The 411 Wrestling Top 5 5.27.09: Week 24 – Fantasy Matches

Posted by Michael Bauer on 05.27.2009

From the great technical battle between Bryan Danielson and Bret Hart, to the multiple Tag Team matches involving Beer Money, Edge and Christian, Miz and Morrison, and The Midnight Express, to the legendary battles between Undertaker and Misawa, and to Flair vs. Hogan had the NWA and WWF been one federation in the 1980s... the 411 Staff ranks their Top 5 Fantasy Matches in the latest edition of the 411 Wrestling Top 5! What did they select? Check out the full article for all the details.

Hello everyone and welcome to 411 Wrestling's Top 5 List. What we are going to is take a topic each week and all the writers here on 411 wrestling will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, plus up to three honorable mentions. At the end, based on where all these matches rank on people's list, we will create the 411 Wrestling Top 5 list. The scoring is very similiar to the Wrestler of the Week as it looks like this:

#1 Choice – 5 points
#2 Choice – 4 points
#3 choice – 3 points
#4 Choice – 2 points
#5 Choice – 1 point
Honorable Mentions will break ties, but get no points.

Also, in the case of a tie, the most votes win, regardless of where it is listed in the individual Top 5. I will also use this rule in the event that one item is mentioned more often, but is one point behind. For example, one second place vote and two Honorable Mentions will defeat simply one first place vote.


So, on to this week's topic…

THE TOP 5 FANTASY MATCHES

The fantasy match is the match that has never happened and never will happen. Sure, if the stars align right and hell freezes over, Hogan and Austin could face over at Wrestlemania 26. It would be the last true dream match to happen. But that will not be a fantasy match. Not with Austin ten years past his prime and Hogan never having a prime. A Fantasy match is described as follows:

A match pitting two wrestlers against each other who NEVER faced each other during their primes. For example, Hulk Hogan in the Mid 1980's against John Cena before his injury streak would be a fantasy match (assuming you agree they each have primes).

For this reason, each match up has each wrestler with the year or year range that we are taken them for in these fantasy matches. There is a very big difference between Hogan in the 1980's and Hogan after the nWo (not to mention after coming back to the WWE). And for this reason also, there is no overall Top 5 this week. I did the math and I did the overall mentions… and neither one of them made a conclusive overall listing. If you don't like it or don't trust me, please feel free to do the math yourself.

So what did our group of writers select? Let's find out…



Shawn S. Lealos

Honorable Mentions

Tully Blanchard (1980s NWA) vs. Steve Austin (1990s WWF) - Tully Blanchard was the perfect heal and one of the greatest wrestlers to come out of the mid-Atlantic NWA. His feud with Magnum TA was epic. Imagine what it would have been like against an attitude era, pre-injury Stone Cold.

"The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels (early ROH heal) vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (late 80s NWA World Champion) - The arrogant heal who stands against tradition against the man who most signifies honor and respect. And they both could go.

Sting (late 80s NWA) vs. The Ultimate Warrior (late 80s WWF) - The Blade Runners split up and separately became the biggest stars of their promotions. The match would have been huge and, at the time, a dominant Warrior and baby face Sting would have delivered a great match.

5. The Midnight Express (Stan Lane, Bobby Eaton) (late 80s NWA) vs. Edge and Christian (early 2000s WWE) vs. The Hart Foundation (late 80s/early 90s WWF) - I love tag team wrestling. This would pit the best teams of eighties in the NWA and WWF in a triple threat match against the best team during the WWF's last major tag team push. Edge and Christian proved to be the cream of the crop in triple threat matches. The Midnights could go with anyone, under any stipulation. The Hart Foundation were masters of the WWF tag title scene during their reign at the top. Put these three teams together and it would make the Dudley/Hardy/Edge & Christian matches pale in comparison.

4. The Rock (early 2000s fan favorite) vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts (late 80s WWF) - The Rock was a cocky, brash good guy who got by on his confidence and talent. Jake Roberts was the perfect heal, arrogant and manipulative. The feud would see the cocky Rock get broke down slowly by the mental games Roberts was best known for and the eventual match would need The Rock to prove to himself and his fans that he could regain his confidence and defeat the perfect villain. This match would have been epic because both guys knew their roles, could perform both in and out of the ring, and knew how to tell a compelling story.

