Nike316
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Post by Nike316 on Jun 29, 2021 19:18:42 GMT
What are some matches you wanted to see happen but for whatever reason they just didn't, even when the wrestlers were not only apart of the same company at the same time, but they also weren't opposed to facing each other, and would've made good opponents for each other? You can answer this question using any wrestling company.
My own examples:
Stone Cold vs DDP: I never understood why this match never happened during the Summer of 2001 when the WCW/ECW Invasion angle was happening. I always thought Stone Cold vs DDP could've been the best dream match WWE could've had at the time with as limited of top stars the company had coming to their roster. Stone Cold and DDP were both blue collared workers who got their big break at the same time, and they had a similar finisher and a little history between them.
Hulk Hogan vs Mick Foley- These were the two most active wrestlers with a legends contract during the Ruthless Aggression Era, as they were used quite often for dream matches at ppv events like WrestleMania or Summerslam. They may as well have faced each other at one of those ppvs back then, and while they both had such a reputation for being kid friendly and charitable, while the fans referred to both of them as "God". They could've had a very professional match with each other with Mick Foley having adoration as more of the fun loving, everyday guy who sacrifices himself for the business, and Hulk Hogan basically being the All American Hero who laid the foundation.
Plot twist: Hulk Hogan wins the match clean, and then Mick Foley gives him a taste of Mr. Socko, as he humiliates Hulk Hogan as Mankind to further the feud and beat him in their second match.
Goldberg vs Macho Man: Goldberg took down every wrestler he went up against in WCW, but I always noticed he never had a match with Macho Man. As crazy as he was, he could've given Goldberg a damn good fight, and who knows, he may have found a way to beat him.
Chris Benoit vs Steve Blackman: They were both all about styles and nobody could touch them. Chris Benoit was arguably the greatest technical wrestler of all time, and was referred to as the "Crippler" or the "Rabid Wolverine" for his aggressive behavior whenever he literally had someone in his clutches. Steve Blackman was no different as his expert skills in martial arts gave him the reputation as the "Lethal Weapon" which he wore proudly when he would literally chop people down to size with a Kendo Stick or Nunchucks.
Sable vs Trish Stratus: This match would've been the ultimate example of the "Battle of The Blondes". They just missed each other during the Attitude Era because Sable split from WWE by the time Trish Stratus made her debut, but they could've easily had a match during the Ruthless Aggression Era when Sable made her return and Trish Stratus was on top of the women's division. Trish had made quite a name for herself by then, as she even won the Raw "Diva of The Decade" award, which Sable herself was a candidate for, given her massive success she experienced in the first half of the Attitude Era. She was a big mainstream star and Raw's model "Blond Bombshell" who paved the way for Trish who took over shortly after Sable left.
Edge vs Shane McMahon: This is a match which could've happened during the Ruthless Aggression Era, but I would still be all for seeing this match now if WWE made it happen. I mean, they both know how to make a match have meaning, especially when called for mayhem. Hell, they could have some kind of specialty match at MITB one of these days since the point of the ppv pertains to them with Edge being the original Mr. MITB, and Shane McMahon literally coming from money given his last name.
Ok, I guess i'll stop there for now. Your turn folks.
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Post by PreachCaleb on Jun 30, 2021 13:26:29 GMT
I would've liked to have seen Shinksuke Nakamura vs Hideo Itami while they were both in NXT.
But my ultimate, of course, was Hulk Hogan vs Ric Flair at Wrestlemania.
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Nike316
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Post by Nike316 on Jul 1, 2021 15:56:06 GMT
^ Yes, the biggest dream match of the 80s seemed like such a no-brainer, but i'm hearing apparently Vince McMahon didn't see the potential in the match, based on how Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair were performing together at House shows(Hulk Hogan said the opposite though).
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Post by twothousandonemark on Jul 12, 2021 2:36:06 GMT
The Rock v HBK. This one feels like Mandela Effect yet they never locked up.
Undertaker v Sting. Should've been the dream match instead of HHH. They could've had a much longer build with cool story angles.
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Nike316
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Post by Nike316 on Jul 12, 2021 3:38:09 GMT
^ I think The Rock vs Shawn Michaels not happening was always a case of them just missing each other. Shawn Michaels was done wrestling by the time The Rock rose to prominence in the Attitude Era, and The Rock was done wrestling by the time Shawn Michaels made his return during the Ruthless Aggression Era. On a personal note, The Rock supposedly took issue with Shawn Michaels for disrespecting his family when he first started out in the wrestling world, which is another reason why the match never happened.
