The Future of Dream Matches

[shattered dreams]

We all know the story of how the wrestling industry became one. A consequence of that was the dream match concept taking a steady march towards extinction. The question is with TNA forging its niche in the market are there any potential future dream matches out there? How long before say AJ Styles vs John Cena would be in the dream match category or is it there already? Is there anyone else in TNA that can rise to that level? Keep in mind that longevity is key in a dream match buildup. Samoa Joe sure seemed to be in this conversation but unless he gets back on track I am not sure I see it being on that level. Do people care about Orton enough to consider him a dream match candidate? Who could you see from TNA being a dream opponent for Orton in the future?

 

[nightmare]

as long as there are different promotions building stars, there will always be dream matches possible. each company builds stars that their fans love & most of the people watch the other shows as well. tna\roh\njpw\wwe all have loyal fan bases & big stars (some more than others). the wwe video games give us a way to see these matches play out & some eventually come to be reality. how many of us have made guys from other feds to fight in our on slice of the wwe universe? so here is my list of potential matchups.


sting vs hbk- boo all you want because i didnt say taker, but i think that as great as it would be to see that, the hbk match would be fantastic. hbk is one of very few true wwe\f stars. (taker worked breifly for wcw) the styles of hbk\sting were always pretty simmilar & size\speed close as well. i think that eventually this might happen, only if sting is signed. hbk still has a good match or two in him & sting will obviously fight taker if he jumps, but it is almost a lock for this match to be at WM before its said & done.

desmond wolfe vs randy orton- imo, these guys would tear it up. tough brawling style with quick moves to keep up the pace. they each have thier own mean streaks & can be great matchup on the mic as well.

chris jericho vs aj styles- my god this would be fantastic. jericho is easily one of the best ever & aj has carved is way into history by way of tna. the action would be nothing short of amazing & could go down as one of the best ever televised. speed, counters, near falls- everything we love about these two colliding in the center of the ring. that is a great matchup worthy of a future WM moment.

cena vs the rock- from hogan to the rock, passed down to cena. this has the potential to be the greatest match in a long time & a definate history making moment. 2 stars of their time. fantastic mic skill. the buildup alone could be worth more than a years worth of tv spots. rock says he wont wrestle again, but if vince was gonna convince him to have one more match, it would be against cena.

honorable mentions : hhh vs samoa joe, kings of wrestling vs edge\christian, beer money vs APA, abyss vs kane, davey richards vs cm punk, morrison vs alex shelley.

 

[thunt41]

I have a few...

Triple H v. HBK at Wrestlemania...now I know they've had countless matches before but I got so excited before mania 26 when they were at odds while Shawn was trying to get involved with Taker...I think at the show of shows, these two would tear it up and have one of the greatest mania matches ever...I firmly believe Triple H is a better worker than Taker (i'm sure many will disagree) but if he puts up a show like Taker did at mania 25 than this would be awesome....

Sting v. Taker...I've wanted to see this since Sting debuted as his "crow" gimmick...I just think it'd be fantastic...

Fatal Four way ladder match - Shelton Benjamin, John Morrison, RVD and AJ Styles...maybe i'm a sucker for high spots...but i would love this match...promos might not be worthwhile leading up to it...but if an IC title was hanging in the balance...wow...just wow

 

[Shocky]

The Dream Match is soon to be an extinct thing, unless TNA can create new talent that doesn't come from the WWE. It's not a knock, but the list of TNA exclusives becomes smaller and smaller. TNA has some star talent, but AJ is the only one that really could make a name for himself as a legit big time star. The top of TNA right now is full of guys that have wrestled recently against the top of the WWE, so there are no new unique matches that haven't happened. Onto my list.

The Dream Match that should have happened but the window is officially closed on it.

Steve Austin vs. Hulk Hogan
It's a shame really. This is a big strike against Austin. i know it's blasphemous to bash Austin compared to Hogan on the Internet, but Austin is the sole reason this match didn't happen. Austin can still go if he wants to in a one match situation, but Hogan's career in the ring is done. This match would be a train wreck if it happened now. This match should have happened.

Dream Matches that could still happen, but not likely.

1. Austin vs. Goldberg
This is probably the biggest match out there that could happen and would generate buys like crazy. Yes, Austin and Goldberg are damn near a decade removed from being active competitors, but both are physically able to perform. In a one night only scenario, this match would generate crazy buzz.

2. Sting vs. The Undertaker
It's the blind fan boy in me, but I still hope somehow this match gets made this year. Both men were billed as the franchise players and souls of their respective companies. Age is a big factor on this match as we all know. The window of opportunity is about to slam shut if it isn't done soon.

3. Cena vs. The Rock
Cena wants it, the WWE wants it, but the Rock doesn't. I don't blame the Rock because he gave a helluva lot back to the business on the way out the door. If you don't recognize it, you flat out are either blind or naive. The Rock has nothing left to give, but this is the type of match someone like Cena needs to be pushed into elite status. I'm not a Cena hater, but his lack of a match with an elite name from yesterday has hurt his career. It's very similar to Bret Hart. Bret Hart was a big name, but not getting that match at Summerslam 94 with Hogan kept him from reaching a new level. Cena needs to face someone like Austin or the Rock to move into that level (No, Triple H and Shawn Michaels are not at that level...sorry to burst anyone's bubble).

4. AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho
Probably the two wrestlers I enjoy watching most in the ring currently. AJ is simply amazing when given a proper opportunity to perform, and Jericho is self explanatory. These two could put on a classic.

Here's a quick list of matches that I considered big that we have been able to get semi-recently.

AJ Styles vs. RVD and/or Jeff Hardy.
Abyss vs. Mankind, simply for similarities in character.
Bret Hart vs. Vince Mcmahon. Yes, they didn't put on a classic. The mere fact that they were able to get in the same ring speaks volumes.

 

[Himura84]

Like the title say my dream matches are unfortunately that...a dream.
I would love to see Alberto Del Rio vs Eddie Guerrero. As a Latino I would love this match just to see two great Latinos wrestle in a main event match. I would settle for Rey vs Del Rio but only at 'mania IF they waited a little longer to do it.

A match that would be good too would be CM Punk vs Owen Hart. The styles these superstars would have would be perfect for a submission match.

Also I think everyone would agree that Kurt Angle vs mid 90's Bret Hart would be probably the best technical match EVER...too bad that destiny has denied us these matches from coming to fruition.

 

[Jason Scene]

Standard One Fall Match
Nigel McGuinness(Desmond Wolfe) Vs. Chris Jericho

Nigel McGuinness is known around the world as one of the best submission and technical wrestlers to be breathing. Evidence of this is his many clashes with Bryan Danielson in ROH, where they brought wrestling to another level. Chris Jericho in younger days was known as the exact same thing, with a bit more athletism. Chris has many submissions holds, and is a great technical wrestler. This match would be the past versus the present of good, entertaining technical wrestling.


Standard Tag Team Match
Beer Money Inc Vs. Kings of Wrestling

Robert Roode and James Storm, are in Bubba Dudley's words, "The next team in line to be the best tag team in the world!" Currently, the two North American promotions with the strongest tag divisions are TNA and ROH. Beer Money have shown they don't need the TNA Tag Team Championships to be known as the "best". Then when you look across, above or down, considering your knowledge of professional wrestling, you got the guys who can argue that they are the best tag team in the world, Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli, the Kings of Wrestling and the longest reigning ROH Tag Team Championions of all-time, coming up to one year!

Submission Match
CM Punk Vs. Kurt Angle

Nobody listed this match?! PWI's dream match of the year 2009, and a match that I'd do pretty much anything to see live in person if God ever allows it to happen. This would be in modern day wrestling, Ricky Steamboat Vs. Randy Savage. You got CM Punk, arguebly at the top of his game as a personality and as a heel, he's known from a few glimpses in WWE when allowed and from his ROH stuff as one hell of a great wrestler and his Anaconda Vice Grip would make a bitch scream all night. Then you got the Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle. Simply put, the most intense wrestler still in the game. The guy is a machine. Broke his neck, broke his tail bone, has injured his knees, his groin, his shoulders his pretty much everything and he can still do Moonsaults from the top of a steel cage, this match would frankly own.

No Disqualification Match
Stone Cold Steve Austin Vs. Randy Orton

"Rattlesnake" Vs. "The Viper", "Austin 3:16" Vs. "RKO", "The Worlds Toughest Son of A Bitch" Vs. "The Legend Killer". These two are the only guys who really went from being such badass heels to getting over when WWE did everything to make them the outlaws. Stone Cold Steve Austin is known for his ground and pound brawler style of wrestling and Randy Orton is known for disecting his opponents by stomping on their limbs. No matter what happens, the ending would come out of nowhere. And that's why it would be a dream match, because you wouldn't know when the Stone Cold Stunner was coming or when the RKO could strike. And even though both would have heel tactics, the fans would still be chanting for both. And when it's all said and done, he outcome will either be Stone Cold dowing a Steveweiser before Stunning Orton's lights out, or "The Viper" punting "The Rattlesnake" in the head.

Standard One Fall Match
Bryan Danielson Vs. "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels

Student versus teacher, the best of this day and age versus what some say, the best of all time. Shawn Michaels is one of the men that trained Bryan Danielson, sure, Bryan innovated a lot of his manuevers himself and he was also trained largely by William Regal but it was Shawn who created the mold which to craft the best wrestler in the world today from. Two contrasting styles, the guy who can catch you out of nowhere with a submission hold you've never seen before and the guy who is out to steal the show. And in the end, either the past will leave the best with Sweet Chin Music ringing in his ear, or HBK will have a decision to make, either Tapout or Passout!​

 

[thegreekhero]

Id love to see:

Aj Styles vs. Randy Orton - I watched TNA from when it first started in O2. I dont know why but when I saw Styles, it made me think of [classic] Orton. I dont know if this would be as good now, because Orton and AJ have both evolved, but just the sound of the match sounds like it would be amazing.

Stone Cold vs. Randy Orton - I feel like Orton is becoming a modern Austin, IMO. I think this would sell out any arena in a heartbeat.

I can't think of anything else at the time, but expect a part 2 to this post.