3. Hulk Hogan (1980s WWF World Champion) vs. Nikita Koloff (1980s NWA) - Forget the Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, and a turncoat Sgt. Slaughter. "The Real American" Hulk Hogan's greatest triumph could have been against the Russian Nightmare Nikita Koloff. Koloff was a beast, someone who dwarfed all three of the men I already mentioned in fear, power and strength. He could have been led to battle Hogan by his legendary Uncle Ivan and in the 80s, during the heights of the Cold War and fears of nuclear devestation, it was a war that would have sold out arenas across the nation. I would have preferred the match not take place under WWF booking, since Hogan would have won easily over Koloff in those conditions, as he was prone to do. This is a feud that would have needed to be stretched out over time and built to a fever pitch before Hogan came out on top. Regardless, this is the match Hogan should have fought in the 80s.

2. The Rock (early 2000s fan favorite) vs. Shawn Michaels (1997 WWE heal, pre back injury) - The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment against The Showstopper, The Main Event. I guess Shawn disrespected The Rock's mom back in the day and thanks to a grudge, the two never faced each other. That is a shame because, although the match would have come after Shawn's back injury, it would have still been an amazing bout. However, take Shawn before the injury and stick him against The Rock at the height of his reign and you would have one of the greatest matches, at least from the standpoint of the fan reaction. Think about the crowd reaction to The Rock's matches against Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan. Think about the crowd reaction to Shawn's matches against Ric Flair and The Undertaker. Now, multiply that by ten and you would get the reaction to the story Michaels and The Rock could have told.

1. Ric Flair (1980s NWA World Champion) vs. Hulk Hogan (1980s WWF World Champion) - I was an NWA fan as a kid. I watched the WWF, but it never spoke to me the way the NWA did. The WWF was too cartoony and I developed a hatred for Hulk Hogan over time. I hated him because he always seemed like the good guy who always stabbed his friends in the back. Paul Orndorff had to turn bad to get a title match. Andre the Giant asked for a title match and Hogan cried like a baby until Andre had to turn bad as well. On the other hand, Ric Flair never pretended to be someone he wasn't. Flair cheated to win every match he was in and that made him someone I was supposed to hate. That meant I liked Flair more than Hogan because Flair succeeded in his role and Hogan failed in his. When Flair finally went to the WWF, I wanted to see him finally fight Hogan. I did not happen. Flair took the WWF title, which made me happy, but not from Hogan. The dream match of fans everywhere was Flair vs. Hogan and we never got it. I'm sure Hogan would have won, but I would have loved to see Flair do everything he could not to lose.



Aaron Hubbard

HONORABLE MENTIONS

KENTA (2009) vs. Toshiaki Kawada (1994) - I can't say with certainty that this match hasn't happened, but given the fact that they are two different weight classes, in different companies, and years seperate their prime, I think I can safely assume no. If it did, it would put the two best strikers in wrestling history against each other. Could KENTA overcome the size difference, or would he fall victim to Dangerous K?

John Morrison (2009) vs. AJ Styles (2006) - And here's a match I'm 200% sure hasn't happened. Two recent? Perhaps, but when I think WWE vs. TNA this is the match where I just think, "Man, I'd love to see that."

Bret Hart (1994) vs. John Cena (2007) - An entertaining sport vs. sports entertainment. Both men have been criticized for bland characters and the five moves of doom. Both have also been praised as perfect company men and hard workers. Both have so much in common from a personality perspective, but they couldn't be more different in their in-ring styles. I'd love to see this.

5.Sting (1992) vs. Triple H (2000) - Sting = most trusting white meat babyface ever. Triple H = most sadistic and calculating heel ever. Ric Flair may have been a great foil for Sting, but I think Triple H would have been even better. When he was at his evil best, there was no one more dispicable than The Game.

4.Randy Savage (1987) vs. Edge (2006) - There seems to be a longing for more heel vs. heel matches among the IWC members. I'm not immune to that. I think these two have a lot in common. They are both dastardly heels that have played second fiddle to "Superman" characters (Hogan and Cena, respectively), and both have female managers. They are also very versatile workers who can brawl, fly, wrestle, and cheat. When you add in the "Princess" in Elizabeth and the "Whore" in Lita, I think we would definately get an amazingly entertaining match.

