7 WWE Dream Matches That Happened Years Apart
They were billed as dream matches, but they were actually long overdue sequels.
Professional wrestling is a world full of fantasy booking and dream matches. Whenever a big name from outside the company arrives in World Wrestling Entertainment, fans are quick to compile lists of opponents they would dearly love to see lock up with the new arrival.
We have been lucky in recent times too, as more and more dream matches seem to take place more and more frequently.
Brock Lesnar vs. CM Punk, AJ Styles vs. John Cena, Sting vs. Triple H and more, the last few years have been kind to us in terms of dream matches. Some of these bouts have been once-in-a-lifetime deals, whilst others have been portrayed as the biggest battles of a generation.
On a number of occasions, however, a bout billed as a dream match hasn't been the first time two individuals have locked up. Not only that, but a significant time has passed between their first and latest outing, enough time for characters to evolve and legacies to be established.
In many ways, it was the return of Brock Lesnar that kickstarted all of this. After eight years away from the company Brock returned in 2012, and with him came a whole host of fresh dream matches. Two of his fellow rookies in 2002 had gone on to become the biggest two stars of a generation, and return matches with them were inevitable.
Here are seven dream WWE matches that happened years apart.
7. Brock Lesnar Vs. Randy Orton
I'll start with the latest 'dream match' to be booked in World Wrestling Entertainment in 2016.
At SummerSlam next month Brock Lesnar will go one on one with Randy Orton, in a match that was high on the lists of many when Lesnar returned in 2012. It is a bout that doesn't really require any build, and they don't need a specific reason to fight other than 'these are two really big names'.
Their first encounter came way, way back however, on the September 5 2002 Smackdown, when both were rookies. They were at very different stages of their careers despite being in their rookie years, as Brock Lesnar had already managed to capture the WWE Championship.
Orton? Well, he didn't have a character outside of 'blue chip rookie' at the time.
Their SummerSlam bout is guaranteed to be far more competitive than their 2002 battle. Fourteen years ago Lesnar had his way with the not yet-Legend Killer, practically decimating him from bell to bell. Orton got a couple of shots in, but it wasn't enough. Lesnar continued his dominance with an F5 and a decisive victory.
I dare say their next match will last longer than four minutes.