Undertaker vs Sting should've happened but it looks like Sting wasn't aware of the Undertaker not being interested by the time he came to WWE. I guess he just felt they were too old and wouldn't live up to the hype by then.
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autopsy_12
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Post by autopsy_12 on Jul 13, 2021 1:21:01 GMT
Brock Lesnar vs Batista
Steve Austin vs Hulk Hogan
and yes I know Lesnar and Batista had a singles match in OVW but I wanted to see Brock Lesnar and Batista as the stars they are NOW go at it. The Beast vs The Animal.
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Nike316
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Post by Nike316 on Jul 13, 2021 15:55:43 GMT
I agree. I always thought this match was a huge missed opportunity back in 2014 when Batista came back just in time for WrestleMania 30 while being promoted as "The Animal", and right when Brock was starting to get promoted as "The Beast". They should've wrestled each other then, and this way Batista would've had a much more successful return.
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Nike316
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Post by Nike316 on Jul 13, 2021 16:42:23 GMT
Two more examples:
Braun Strowman vs Samoa Joe: Samoa Joe was such a fearless prizefighter with a strong killer instinct, he would've had no problem trying his luck on the self-proclaimed "Monster Among Men" Braun Strowman, who decimated everything in his path and was just a real Freak of Nature. This would've been a "Clash of the Titans" match for sure, and was actually in the works before one of the more recent brand splits kept them apart. Prior to then, these two also were apart of a big fatal 4 way match at Summerslam 2017, but they never had a one on one match outside of a house show. The potential was definitely there though, just based on the first altercation they had a little after "Great Balls of Fire" 2017. Braun Strowman had just returned from an injury he got at the ppv and Samoa Joe happened to be one of the wrestlers around for his next path of destruction. They locked up outside the ring, and the crowd in front of them cheered them on, as if it was a long time coming.
Kurt Angle vs Curt Hennig a.k.a "Mr. Perfect". This match could've done Mr. Perfect a huge favor when he returned briefly back in 2002. From athlete to athlete, and with both wrestlers' reputations for being overachievers. Kurt Angle being the Olympic Gold Medalist, and Mr. Perfect being the ultimate sports playing, award winning, wrestling purist Renaissance man who paved the way for him in the wrestling world. WrestleMania 18 was the "Perfect" time for this match to happen.
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Post by petrolino on Aug 7, 2021 1:53:44 GMT
It's hard for me to answer this, as being in the U K, our wrestling viewing was always down to what was made affordable, free or available. Nowadays, it's a lot easier to keep abreast of things due to the internet access being made available to many.
I don't know if Test took on Carlito but they were two great wrestlers I'd have liked to see collide. Test had it all and got to feud with the best. Carlito hid a tremendous athlete behind his gimmickry.
Did Stacy Keibler fight Mickie James? If not, I figure that's a rivalry a lot of wrestling fans would have liked to see. In more recent years, Summer Rae seemed to avoid fighting mis-match opponents like Mickie James. I think she grappled with Alexa Blss in 'NXT' development but where was the long-running feud?
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Nike316
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Post by Nike316 on Aug 7, 2021 21:56:33 GMT
^ It appears Carlito vs Test never happened, but I can see what you mean because those two were so heavy in the mid card scene when they were around. Test was on ECW during Carlito's first couple of years and they never made their way around to each other before Test left WWE. If they did wrestle each other though, then I can imagine it would've been a rivalry of who was more alpha. I can see Carlito being the heel literally calling Test out on his name, as he would feel he was unworthy of it, thus failing the "Test" as he would attempt to spit in his face for not being "cool".
Stacy Keibler was gone by the time Mickie James came on to the scene. If they did wrestle each other though, then Mickie James would've put her to shame, unless there was outside interference.
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Nike316
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Post by Nike316 on Aug 7, 2021 22:08:20 GMT
With the release of Bray Wyatt, I may as well add Bray Wyatt vs Brock Lesnar to the list. These two came close to a match some years back, but Bray Wyatt got injured and they never resumed the possibility of wrestling each other. Bray Wyatt was the leader of the Wyatt family back then, and since they had no problem putting down animals, they would've saw Brock as the biggest one to prey upon given his reputation as the "Beast", which he would've used to his advantage. Paul Heyman also would've been a huge mouthpiece for him of course(he also could've been taken captive by the Wyatt Family), especially in his exchanges with Bray Wyatt, as epic as they could've been.
