had ever seen, having headlined The Showcase of Immortals, WrestleMania, five consecutive times.
Fast forward a few years and 'The Texas Rattlesnake' Stone Cold Steve Austin had become the biggest babyface at the time. His famous 'Austin 3:16' T-shirt is the highest selling wrestling merchandise ever. His feuds with Bret Hart, The Rock, and Vince Mcmahon were absolutely amazing.
In 2001 when Vince Mcmahon brought The nWo to WWE, they went after the two biggest stars of the promotion, The Rock and Austin. Hence, this match became very much possible for WrestleMania 18. But WWE decided upon having The Rock instead face Hogan and Austin going up against Scott Hall at the event.
Neither match was a big disappointment, especially Scott Hall selling the stunner was a thing of beauty, but this dream match was never presented to the fans.
#4 Shawn Michaels vs AJ Styles: WWE Crown Jewel
Shawn Michaels is one of the best the industry has ever seen and there is no doubt about that. It is very firmly claimed that he could pretty much have a great match against anybody. His feuds against Bret Hart, Triple H, and The Undertaker have been legendary, to say the least.
Many have claimed over the years that AJ Styles is the best wrestler ever. His body of work in Impact Wrestling(formerly TNA) and NJPW were simply unparallel. He has had some classic matches against the likes of Samoa Joe, Sting, Kurt Angle, Shinsuke Nakamura and many over all over the globe.
To many fans worldwide, AJ Styles' charisma and in-ring abilities reminded them of a young Shawn Michaels. Hence, it could have been a dream match with Michaels facing a somewhat younger version of himself and what would have been an instant classic match.
So, when the rumors started circulating that Michaels was coming back for another match, speculation about this match went rampant. HBK wrestled at Crown Jewel teaming up with Triple H against the Brothers of Destruction and Styles defended his WWE Championship against Samoa Joe. HBK shut down all rumors going forward by stating that he will not wrestle another match.