10 Epic Wrestling Staredowns (That Never Went Anywhere)
2. Ric Flair & Hulk Hogan (1991)
Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan is perhaps the ultimate “what if?” WWE feud. Pitting WCW’s biggest star against WWE’s icon, it was a genuine dream match, and while many fans assumed it would never happen, that all changed when Flair signed for Vince McMahon in 1991.
Taking a pixelated WCW Championship with him, Flair declared himself the “real World’s champion,” and set his sights on Hulk Hogan and on arrival. Their first major interaction came through an appearance on Paul Bearer’s Funeral Parlor talk show segment that November, when the duo almost came to blows as they stared each other down, though The Undertaker soon attacked Hogan from behind.
‘The Nature Boy’ helped ‘Taker defeated Hogan for the WWF Championship two weeks later, and it looked like the feud was on. They engaged in another stare-down during the Royal Rumble, and eventually came to blows, but the storyline never truly got going. Their proposed WrestleMania bout was scrapped, with Flair facing Randy Savage instead.
Hogan vs. Flair was trialled on a number of house shows, and live events at Madison Square Garden, with poor ticket sales credited as the main reason behind the feud’s abandonment.
Their proposed ‘Mania contest remains WWE’s biggest “lost” dream match.