10 WrestleMania Matches History Deprived Us Of (That Weren't Actually Impossible)

1. The Undertaker Vs. Sting - WrestleMania 31

Bret Hart Randy Savage
wwe / wikipedia

The Undertaker Vs. Sting, a long-anticipated (and now much-mourned) dream match, was seriously considered for WrestleMania XXVII.

It was the wrong time to do it.

For once, Triple H was justified in sliding into the hottest act/angle on the Show of Shows, even if he felt compelled to bury the entire roster ("nobody else in the back is worthy") just to instigate it. Fans had been conditioned to expect Undertaker's WrestleMania match to be the best of the year. Sting was in no physical position to reach those lofty heights, and it cannot be overstated just how brainwashed a major segment of the WWE audience had been. The name of WCW was mud. Anything less than impeccable might have resulted in embarrassing rejection.

The right time to do 'Taker Vs. Sting was WrestleMania 31. By then, fans thoroughly depressed by the performance and result of the Brock Lesnar match at 'Mania XXX, would have been more forgiving. They'd have been happy to even see 'Taker in reasonable health, let alone contesting a merely passable match in terms of athleticism and workrate. But Trips was chosen as - or more accurately, Trips chose to be - Sting's first opponent.

He even reoriented the storyline focus of it (it was originally mooted as the end of The Authority's reign of terror) in order to stick around on WWE TV in its immediate aftermath.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!