This Monday, Raw will play host to the greatest reunion in WWE history when the curtain rises on Raw Reunion, a special event on USA Network to feature the likes of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Ric Flair and many more Legends making their WWE return. The prospect of these old-school bastions returning at a boom time for the sports-entertainment industry got us at WWE.com thinking once again about dream matches (which we do a lot, to be fair), specifically bouts between Raw stars past and present that could still main-event any arena today. Suffice it to say, if we had a time machine, or a Monkey’s Paw, or the Infinity Gauntlet, here are 10 matches we’d bend space and time to make happen. (See all of our dream match posters here.)
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Kevin Owens
Yes, yes, they both use the Stunner. But this hypothetical battle goes far deeper than a shared finishing maneuver: Austin and Owens are both irascible rebels who have rarely, if ever, conformed to what a WWE Superstar should look, sound or act like. They both never met a microphone they couldn’t set ablaze or an authority figure they wouldn’t speak truth to. And, yes. the Stunner thing practically writes itself, too.
The Bella Twins vs. The IIconics
Another match where the surface similarities makes it an easy pairing. But dive a little deeper and this one could be spun as a wild tale of ambition and accomplishment between the two most inseparable teams of the pre-and post-Women’s Evolution period. With their reality stardom and cross-brand pedigree, The Bellas are everything The IIconics haven’t become yet; while WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Billie & Peyton have the one thing Nikki & Brie never managed to attain. Positively Shakespearean — if, you know, Shakespeare had Twitter.
The Rock vs. Roman Reigns
Dynastic showdowns are perhaps the richest well in sports-entertainment, and this clash between two mainstays of the Anoaʻi bloodline would be a doozy: The Rock, the crossover star who helped define the Attitude Era and successfully broke into Hollywood following his in-ring career, against Roman Reigns, his real-life cousin who has dominated the conversation over the past five years and attained a reputation as a real-life superhero following his battle with leukemia. It’s a bout that could main-event any WrestleMania ever — and hey, Rock is still semi-active, so who knows what we might see in Tampa next year, right? Get “Hobbs & Shaw” to co-sponsor and we’re in business.
Alundra Blayze vs. Becky Lynch
For years, Alundra Blayze was the most controversial name in women’s wrestling, thanks to her decision to throw the original Women’s Championship in a trash can on live television. She was also somewhat peerless where WWE was concerned, which is where Becky Lynch comes in. Fresh off a run that saw her reduce the glass ceiling to powder and main-event WrestleMania, The Man isn’t just an ideal opponent for the boundary-breaking WWE Hall of Famer, she’s the ideal opponent.
Shawn Michaels vs. Seth Rollins
Here’s another time-honored tradition: Master vs. Apprentice. And true, Seth Rollins didn’t necessarily train at the feet of Shawn Michaels — that’d be Daniel Bryan, which we got a brief taste of about six years ago — but he’s undeniably an heir apparent to The Heartbreak Kid, taking Michaels’ mix of crisp athleticism and iron-man endurance to its natural endpoint in the modern landscape of sports-entertainment. And yes, honestly, we’re curious to see how HBK would react if he took the Stomp. Sometimes it’s the grand idea that makes it a dream match; sometimes it’s the simplest of pleasures.
Diesel vs. Drew McIntyre
Hoss fight? Hoss. Fight. And not just any hoss fight, a battle between two of the most notorious, big-man enforcers in the history of the industry. Big Sexy, of course, was the noted bodyguard for Shawn Michaels back in the ‘90s, and McIntyre has done henchman duty for the likes of Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin and Shane McMahon. Given the chance to handle their own business, there’s no telling what rubble they’d leave in their wake. And, like any attraction worth their salt, they’d be around for meet-and-greets so the kids could tell their friends about the time they met a giant.
Mankind vs. Samoa Joe
Mick Foley never met a punishment he wasn’t ready and willing to take. Samoa Joe never met someone he wasn’t willing and ready to brutalize in the ring. It’s a classic tale of unstoppable force vs. unbreakable object, and truth be told, if we did get this match, it would have to happen at the 10 p.m. hour, with a loose rule structure, parental warning, and that most old-school wrinkle of all: A TV-14 rating.
Raw Reunion airs live this Monday at 8/7 C on USA Network.
Article source: WWE.com
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