3.Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith (1997) vs. Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit (2001) - Two incredible teams, each made from two incredible wrestlers. All four men were trained in Stu Hart's dungeon. One was an outstanding heel team that mixed atleticism and power. The other featured two fantastic wrestlers who had been great opponents. Plus, you have Smith vs. Benoit, who imulated Davey's famous partner, the Dynamite Kid. Give these guys at least twenty minutes and you would have a classic on your hands.

2.Shawn Michaels (1997) vs. Ricky Steamboat (1989) - For some reason, this match never gets mentioned in dream matches or fantasy cards. Both men were fantastic in-ring performers. Arguably, Shawn's was better in the ring in 1996. However, I think that Steamboat's "family unit" gimmick of 1989 would have been the perfect opponent for D-Generation X Shawn Michaels. This was the best of Shawn's obnoxious heel character, and Ricky Steamboat may very well have been the best babyface ever.

1.Mitsuharu Misawa (1997) vs. Undertaker (1997) - In my mind, Misawa in the '90's was the epitome of workrate. The guy rarely showed emotion, he was just a workhorse. He was very versatile, able to trade strikes as well as holds, able to fly high and to hit sick moves that looked like they could pin anyone. The Undertaker of 1997 wasn't as versatile as he would be in the last half of this decade, but he was bigger, stronger, and didn't have as many nagging injuries. If these two met sometime that year, the result would have been epic.



Larry Csonka

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Pat Patterson (1981) vs. Terry Funk (1994) - Pat Patterson in his 1981 Alley Fight persona vs. ECW Terry Funk = GLORIOUS BATTLE!

The Freebirds (Gordy, Hayes and Roberts) (1984) vs. XXX (Daniels, Skipper and Ki) (2004) - The team that was the prototype of the three man unit vs. an evolution of that format.

Sting (1993) vs. The Undertaker (2008) - It is a match that people have even wanted to see in recent years, but Sting in 93 was seasoned and rocking the house with Vader, and 2008 Taker was insanely awesome against Edge.

Ricky Steamboat (1989) vs. Shawn Michaels (2008) - There is no doubting that Ricky Steamboat in 1989 was awesome, his matches with Flair prove that. Shawn Michaels in 2008 showed that he was a matured performer, with a great series of matches against Chris Jericho. These two greats could have had a classic series, no doubt.

5. Bob Backlund (Early 80s) vs. Bryan Danielson (2005-08) - Bob Backlund, to me, is a completely underrated wrestler, and that is a shame. But the fact is this, the man maybe crazy, but he was a tremendous performer, and his mirror is some ways today is Bryan Danielson. The generational clash of MMA vs. real wrestling would make for a lot of fun.

4. The Rock (2001) vs. Shawn Michaels (2008) - Some may be wondering why I am choosing 2008 HBK. In my opinion, while a step slower and beaten down, 2008 HBK is simply the better worker. That HBK vs. the 2001 Rock (Mania 17 time) would be off the charts. Rocky would be over like mad, HBK could work his subtle, yet Jesus pleasing heel, and it would work. Seeing Rock sell the superkick would be glorious.

3. AJ Styles (2005) vs. Original Tiger Mask (1982/83) - In 1982 and 1983 the original Tiger Mask, Satoru Sayama, was putting on state of the fucking art matches with the Dynamite Kid. This shit is so good that I will stack it up against anything today and they still have 5 star matches. AJ Styles over the last few years has not only matured, but has consistently been one of the best wrestlers in the world. Yeah, I said it. I believe that these guys could have matches that would melt your face. The ultimate in smark wet dreams, and I include myself in that.

2. Team 3D/Dudley Boys (Late 90s) vs. The Road Warriors (1986) - There is always debate of just who is the best of all time. Some say the Road Warriors, due to the way they dominated and won titles in different organizations. Some will say it is Team 3D/Dudley Boys due to what they have accomplished. Well the, let's take the teams in their prime and decide just who is the best of all time. It's the simple things in life.

1. The Midnight Express (Stan Lane and Bobby Eaton) (late 80s NWA) vs. The Heavenly Bodies ("Gigolo" Jimmy Del Ray and The Doctor of Desire Tom Prichard) (1993) vs. Beer Money (Robert Roode and James Storm) (2009) - I know that a lot of people may want to go with E&C, the Hardys and others for a big tag team match, but this is MY list, and I have decided to bring in three of my favorite tag teams for the headline spot. The greatness of Stan Lane and Bobby Eaton as a team is well documented, and we know what they bring. The Heavenly Bodies are criminally underrated as far as tag teams go, and while they are similar to the Midnights, that is why they are here as they are a mirror team. Finally, BEER… MONEY~! Heel tag team collision of awesomeness!