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Post by petrolino on Aug 7, 2021 22:41:17 GMT
With the release of Bray Wyatt, I may as well add Bray Wyatt vs Brock Lesnar to the list. These two came close to a match some years back, but Bray Wyatt got injured and they never resumed the possibility of wrestling each other. Bray Wyatt was the leader of the Wyatt family back then, and since they had no problem putting down animals, they would've saw Brock as the biggest one to prey upon given his reputation as the "Beast", which he would've used to his advantage. Paul Heyman also would've been a huge mouthpiece for him of course(he also could've been taken captive by the Wyatt Family), especially in his exchanges with Bray Wyatt, as epic as they could've been.
Wow, I had no idea Bray Wyatt had been let go, though I had heard rumours he was on the list. This number of roster cuts even puts pressure on rivals like Impact! and AEW as they can't take in everybody.
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Nike316
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Post by Nike316 on Aug 7, 2021 23:55:13 GMT
^ His release came as a surprise to me too even though he's been out for months. Apparently he's been struggling mentally and I had no idea. I thought he was just one of those wrestlers who were being saved for when the crowds came back. It makes more sense as to why Alexa Bliss would be a solo act these days though. I mean, she couldn't really hype up Bray Wyatt if there was no guarantee he was gonna come back, and Alexa wasn't gonna go back to how she was before teaming up with him, since she just changed her character a year ago.
Speaking of Bray Wyatt as the Fiend, he may have been an even bigger match for Brock Lesnar with this gimmick. For a time, the Fiend was undefeated and used as a special attraction just like Brock Lesnar.
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Post by petrolino on Aug 8, 2021 0:49:59 GMT
^ His release came as a surprise to me too even though he's been out for months. Apparently he's been struggling mentally and I had no idea. I thought he was just one of those wrestlers who were being saved for when the crowds came back. It makes more sense as to why Alexa Bliss would be a solo act these days though. I mean, she couldn't really hype up Bray Wyatt if there was no guarantee he was gonna come back, and Alexa wasn't gonna go back to how she was before teaming up with him, since she just changed her character a year ago. Speaking of Bray Wyatt as the Fiend, he may have been an even bigger match for Brock Lesnar with this gimmick. For a time, the Fiend was undefeated and used as a special attraction just like Brock Lesnar.
Mental health must always come first, I hope he can get the help he needs.
This does leave so many unanswered questions that trouble me as a fan though. With the death of Luke Harper, Bray Wyatt doesn't have his brother at AEW, but will he now seek out Erick Rowan who I believe is on the indie circuit?
And how about Bo Dallas who got cut along with Curtis Axel? I'm a huge Dallas fan, in 'NXT' he was awesome but never got a chance on the main stage.
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Nike316
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Post by Nike316 on Aug 8, 2021 10:37:21 GMT
^ I was thinking if Bray Wyatt actually joined AEW in the future, then it would be in reference to Luke Harper. I don't know how much love Bray Wyatt has for the indies. My guess is, if he wrestled for a smaller wrestling company which Erick Rowan(who I thought was gonna be a regular on AEW after his one-off appearance) happened to be apart of, then the reunion would be the main reason behind it.
I always thought Bo Dallas was at his best when he first came on to the main roster. He was corny and undefeated, and he kind of reminded me of Kurt Angle when he first started out. Once he lost his undefeated streak though, he was never quite the same. I mean, eventually he went on to form a big group with the Miz, but as a solo act he peaked in the beginning and nothing more came of him.
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Post by MooseNugget on Aug 27, 2021 3:47:59 GMT
I don't think we ever got Bryan Danielson vs. Kurt Angle
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Nike316
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Post by Nike316 on Aug 28, 2021 0:04:41 GMT
^ Correct. I believe they both wanted this match but it seems WWE didn't care to have Kurt Angle wrestle much. He said he was ready to go when he first came back as a Hall of Famer but as time went on during his role as Raw GM he didn't maintain himself, thus his ability to wrestle declined which really showed by the time he retired. With this said, he may have been better off ending his career wrestling Daniel Bryan, assuming he could've given Kurt Angle much more motivation over his actual last match with Baron Corbin.
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