5 WWE dream feuds of the past decade that lived up to the hype
Almost every WWE fan has a highly unlikely match or rivalry they would love to see between top stars from different eras and promotions. Most of these don't come to pass due to numerous possible reasons such as age differences, as is the case with Shawn Michaels vs AJ Styles. Others come close to materializing but don't happen due to unknown backstage reasons, such as Sting vs The Undertaker.
Some dream matches like Goldberg vs The Undertaker do happen but end in disaster due to the competitors involved being past their prime or being extremely rusty in the ring. Others deliver great entertainment but don't really qualify for legendary status.
However, there are matchups that bring every fan’s fantasy to life, and sometimes exceed expectations. WWE has delivered some iconic dream rivalries in its long history, including Hogan vs Andre The Giant and John Cena vs The Rock, and the last ten years have seen some of the best dream matches become a reality.
Here are five of the company's dream rivalries from the past decade that managed to live up to their huge expectations
#5: John Cena vs Roman Reigns
Ever since it became apparent that Roman Reigns was WWE's chosen heir to John Cena's throne as the company's marquee star, fans wanted to see the two collide in a one-on-one rivalry. They crossed paths a few times during Reigns' Shield days, teasing future battles. Their first non-team match was a fatal four-way world title match at Battleground 2014, in which Cena retained his championship.
They had a proper 1v1 rivalry in late 2017 when The Champ called out The Big Dog, leading to a legendary promo segment where the former utterly dominated the latter. Reigns would later regain some ground with some impressive mic work of his own when the sixteen-time champion challenged him for the Universal title at Summerslam 2021. The explosive promo segments and big fight feel between perhaps the two most polarizing stars in WWE history made for one of the most entertaining rivalries of the past ten years.
It also helped elevate Reigns and make him feel like a proper marquee star.
#4: Becky Lynch vs WWE Hall of Famer Lita
Becky Lynch and Lita are two of the greatest trailblazers in the history of the WWE women's division. Big Time Becks herself always cited the Queen of Xtreme as one of her inspirations for joining the business and one of her dream opponents. However, The Man made her debut on Smackdown in 2016, almost ten years after Lita's retirement, rendering this rivalry extremely unlikely.
The fantasy feud came to life at Extreme Rules 2022, with the two ceiling-breakers making history as the first women to feature on billboards in Saudi Arabia. They had arguably the match of the night, putting on a great performance that kept the Saudi crowd on the edge of their seats. Apart from their in-ring excellence, the duo set a phenomenal example for girls around the world by doing what they do best, breaking barriers.
Not many superstars have been lucky enough to wrestle their hero and have a match that lives up to expectations, but Lynch achieved that feat against Lita.
#3: WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg vs Bobby Lashley
Goldberg and Bobby Lashley are two of the most impressive physical specimens in WWE history. Fans dreamed of seeing the two masters of the spear collide for a long time before they finally met at Summerslam 2021. The former WCW champion kickstarted the feud by confronting the then WWE champion on the July 19, 2022 episode of RAW to a thunderous pop.
They went on to have a memorable program through Summerslam and Crown Jewel 2021. The rivalry had everything from interruptions by MVP and the Hurt Business to the involvement of Goldberg's son Gage, who injected a personal edge into it. The matches themselves delivered everything one would expect from two of the hardest-hitting heavyweights in the history of the business.
#2: WWE Hall of Famer Edge vs Seth "Freaking" Rollins
The dream feud that actually delivered. https://t.co/qOlJSIvcXm
Edge returned to WWE nine years after being forced to retire through injury. The Rated R Superstar was a surprise entrant into the 2020 Royal Rumble, sparking wild jubilation in the arena when the words "you think you know me" were heard all around the arena. With his return, a number of dream rivalries that had previously just been fantasy booking dreams suddenly became possible.
The Ultimate Opportunist had many great feuds, including a well-received series against Randy Orton and the WrestleMania 37 triple-threat Universal title rivalry. However, his trilogy of matches against Seth "Freaking" Rollins was instantly iconic.
A WWE Hall of Famer who could still go at the highest level clashing with a top heel of the current era, with whom he bore many career similarities, and putting on three of the best matches of the year? What more could we ask for?
#1: AJ Styles vs Cena
A crazy cool fun fact:
Cast your minds back to the classic between @JohnCena and @AJStylesOrg from the Royal Rumble in 2017.
From start to end both men never left the ring during the entirety of the match, not even for a second.
Legendary stuff. https://t.co/G2tblwmYMs
AJ Styles and John Cena were Mr. TNA and Mr. WWE respectively for well over a decade. They carried their respective companies through tumultuous periods with their distinct bodies of work, both becoming icons of the business. It seemed like they would both spend their entire careers in the companies they represented and thus never give us the dream match we craved.
All that changed when Styles joined WWE, debuting in iconic fashion at the 2016 Royal Rumble. The duo did not cross paths until May of that year, when The Phenomenal One turned heel by launching a surprise attack on The Champ. The ensuing catalog of promo battles and matches did not hold anything back, with the two legends sharing extremely great chemistry in the ring and on the mic. Their original trilogy of matches, in particular, consisted of three of the best technical matches in WWE history.
This dream feud delivered on every level and was an integral part of Styles' meteoric rise to the top of the company in a very short time. With both men still in their physical prime, reality turned out to be even better than we always dreamed.