Still a Dream?

Tyson vs. Ali. MJ vs. Lebron. Murderers’ Row vs. The Big Red Machine. What do all of these mythical bouts have in common? They are dream matches: battles between sports icons that are only able to happen in the fantasies of sports fans. However, not every dream match has remained a dream. Just ask World Wrestling Entertainment.

Throughout the years, the WWE has managed to bring to life many different bouts that originated in the dreams of wrestling fans all over the world. Back in 1987, Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan were two of the biggest names in wrestling. Having these two titans clash in the ring was something that many wrestling fans wanted to see. The WWE delivered as the main event of Wrestlemania 3 saw Hogan and Andre battle it out for the WWE Championship.

In 2002, the New World Order made its debut in the WWE and marked the return of Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan to the company that made them international superstars. This opened the door for another dream match as Hogan took on one of the wrestlers that rose to power in his absence, the Rock, at Wrestlemania 18.

A decade later, the WWE once again gave fans a match that they thought would only be possible in their dreams as the Rock wrestled the current face of the WWE, John Cena, in the main event of Wrestlemania 28. It was quite possibly the most hyped match in the history of Wrestlemania as one of the faces of the Attitude Era took on the man who has been the staple of the Reality Era.

While WWE has delivered when it comes to matches that fans want to see, there have been instances when the biggest wrestling promotion in the world has missed the mark.

In 1991, the man who had been the face of World Championship Wrestling, Ric Flair, signed with the WWE. As soon as he appeared on WWE television programming, wrestling fans started salivating as the possibility of a dream match between Flair and Hulk Hogan appeared to be imminent. WWE was seemingly setting up the match as Flair won the WWE Championship at the 1992 Royal Rumble and a Wrestlemania 8 dream battle with Hogan looked like it was on the horizon. However, Flair defended the title against the “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and Hogan took on Sid Justice. It would not be until WCW’s Bash at the Beach 1994 event when Hogan and Flair finally wrestled for a world title.

Another missed opportunity was when Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin were both with the WWE in 2002 and in 2003. Hogan was the face of the WWE in the 1980’s and Austin and the Rock became the faces of the company during the Attitude Era. While the Rock and Hogan fought at Wrestlemania 18, Austin and Hogan never had a one-on-one match. Wrestlemania 19 could have served as the stage for the dream bout, but Hogan instead took on Vince McMahon, and the Rock and Stone Cold had their third Wrestlemania match against each other.

One of the biggest dream matches of wrestling fans is Sting vs. The Undertaker. These two men were the foundations of their respective companies during the Monday Night War, and their characters drew many comparisons as they both oozed of mystique. When Sting made his WWE debut at Survivor Series 2014, many wrestling fans, myself included, thought that the Icon and the Phenom would finally have a match against each other at Wrestlemania 31. However, it appears that Triple H is going to fight Sting while Bray Wyatt will challenge the Undertaker. Personally, I am disappointed as I have wanted to see Sting and the Undertaker battle it out ever since I was a kid. Both wrestlers are getting older and the window for this dream match to become realty is closing fast.

Sting vs. the Undertaker is a primetime, big money matchup that would only be able to happen on a Wrestlemania stage. Hopefully WWE knows what its doing as I would hate to see Sting/Taker go the way of Flair/Hogan or Hogan/Austin. Maybe Wrestlemania 32 will be the site where these two legends of the business finally clash. If not, this dream match might remain a dream.