Mathew Sforcina

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Victoria (2009) V Massive Q (2009) - Hey, I have to live up to the gimmick.

5.Hollywood Hulk Hogan (1996) V Stone Cold Steve Austin (2001) - This match is bound to appear on many lists of this type, but maybe not this version. But to me, Hogan and Austin were never more interesting than when they were nWo and Paranoid respectivly. While everyone wants to see them as two faces, I want the heel versions to pair off, thank you.

4.Raven (1996) V Roddy Piper (1983) - I'm a fan of Raven. I'm a fan of Roddy Piper. Both are crazy sons of bitches, albeit from opposite ends of the spectrum, meeting in the same place. This would be bloody, and it would be awesome.

3.Ricky Steamboat (1991) & Rey Mysterio (1996) V Vader (1992) and Bam Bam Bigelow (1987) - Two guys who could make you care and feel their pain easily, and two guys who could give out pain at will. Admitally, I'd prefer Yokozuna in there instead of Bam Bam, but Bammy will be able to sell a hell of a lot better than Yoko, as much as I like Yoko. Still, this would be a hell of a match.

2.Sting (2007) V Shawn Michaels (2004) - Again, I'm bucking the trend here slightly. In this battle of Jesus' Pals, one normally takes Sting during his high flying Surfer stage. But honestly, I prefer Crazy Old Man Sting more. I think it's a matter of what he's lost in moves he's gained in storytelling, and I value that more. But your milage may vary.

1.Bob Backlund (1994) V Bret Hart (1997) V Kurt Angle (2002) V Bryan Danielson (2006) V Ric Flair (1986) V Chris Jericho (2009) - In some sort of Iron Man match. With Submissions only. And all men are legal. Pretty please?



Jake Chambers

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Austin Aries (2004 ROH Final Battle) vs. Goldberg (1998 Starrcade) - Hey, I never would have guessed that Aries would have been the one to dethrone the much larger and tougher Samoa Joe, so maybe he could have done the same to Goldberg's streak under different circumstances.

‘Hollywood' Hulk Hogan (WCW late-990s) vs. Hulk Hogan (WWF mid-1980s)- Wouldn't you like to see what would happen when the most popular babyface of all time matched up against the most hated heel of all time… strangely they happen to be the same man, but one can fantasize…

Rey Mysterio Jr. (WCW 1996) vs. KENTA (NOAH 2007-present)- Currently Rey has adapted a bit too much to the WWE style to make a match between him and KENTA as interesting as it would have been if the world renowned cruiserweight traveler from 1996 had a shot at the best light heavyweight wrestler in the world today.

5. Goldust w/Marlena (WWF 1996) vs. Macho Man Randy Savage w/Elizabeth (WWF 1986) - A decade apart, yet wrestlers cut from the same insane cloth. What would the bullying, swift and wiry Savage have done against an opponent just as unpredictable as he was? What kind of mind games would Goldust need to beat the masochist ‘Macho Man'? And what would Liz and Marlena be wearing? Oh my…

4. Manami Toyota (AJW 1995) vs. Trish Stratus (WWE 2003) - When Trish Stratus was wrestling in 2003 I thought her matches were the best things going in the WWE at the time, yet I still felt hesitant to heap too much praise on her as one of the all time great female wrestlers. Technically she was only a Diva who was trained in-house and never got to experience working ‘the road' or interacting with wrestlers from different styles or origins. It would be truly amazing to see her matched up with one of pro-wrestling's and All Japan Women's all-time legends. I think Toyota in her prime would have given Trish a true test of her ring work, stamina, agility and toughness, and given us a chance to truly see if Trish had what it takes to be considered a great female wrestler.

3. Owen Hart & British Bulldog (WWF 1995-7) vs. Dangerous Alliance: Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton (WCW 1991-2) - For some reason this has long been a fantasy match in my mind. These always seemed like the ultimate tag team combinations to me, each man being part of a previously mega-successful tag team. The sad part was that both teams had little in the way of competition during their reigns, but then again who could compete against these teams? Only each other, my friends… and only in my dreams!

