8. Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair (Bash At The Beach 94)
The term Dream Match gets thrown around far too often. By its literal definition, it should apply only to the matches that were previously thought possible to occur in your dreams and no place else. There have, thus, been three dream matches in modern, mainstream pro wrestling history. The second and third were The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan and John Cena vs. The Rock in WWE. The first was Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan at 1994s Bash at the Beach in WCW. For all intents and purposes, it seemed impossible that Flair and Hogan would ever lock horns. One was the icon of the 1980s in WWE and the other the icon of the 1980s in NWA/WCW. Flair fought tooth and nail to keep his home, basically, from being bought up by the figurative shopping mall developer (in Vince McMahon) looking to tear it down. When WCW fumbled the ball and allowed Flair to go to WWE, it made the impossible seem possible. Somehow, Flair vs. Hogan never materialized in WWE on a major event, though, all but slamming the door shut on the possibility. One could say that the term never say never, as it is known by most wrestling fans, was born of Hogan leaving WWE and eventually signing with WCW, who wasted no time at all in scheduling the match with Flair. And the rest is history They had numerous matches from the summer to fall of 1994, but it is difficult to top the original, seeing as it was a match a decade in the making. It played out as many expected it would, with Flair personifying his many nicknames and Hogan acting as the super hero.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
