(Not quite) Dream Matches (that could have actually happened)

[children of bodom]

Didnt help either that Hawk no sold the five star frog splash. pick himself straight up and walk out

[RedRooster]

Ric Flair vs. The Rock. I know they faced off in a tag match at Wrestlemania once, but their interactions were so fun that I'd love to have seen them have a one-on-one programme. 

[The King of Old School]

Just now, RedRooster said:

Ric Flair vs. The Rock. I know they faced off in a tag match at Wrestlemania once, but their interactions were so fun that I'd love to have seen them have a one-on-one programme. 

I think they did have a one off singles match on Raw in 2002, when The Rock was champion.

[RedRooster]

Just now, The King of Old School said:

I think they did have a one off singles match on Raw in 2002, when The Rock was champion.

I didn't remember that at all, but you're right: 

 

[The King of Old School]

1 hour ago, wandshogun09 said:

I think they just did the one match in 2003 HG. And I’m sure it was just a dark match before Raw against Kane and RVD. Can’t have gone too well because that was it for them. They looked like relics when they came back in 1997 so I can’t even imagine them knocking about in those days. Looking at some of the heel teams back then, you had Jericho and Christian and Lance Storm and Val Venis in the Chief Morley gimmick. I’m sure they could’ve got half decent matches out of LOD but I doubt it would’ve been much of a run.

Here’s the 2003 match;

Hawk missing the clothesline on the Doomsday Device can’t have helped. 

It was definitely on the main show, think it opened the show actually.

On that doomsday device, I always thought RVD was meant to duck to be honest.

[Sheffbag]

9 minutes ago, The King of Old School said:

It was definitely on the main show, think it opened the show actually.

On that doomsday device, I always thought RVD was meant to duck to be honest.

Animal talks about this match in his book. He tries to explain that they were told to get out of the ring as soon as possible after losing so hawk just got up and walked out.

[CavemanLynn]

6 minutes ago, Sheffbag said:

Animal talks about this match in his book. He tries to explain that they were told to get out of the ring as soon as possible after losing so hawk just got up and walked out.

To be fair, watching that back, I'd've been pissed off if I was Hawk. I know he was over like Rover, but RVD pulls a proper Seth Rollins-vs-Sting there, insisting on busting out all his signature schtick irrespective of the opponents and their abilities. You don't book prime LOD to have a fast-paced up-down sprint and bump like mad for spin kicks, let alone 50-year-old post-rehab LOD.

Edited April 29, 2020 by CavemanLynn

[wandshogun09]

44 minutes ago, The King of Old School said:

It was definitely on the main show, think it opened the show actually.

On that doomsday device, I always thought RVD was meant to duck to be honest.

Yeah you’re right. Don’t know why I’ve always thought it was off air.

[Carbomb]

I reckon Scott Steiner vs. Umaga would've been a battle and a half. When ol' Youmanga first debuted under that gimmick, Steiner could still go pretty well, so could've been a load of clubberin' going on.

[GeronimoJacksBeard]

There's a few examples from the early 2000s like The Rock - Flair example that did actually occur once or twice but weren't PPV or just generally fall under the radar such was the insane roster of those times. Rock also had one-offs against Eddie, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Jeff Hardy, RVD.

 

On the subject of Scott Steiner, wonder how different that WWE run might have been had he been on Smacky D instead and in the mix with Brock, Angle, Benoit, etc. 

[Carbomb]

I know it was TNA, but Steiner did have a match with Angle - I don't remember it too well, which probably speaks as to its overall quality.

[The Cutting Edge]

Never realised how LOD were pretty much tried like jobbers by them, I know that term gets used too much these days but I'd say this is accurate.

Strange to think Animal was back 2 years later and a pretty long run considering 

[RIDDUM_N_STYLE]

9 hours ago, GeronimoJacksBeard said:

There's a few examples from the early 2000s like The Rock - Flair example that did actually occur once or twice but weren't PPV or just generally fall under the radar such was the insane roster of those times. Rock also had one-offs against Eddie, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Jeff Hardy, RVD.

 

On the subject of Scott Steiner, wonder how different that WWE run might have been had he been on Smacky D instead and in the mix with Brock, Angle, Benoit, etc. 

Just as bad because he was still recovering from Drop Foot, they needed to have let him get that sorted before they rushed him into the Trips feud

[Loki]

8 hours ago, Carbomb said:

I know it was TNA, but Steiner did have a match with Angle - I don't remember it too well, which probably speaks as to its overall quality.

I loved it.  I loved everything Steiner did in TNA though, he was way past his prime but the crowd kept goading him into making an effort.  He had good matches against Angle and Joe, and he and his brother had a great match against 3D.

IIRC he and Angle did some mat wrestling at the start, just to fuck with everyone.

Edited April 29, 2020 by Loki

[Carbomb]

On 4/29/2020 at 11:19 PM, Loki said:

I loved it.  I loved everything Steiner did in TNA though, he was way past his prime but the crowd kept goading him into making an effort.  He had good matches against Angle and Joe, and he and his brother had a great match against 3D.

IIRC he and Angle did some mat wrestling at the start, just to fuck with everyone.

Fair enough. Perhaps the reason I don't remember is because it was TNA - one of my biggest criticisms of them was that they frequently lacked the ability to make angles, storylines, and matches memorable; even when matches were good, they often had been let down by build-up, booking, or presentation before and after.

One of the few cases I can think of where they did it well actually proves my point - Angle vs. Samoa Joe in the cage at Lockdown. They made a big deal of the potential influence of MMA, with Angle's wrestling and Joe's MMA-esque style underpinned with his BJJ training, Frank Trigg's coaching involvement, and the actual presence of the cage. Then the match itself had a very strong shoot element to it, and it was done superbly in a way that made it fit the pro-wrestling aesthetic without breaking suspension of disbelief. I still remember that match - not move-for-move, but the overall package.

That they were able to do this shows that they could do it - they just didn't seem to be able to do it often enough. The Angle-Steiner match should've been a bigger deal - that people on forums still use that GIF of Tenay and West high-fiving over the news of the match-up gives us a glimpse of that - but it all ended up being a bit meh.

 

I've just remembered a Not-Quite Dream match that Kenny McBride used to mention on here, and I have to admit I'd be intrigued: Sabu vs. Flair. Not only would Flair be able to carry Sabu to a decently-paced, structured match, but he'd bump and bleed for the insane spots too.

Edited May 2, 2020 by Carbomb