5 dream matches in WWE we never got to see
As WWE fans, we all love to fantasy book and advocate for particular dream matches we want to see. Some manage to become a reality, but sadly some never get to happen for one reason or another.
This is because wrestlers have retired, come from different eras, work for different promotions, or it is simply just not possible for them to collide. It doesn't stop us thinking "what if?" and it is left to our imagination to assume what would happen.
Let's take a look at five dream matches in WWE that we never got to see.
#5. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Brock Lesnar in WWE
A candid shot of Stone Cold Steve Austin and Brock Lesnar backstage https://t.co/M81juBBUEO
This was a match that we got so close to seeing. Unfortunately, circumstances didn't allow it to happen. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Brock Lesnar would have been a match for the ages, and one that would grab the attention of even non-WWE fans.
Following WrestleMania 18 in 2002, WWE began their King of the Ring tournament. One of the matches announced for RAW was Stone Cold vs. Brock Lesnar. Were WWE really going to give away a blockbuster match like this on national television? They almost did.
Despite being advertised, the match never happened. During the day leading up to show time, Stone Cold Steve Austin walked out of WWE citing creative differences. Austin firmly believed that WWE should not be giving away Austin vs. Lesnar on national television without any build whatsoever. He felt it was more worthy of a big pay-per-view match, which all WWE fans would certainly agree with.
On this day in 2002, Stone Cold vs. Brock Lesnar was set to take place on Raw
Austin didn't like the storyline, instead wanting to face Lesnar in a big PPV match
Hours before Raw went live, Austin walked out on WWE for nearly a year
This match never happened https://t.co/lmSEfp4x5D
Stone Cold Steve Austin spoke with Barstool Sports' Pardon My Take podcast to give his explanation.
"It wasn't time for me to do the favours yet for Brock in an unadvertised match in a tournament-style TV match whereas hey, man, I love Brock Lesnar, I'd lose to him any day of the week, but build it up so we can all make money off of it and it's going to mean something. I was very protective of myself, maybe too much so, but it took me seven and a half years to get there, so no-one was going to yank the carpet out from underneath my feet, not even Vince [McMahon]." Stone Cold Steve Austin said. (h/t Sport Bible)
Fast-forward to 2021, Stone Cold has retired from the ring, and Brock Lesnar is performing a part-time schedule. The match will sadly never happen, but what a match it could have been, if WWE had really given it the blockbuster treatment it deserved.