Hulk Hogan vs Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock vs Shawn Michaels: The best WWE matches that never happened
WWE fans have been fortunate enough to see some of the greatest names go one-on-one.
Iconic clashes such as The Rock vs Hulk Hogan and Triple H battling Sting all eventually came to fruition after the collapse of WCW.
But despite getting to see countless battles between legends of the business, there are still several dream bouts we are still yet to see.
Time may not be on our side now, but here’s a look at the showsdowns we failed to get:
HULK HOGAN vs STONE COLD
These two performers were the figureheads of their respective eras – Hulkamania and the Attitude Era – but the Hulkster vs Stone Cold Steve Austin is the greatest dream match never to happen.
Hogan returned to WWE in 2002 after WCW and it was the obvious big-money match – only for Hogan to wrestle The Rock instead at WrestleMania X8.
Speculation mounted for years that the pair had problems between them in real-life and that each refused to put the other over.
But Austin insists that the two just would not have combined well in the ring.
Speaking on Jim Ross’ podcast, Austin said: “He was open to having a match, me not so much. I thought the styles would clash. I didn’t think it would be that great of a match.
“Physically and mentally where I was at, I could go. I think Hogan probably would have been a step or two behind that. That wasn't acceptable to me, and I didn't want to slow myself down.
“That was my thought process back in the day. I didn't think we could deliver.”
SHAWN MICHAELS vs THE ROCK
Two of the best in-ring performers to ever climb into the squared-circle, the pair spent several years working alongside each other on the WWE roster.
With both men’s capabilities, this would have been a guaranteed classic.
But prior to him finding God, HBK’s attitude towards the Great One ensured it never happened.
Fellow legend Bret Hart claimed Michaels and Triple H both used to give the Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment a hard time during his breakthrough days in the business.
That alleged incident led to Hitman taking Rock under his wing and looking out for the youngster - who would go on to become one of the biggest stars ever and Hollywood’s highest-paid actor.
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STING vs UNDERTAKER
Despite the 55-year-old Undertaker and 61-year-old Sting’s age, the prospect of seeing two of the biggest names to ever compete would certainly be an intriguing one for the WWE Universe.
The two men were key players in the Monday Night Wars between WWE and WCW back in the late 90s and remain huge fan favourites to this day.
After McMahon purchased WCW in 2001, Sting refused to sign for his rival due to loyalty to the fallen brand.
After years of persuasion, he finally entered WWE in 2014 and immediately targeted Triple H and The Authority.
The two would later have an epic battle at WrestleMania 31 the following year, which memorably saw both DX and the New World Order square-off.
But it was the potential clash of the titans that wrestling fans craved to see - but Taker’s recent retirement and Sting signing with AEW means it looks like we will never see it.
GOLDBERG vs STONE COLD
We did get to see Steve Austin deliver a Stone Cold Stunner on Goldberg but unfortunately injury robbed us of the opportunity to see them go one-on-one.
Goldberg arrived in WWE in 2003 following the collapse of WCW, where he was the Golden Boy throughout their bitter Monday Night Wars with Vince McMahon’s company.
Austin was the biggest star of that time in WWE, and the Texas Rattlesnake eventually helped his team to see off their competition.
Unfortunately, he would only have a few years left in the tank after numerous injuries, and by the time Goldberg arrived he had hung up his famous black trunks and boots.
released some lost footage featuring Goldberg explaining why the matchup with Austin never took place.
He said: “He was hurt, his neck was really screwed up, and they didn’t trust me.
“It was a huge opportunity that they [WWE] never capitalised on for one reason. They didn’t want to see him lose.”
TRIPLE H vs MIKE TYSON
We’ve seen both boxing champs Floyd Mayweather and Tyson Fury put on the gloves to compete in the WWE ring in the past.
And Triple H revealed he was proposed a boxer vs wrestler bout against Mike Tyson.
The Baddest Man on the Planet had previously been a member of DX before turning on Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania in 1998.
Triple H WWE.com: “I don’t remember if it was going to be full boxing rules, or whether I was wearing gloves.
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“But it ended up being a deal where the whole thing just would have been a ludicrous amount of money, and it got pushed off.”
Just to see legendary boxing competing in the WWE ring would have been great alone - but seeing him battle one of the most powerful men in the business would have been even better.
