9 Most Disappointing Wrestling Dream Matches
There's a fine line between dream and nightmare.
Wrestling fans know better than anyone that the reality is very rarely as good as the fantasy.
From the Invasion angle to Shinsuke Nakamura on the main roster, there have been countless examples of wrestling dreams we were itching to see come true falling flat on their face the moment we did, generally let down by poor booking or, in some cases, simply the burden of unrealistic audience expectation.
No matter how badly the writers mess things up, however, you can usually at least rely on two well-accomplished wrestlers delivering the goods inside the squared circle. It's one of the industry's great cardinal rules: ignore the background noise and concentrate on doing what you do best when you step between the ropes.
To be fair, everyone - even highly compensated wrestlers who never tire in reminding us how great they are - is allowed an off-day every so often. It's just kind of annoying when they save their off-day for the biggest event of the wrestling calendar, serving up expectant fans a steaming hot mess instead of the for-the-ages classic we were promised.
9. Shawn Michaels Vs. Rob Van Dam (Raw, Nov 25 2002)
One of many wrestlers to be, at one point or another, anointed the successor to Shawn Michaels, Rob Van Dam challenged the then-World Heavyweight Champion to the dream match fans never thought they'd see on the 25 November 2002 edition of Raw.
Just a week removed from a the inaugural Elimination Chamber - a taxing match which put both men (along with Triple H, who got his oesophagus crushed) through the ringer - this one was never going to be a 20- or 30-minute classic, but it deserved at least a proper finish, and not the Pedigree-assisted DQ we got instead.
Really, what was there to lose from having Shawn Michaels, as the triumphant champion, go over clean? This was the same fate that befell Chris Jericho a few months later at WrestleMania XIX, after all, and RVD was nowhere near the main event scene himself at any rate.
Sadly, this would be the only time we saw HBK and the Whole F'n Show go at it one-on-one, with HHH - never one to let bygones be bygones - renewing acquaintances with his DX co-founder at the following pay-per-view, kicking the placeholder challenger to the curb in the process.