What 'Dream Matches' are left?

[@smarkmouth]

If you asked me about dream matches as recently as a few year ago, I feel like I could have given you an entire card. Lately, it doesn't feel like there's as many. Be it by injury, or having seen the match in question, there's little uncharted territory left. Many dream matches we were hoping for have been done, or more often, outside the realm of possibility.

Consider this; we just saw John Cena cs AJ Styles. Five years ago, the idea of that match taking place in a TNA ring was just as laughable as it happening at SummerSlam. Sting vs Taker is out of the question via Sting's neck. Frankly, I'm not sure I'm interested in any Undertaker dream matches after WrestleMania 30. Shawn Michaels respects his retirement scenario. Daniel Bryan and Edge are retired. Flair, Foley and Austin are all just as likely to perform again, which is to say not at all, by my estimations. Anyone who's actually left, Lesnar has already faced off with.

I realize the term 'dream match' leaves lots of room for interpretation. With that being said, what's left? What do you want to see?

Goldberg vs John Cena - With Goldberg's return alegedly imminent, we should consider this one. Box office, check. Transcends generational gap, check. I can't deny the value, and it fits nicely in my own definiton, but I don't care much to see this one. Cena's a fantastic storyteller, but I'm not sure he can bring a Goldberg long past his peak to a compelling match.

Kurt Angle vs Seth Rollins - This is the only dream match on the table for Kurt Angle. Kurt's already faced off with everyone who is in the true top-tier of WWE; Cena, Orton, Taker, Lesnar, Triple H, even AJ, Joe and Nakamura. Kurt vs Cesaro, or Owens would be highly entertaining matches, but Seth is the only contemporary wrestler of the "new era" who is scratching the surface of being a box office attraction, in my opinion.

Trish Stratus/Lita vs Bayley/Sasha/Charlotte/Becky/Asuka; Play mix and match as you please. Like much of the body of work by the women's division, 'dream matches' are uncharted territory. My own pick would be Bayley vs heel Lita, but I'd settle for heel Trish.

Other matches;
-Joe vs Lesnar
-AJ vs HHH
-Nakamura vs Cena

There's a few more that will definitely be considered, I'm sure. This topic just doesn't seem as bountiful as it used to be.

 

[Dave]

There's not many left that's for sure. But most of them include Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker or John Cena. However, this year, we are in a better position to see some of them happen at WrestleMania than we were last year. With so many people on the injured list last year it was pretty much impossible to see any real dream match being crossed off the list. Hell, the closest we got was The Rock and John Cena versus The Wyatts and that not even close to good enough. The situation has also been helped by Kurt Angle finally ditching TNA and talking about coming back home to the WWE. For my money, anything with Kurt Angle is gonna blow my mind. With that in mind, the next match would be my ideal pick.

Kurt Angle versus The Undertaker or Brock Lesnar

Like I said, Angle will likely be back in a WWE ring at some point in the future. And although these matches have happened before, Angle being gone for so long and so much time passing between his spells in WWE have made these matches have a whole new life. The Undertaker, since Angle's departure has proven himself to be the ultimate commodity and challenge at WrestleMania. Angle has always had the talent to beat The Undertaker and everyone would believe that a returning Angle could be the one to beat The Undertaker once and for all.

The same goes for Brock Lesnar. After beating The Undertaker at WrestleMania, he has become the commodity and challenge that Taker once represented. Angle and Lesnar have already done battle in a Mania match before but this would be new and well worth a PPV buy. Angle had the stature and the skills to be able to pull off taking Lesnar down. Everyone would believe it and I'm ready to see it.

 

[L@RISANO]

The Rock vs Brock Lesnar

The Rock vs Randy Orton

The Rock vs Roman Reigns

John Cena vs the Undertaker

John Cena vs Roman Reigns


There are more that could be mentioned, but those are some I would like to see happen sooner rather than later.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

AJ v Rollins is the biggest realistic one for me. I think the two could tear the house down with athleticism and creativity. Cena v Reigns is probably number two. Heel Cena in general would make for some dream matches. Maybe the women getting more daring and outside the box in their match types could get dreamy. That Nakamura guy seems like the type to put on a big feel match.

Otherwise the unrealistic The Rock, HBK, and Daniel Bryan matches loom large.

 

[JoeMallard]

Lesnar vs Owens, two dominating guys going at it is always great.

Balor vs Styles, two of the biggest names from Bullet Club.

Styles vs Rollins would be extremely exciting.

Charlotte vs Lita, the battle of the top rope moonsaults.

I have zero interest in seeing a guy like Rock come back to be carried in a match by a better performer.

