The Dream Match: Then and Now

The Wrestling Superstars Dream Match , a classic 1980’s pro wrestling magazine featured just what the title implied. Every month another pro wrestling dream match pitting two men or two tag teams against each other read like a who’s who of the business.

The Rock 'n' Roll Express versus The Midnight Rockers. Lex Luger versus Randy Savage. Ric Flair versus The Ultimate Warrior. The Road Warriors versus Demolition. These were just a few of the many dream matches that fans longed to see, but existed only in the pages of the magazine.

Of course, all of these matches eventually did happen, thanks in large part to the rapid growth of the then World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and the Monday Night War.

As the WWF began its massive expansion, guys from the territorial wrestling associations being taken out by Vince had nowhere else to go. The WWF snapped up workers from these regional promotions and repackaged them to suit the company’s presentation.

Despite the circus atmosphere of the WWF during that era, when a guy had a chance to go to the “big show," he did just that.

The dream matches that fans could only read about were quickly becoming a reality.

The Monday Night War between World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) saw wrestlers crossing over from one promotion to another at a dizzying pace.

WCW threw Ted Turner's money at some of the WWE’s top stars, giving them the proverbial offer they couldn’t refuse. At the same time the WWE was able to lure away talent from WCW who had either been underutilized or completely discarded by the Atlanta-based company.

The dream match concept was dead and buried.

And the truth is, that is a good thing. Fans deserved to see the best matches the business had to offer. The top stars of all time going one-on-one on free TV changed the landscape of the business. It was one of the most exciting times in the sport.

Today, the “big two” are the WWE and Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling. Again, a lot of the dream matches that fans could think of have already happened.

TNA is a relatively new promotion, and a lot of its wrestlers were sitting in a WWE locker room very recently. But, for the sake of the topic, I will give my top three WWE/TNA dream matches.

Now, let me say that as far as who wins and who loses, I couldn't care less. It’s not about that for me. Just the actual match itself would be enough.

I don’t want to get wrapped up in a big debate on who should be putting over who. This is strictly for my own amusement.

The Undertaker vs. Samoa Joe

For me, this would be a main event on any card. Taker, with his intimidating entrance and theatrical image, stepping into the ring against the one man who backs down from no one. This would be a different experience for Taker’s character, facing the scowl and rage of Joe, who would give as good as he got.

It would be a hard fought match, and could probably go for 30 minutes-plus. Samoa Joe would take every big blow that Undertaker threw, while the Deadman would work on finding a way to break Joe down.

The Samoan Submission Machine would try to dismantle his opponent, and just when you though Undertaker was going to tap out, he would somehow reverse the hold.

No doubt, this would be epic.

Rey Mysterio vs. A.J. Styles

Maybe if this match took place five years ago, it would be a little more exciting. Let’s face it, both guys are not exactly rookies, but they’re not yet past their primes either. For me, this match could quite possibly steal the show.

Rey and A.J. are both quick and athletic, with great technical ability, and have wrestled in some of the biggest matches for their respective companies. They have a lot in common, including their size and respect from fans and peers alike.

This match would open with quick high spots, each man ending up on his feet in a fighting position, to the applause of the crowd. Grappling moves and near falls would be the name of the game, and the high-flying would be off the charts. Rey versus A.J. would be a prime example of what this business could be on its best day, and would leave the fans drooling for more.

Triple H vs. Sting

OK, the big beef with Sting right now is his seemingly lackadaisical approach to ring work. He has been wearing a t-shirt in the ring, so he’s evidently not happy with his physique. And no one seems to be happy with the fact that at his age he’s still being pushed in main events.

But Sting is a big-time player who has a history of stepping up in big-time matches. And nothing would be bigger than getting in the ring with the man who gets over by making the other guy look good—Triple H.

Hunter would bring out the best in Sting, and the match would be less about Sting’s body than it would be about the ring psychology that only two pros like these could bring to a match of this size.

Again, if this match took place five, well, maybe 10 years ago, it would be more exciting and more fans would be up for it.

But in my mind, this match would still be huge, and there’s no denying that it would sell tickets. Despite what a lot of fans think about Sting, I believe they would pay to see this match.

OK, again, this is all me, just reminiscing about the old Dream Match magazine, and trying to apply it to today’s scene. Perhaps I will revisit this idea again, with some more matches that I would personally like to see.

In that case, I had better make it quick. After all, you never know when the landscape of the business is going to change again. Until then, I will dream.