Ranking The Biggest Rivalries In Wrestling Every Year 1990-2020
30. 1991 - Hulk Hogan Vs Ric Flair
...sort of.
Ric Flair's WCW exit (and subsequent WWE arrival) was by far wrestling's biggest story of the year. When Ted Turner's JCP purchase neatened the war narrative between two leading organisations, a long-established dream match reached mythical proportions. Proportions begat expectations, but those were more than met when Bobby Heenan left Gorilla Monsoon and millions of television viewers flabbergasted at the sight of the iconic 'Big Gold' belt during a 1991 edition of Wrestling Challenge.
The title defined Flair's dominance and foreshadowed his arrival, and an attempted SummerSlam confrontation by 'The Brain' made it clear that he was coming directly for this organisation's Champion.
The dream was becoming a reality! Until it didn't. McMahon programmed the two to be at odds with one another on television (and in action on house shows and at the end of television tapings), but couldn't and wouldn't wholeheartedly commit to it completely before effectively distracting Flair with Roddy Piper and Hogan with The Undertaker. And then again with Randy Savage and Sid Justice respectively.
Their time would come, but not on McMahon's watch.