5 WWE Superstars who got to face their idols and 5 who did not
In modern-day WWE, it is very common for Superstars’ on-screen characters to discuss their real-life love of sports entertainment in the 1990s/2000s.
For example, Bayley’s babyface WWE persona from 2013-2019 was largely based on her being a childhood WWE fan, while Sasha Banks has often paid homage to her idol – WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero – in her matches.
Unlike other sports, where athletes usually retire in their 30s, sports entertainers can continue performing into their 40s and, in some cases, even beyond the age of 50. This means that many WWE Superstars end up facing the people whom they grew up idolizing as children.
In this article, let’s take a look at five WWE Superstars who got to face their idols, as well as five who did not.
#10 Alexa Bliss did not face Trish Stratus in WWE
In an August 2018 interview with the Connecticut Post, Alexa Bliss discussed how excited she was to face Trish Stratus after WWE announced that she was going to go one-on-one with her idol at the first all-women’s pay-per-view, WWE Evolution.
“I’m really excited to be in the ring with her, to have this match with an idol. I really want to work with Trish. I’ve worked hard for this. It might be a little harder to get mad and mean at Trish.”
Unfortunately, Bliss suffered a concussion one month before the match was due to take place. WWE then decided to turn the singles match into a tag team match, with Bliss joining forces with Mickie James to face Stratus and Lita, but the five-time WWE Women’s Champion suffered another concussion just one week before Evolution.
Alicia Fox was named as a last-minute replacement for Bliss, who never got the chance to face Stratus in WWE.
#9 The Miz faced The Rock in WWE
Mike Mizanin’s original “The Miz” character was based on Dwayne Johnson’s “The Rock” character, so it was inevitable that the two men had to cross paths one day in WWE.
In November 2011, The Rock returned to the ring for the first time in over seven years when he teamed with John Cena to defeat The Miz and R-Truth at Survivor Series.
Speaking to Inverse in 2017, The Miz revealed that he sent a text to his childhood hero before shooting scenes on his first movie, The Marine 3.
“I remember texting The Rock saying, ‘Hey, if you have any advice I’d really appreciate it. I’m on set ready to do my first scene.’ Not a minute later I got a call back and we talked for half an hour.”
The Miz and The Rock also interacted at WrestleMania 27, with “The Great One” hitting the then-WWE Champion with a spinebuster and People’s Elbow at the end of the show.