 

[stingray11214]

A lot of the "dream matches" have been done in the Indies, or are not even worth the bother at this point. However, their is one "dream match" that can be done to cement a trajectory of a WWE Superstar, an entire Division, and its place in the world of Professional wrestling:

Manami Toyota vs. Bayley: In 1984, in an event called "The Brawl to End it All", The Fabulous Moolah lost the Women's strap to Wendi Richter, helping to cement Richter's place in the pantheon of the greats. Richter was seen as a "passing of the Torch" in the annals of Women in Pro Wrestling. Though Richter's WWF career short circuited in a contract dispute with VKM, her legacy as the one who dethroned Moolah is still seen to this day as a turning point in women's wrestling.

It is now 2016, and another young face is seen on the trajectory of greatness. Bayley has wowed crowds the world over. It has been said that she could very well be the John Cena of women's wrestling, in other words, the "face" of women's wrestling. However, there are many that dispute that claim, since WWE is a "closed" competition. Bayley would not get to meet all comers. Fortunately for Bayley, she has history on her side. On the very same night as her historic match with Sasha Banks at NXT Brooklyn 2015, a gentleman named Tylar Breeze had an opponent who was NOT employed by WWE. That opponent also had, and still has, an incredible legacy. His name was Jushin "Thunder" Liger. Anyone who saw that match will tell you it was a great match.

Enter another wrestler with an incredible legacy: Manami Toyota. Considered by many to be the greatest female wrestler of all time, she would be the person to elevate Bayley on the path to the Pantheon of the greats. Granted, there are those WWE smarks who believe that Bayley does not need someone outside of WWE to put her over. Problem is this is more about the long-term credibility of the Women's Division, as well as it is about Bayley's career. By Toyota wrestling Bayley, it would be one hell of a match, a match that will be talked about for years. It would also give female wrestlers another CREDIBLE place for which to work. BTW, Toyota is 48, and can still go. To many fans of Joshi Puroresu and Women's wrestling, her legacy is similar to that of The Undertaker: An immortal icon who will put on a great show, and tell a great story for fans.

Bayley wrestling Toyota would bring more fans of women's wrestling into the WWE fold. Furthermore, it would elevate Bayley into the same sentence as a Burke, a Moolah, a Madusa, and a Toyota.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

The dream match left is Cena vs Undertaker. The others are just cool to see matches.

Cool to see for me would be: Cena vs Nakamura, Styles vs HHH, Owens vs HHH, Joe vs Lesnar, Owens vs Lesnar, Styles vs Rollins.

Another dream match, a personal choice of mine, is Goldberg vs Orton.

I'd put Goldberg vs Cena as well, but both are way too super to lose to one another, in a face vs face scenario.

 

[Kris Benwa]

Nakamura vs Cena
Goldberg vs Cena
Joe vs Cena
Rock vs Brock II
Joe vs Brock
Nakamura vs Brock
AJ Styles vs Undertaker
Goldberg vs Undertaker

These are all matches I would personally consider logical dream matches. I will also mention Undertaker vs Cena even though I'm personally not dying to see it I do realize at Mania this is a dream match for most. I prefer the idea of AJ vs Taker.

 

[MINISTRYrising]

There is still quite a few that i would like to see, but ill keep it simple and just name my top 5.

HHH vs Bobby Roode

Brock Lesnar vs Bobby Lashley

John Cena vs Nakamura

The Revival vs the Hardys

AJ Styles vs Fin Balor

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

Danial Bryan vs AJ Styles/Shinsuke/Rock/Joe/Rollins/Hogan/HBK/Undertaker


Any one of those matches for Daniel Bryan would hype a Wrestlemania on its own.

 

[Tsunaru]

If we're going purely from a "Personal Dream Match" standard, mine would be Omega vs Nakamura. I was giddier than a small child on Christmas Jan 4th when my number 2 and 3 guys went at it, and then Jan 5th when they announced my number 1 and 2 guys going at it next I was absolutely elated. Alas, it was never meant to be, as Nakamura was stripped of the title and left the company 2 weeks before the match was scheduled to take place (And while Omega vs Tanahashi was a great replacement, it still left me wondering what could have been).

The currently most popular "Dream Match" of Undertaker vs Cena is difficult for me to see as being a dream match, because we've already seen it. Granted, this was well over a decade ago before Cena was really established, but to me, a dream match should be one that has never occurred before. Same argument could be made for a number of above mentioned matches like Nakamura vs Lesnar or Bryan vs Joe.

 

[Bagpipes]

Tanahashi vs Cena in the Battle of the Babyfaces would be pretty epic. Both guys have been on top of their respective companies for what seems like forever, with a little build, there's no doubt they could have an all-time classic.

Good luck getting Vince or Gedo to agree on who takes the fall though.