One massive drawback in the demise of WCW was it severely restricted the potential for future dream matches. My classification of dream matches is two comparably highly regarded workers, or massive draws, having moved up the ranks in separate areas and coming together for the first time in a, well, Clash of the Titans. The last such matches I can think of were Angle/Michaels in 05 and Angle/Joe in 06. I'm not saying I haven't been excited or inspired by a match since, but it's virtually impossible to get two wrestlers up to that level without some interaction before they're both big big names.

 

Within my criteria, what's everyone else's last true dream match?

Taker vs Cena I guess. But it's too late. I can't see any other at this point.

Probably Austin/Cena. I often thought that would have been more appropriate than Cena/Rock. Regardless of Cena's variable in ring ability, the guy has phenomenal skills with the microphone, it's always the material that lets him down, never his delivery or presence. When Brian Gerwitz style material is brushed aside and Cena is allowed to work with top material or go into business for himself, he's incredible.

 

Pair him with the greatness of Austin, and you've got a dream match with a dream build.

It's a sad state of affair when the first two names that come up for a dream match are two 50 year old guys, one of which who retired ten years ago. I don't get why Austin's name is dropped each year 6 months before Mania. I don't get the feeling he would ever do one last match, and I'm pretty damn sure he really shouldn't.

there's a whole crop of dream matches if you consider NJPW vs. WWE. John Cena vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi would be a spectacle, to say the least

I think Brock v Daniel Bryan could be a dream match if sold as such, and the promos by Heyman alone would make it so.

Heyman tried to tease Lesnar-Austin on Austin's Podcast. That would be awesome!

Austin always implied he could come back if wanted to, but recently the Torch quoted him as saying he couldn't pass the WWE's physical testing.

I don't get the feeling he would ever do one last match, and I'm pretty damn sure he really shouldn't.

 

Ego maybe? I think he sometimes wants to have one more match, but his rationality sets in and stops him.

 

I think if the following conditions were met:

 

- Austin gets himself into good enough physical shape (he may look good, but that's meaningless),

 

- WWE were willing to make a big money offer,

 

- A program with a decent element of creative control, along with Austin basically having the final say on whether he or his opponent goes over,

 

- The right opponent (a top name, and a safe worker) and the guarantee that the match would headline Wrestlemania,

 

Then he would probably do it, with ego being the final decision making catalyst. Just as it was when he decided to return for the match at Wrestlemania XXIX, despite being almost completely knackered, having wrestled sparingly in the past year and needing surgery (pretty much everybody in the main events of that show were working banged up, Angle, Austin, Hogan) at that stage of his career.

 

Regardless, there is absolutely no way Austin will ever work a match against Brock Lesnar. Lesnar is just far too physical, even when he deliberately works light, for somebody of Austin's age and condition to go up against. We saw what happened to Taker despite weeks of rehearsals, Brock toning it way back, and no risky high spots.

It doesn't fit your criteria exactly, but Bryan vs Michaels is a dream match to me.

Let's make this more challenging. Which dream matches exist between guys currently wrestling full-time in the same promotion?

Nevermind. (was gonna say Bryan vs Lesnar, but he doesn't qualify)

When I started this, I meant what did you consider dream matches that had actually happened. But this stuff is fine too...

After the weelC match, mine is still Torito vs Cesaro. Does Zeb vs Heyman count?

Let's make this more challenging. Which dream matches exist between guys currently wrestling full-time in the same promotion?

 

Cesaro vs Lesnar could be pretty cool. Actually a lot of guys vs Lesnar would be cool. Lesnar is kind of the dream match fulfillment guy in the WWE at this point in that he's basically wrestling what were/would have been 'what if Lesnar never left and wrestled..." matches like Cena/Punk/Taker/HHH, even though he's wrestled some of them before.

You're not going to get two massive draws coming up from two different areas meeting in the same company with only one company mattering in Japan and the US. So I'll go Wyatts-Shield.

The issue surrounding the lack of wrestling dream matches as described by the OP is similar to the issue with UFC super fights now that PRIDE has been gone for a few years.

 

Cena/Batista was kind of a dream match although instead of holding off and doing it proper at a WrestleMania, they did it at a SummerSlam and it didn't quite have the big match feel.

I remember holding out for hope that we would at least get one Hogan/Flair WrestleMania match when they were both in the company 12 years ago, for quite some time.

The Hogan/Flair match they ran on Raw at the time was every match they've ever had only slower. I think both guys could still be great, but they needed someone in their prime to feed off of.

It could have easily taken the place of the Hogan/McMahon match then.

I don't know if they're considered "dream"matches, but there's a ton of matches I wanna see from the current roster. All involving combinations of Bryan/Lesnar/Shield/Cesaro.

Not particularly a dream match but I think a battle of the Paul Heyman guys between Cesaro vs. Brock could be amazing. I'd really love to see Cesaro face someone who can and will out power and just see how he reacts and tries to one up Brock in that area.

For me, CM Punk vs Steve Austin, just for the promos alone. Ain't happening.

 

As far as the current roster goes, Bryan vs Lesnar has to happen, and it'll rule when it does.

 

I'd like to see a sustained program between The Shield and The Wyatts ending in a blowoff that isn't a wrestling match so much as it is an insane brawl with some blood.

 

A Cena heel turn is a dream match in itself. Ain't gonna happen, but it needs to.

If there is anyone Steve Austin could work with at this stage it is CM Punk. Almost all Punk's offence is strikes and dives, so Austin woudn't have to take any current falls.

It not quite a dream match and it has happened before but I think if they strike at the right time Rollins vs Ambrose vs Reigns could be a big deal. I just don't want to see it in the next 6-10 months though.

 

I think Austin vs Punk is/was the best possible option for a Stone Cold return. Stone Cold is one of the few guys that if I think returned I would like to see him go over at Mania and Punk would be the right guy to take the fall. I think both guys would bring the bet out of each in terms of promo as well. I could see Punk really challenging Austin to bring his grade A stuff and Austin's podcast shows me he is still a hell of a talker and still quite sharp.