2. 'American Dragon' Bryan Danielson (ROH 2005-6) vs. Bret ‘Hitman' Hart (WWF 1995-6) - During these two different generations, Dragon and the Hitman were not only my favorite wrestlers going but also the undeniable best wrestlers in the world. Both men were inexplicably gifted technicians, and could find a way to have a great match with anyone put in front of them regardless of size, ability, reputation or capacity for breathing. To see these two go at it would be an absolute wrestle-gasm!

1. Undertaker (WWE No Way Out 2006 - present) vs. Kenta Kobashi (All Japan 1995-7) - While I noticed Hubbard chose ‘taker to go against Misawa, I would argue that a match against Kobashi would be much more formidable, particularly the seasoned and brutish, MMA inspired ruffian and tactician we saw against Kurt Angle in 2006, who then went on to some of the best matches of his career against Batista and Edge. These matches captured the spirit of the mid-nineties All Japan, the neck-jarring, finisher-repeating, near-fall-fests that Kenta Kobashi spotlighted to 5-star, marathon success. Kobashi in particular was growing into his immense size and skill level in 95-97, while taking Kawada and Misawa to the limit time and time again, and also notably having some legendary encounters with southern Americans like Steve Williams and Stan Hansen who had dominated in Japan with cunning and force comparable to the modern day Undertaker. These two men, from these two stages in their careers, would match up so perfectly in size, endurance, move sets, strength, and most importantly popularity! Now, if only we could get those douche bags from Deadliest Warrior to use 21st Century science to see what happens when two warriors go toe-to-toe… no rules, no safety, no mercy… it would be a duel to the death to decide who is the deadliest ‘wrestler'!



Julian Bond

I'm kind of crappy with choosing "wrestlers' years" for these matches, so bear with me!!

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Ricky Steamboat (1989) vs. Shawn Michaels (1997) - I saw Aaron mentioned this match above and it simply sounds great on paper. I would definitely pay to see this now.

Stone Cold (1998 – 1999) vs. John Cena (current) - Just thinking about the mega-angry Stone Cold versus a "fighting for his life" Cena would be sight to behold.

The Rock (1999 – 2001) vs. A.J. Styles (current) - Simply put, the two most electrifying, awesome bump-sellers wrestlers versus one another would have been crazy to watch.

5. Undertaker (current) vs. Abyss (2004 – 2007 as a heel) - I thought that this match-up would be interesting to see because of the whole Undertaker vs. "Big Immovable Object Heel" thing that's been going on for millions of years. Taker has faced the likes of Big Show, Great Khali, Diesel, Yokozuna, and hell…even Giant Gonzalez. But to take on someone as sick and seemingly indestructible as the monster Abyss would make for one hellua feud. I could just imagine now…Undertaker doing everything in his power to take him down, only for Abyss to keep coming back. Would have easily been some of the most violent matches (Hell In A Cell, thumbtacks, barbed wire!!!) seen in either TNA or WWE.

4. Bryan Danielson (current) vs. Bret Hart (1995 – 1997) - I think that it would be awesome as hell to see the new-age technical wrestling-savvy Danielson attempt to go move for move against the "in his prime" technical wrestling genius in Bret Hart. I believe that Danielson is definitely one of the best grappling today, but I think that going against Hart would have been his most challenging bout to date.

3. John Cena (current) vs. The Rock (1999 - 2001) - I see this as more of a fantasy match that my aforementioned "Stone Cold vs Cena" because I can actually imagine this working out better. Cena and Rock being the ultimate babyfaces in each of their eras and both kind of having the same fast rise to stardom (and initial rejection from fans) in the first few years of wrestling would make for a killer storyline and bout. People's Elbow vs The Five-Knuckle Shuffle. The Attitude Adjuster (aka the F-U) vs. The Rock Bottom. Would definitely be great to see.

2. The Rock (1999 – 2001) vs. Shawn Michaels (current) - I was one of as I'm sure A LOT of fans who were mad that these two were mere inches away from feuding, but never did. Back in the day when Triple H was mega-heel and Shawn Michaels had came back as "WWF Commissioner" only to give Sweet Chin Music to the Rock during a match-up, it made many fans' mouths waters with the idea that these two would face off in the ring. But sadly due to Michaels' back still being out, that never came to be. Easily this match would have headlines SO many PPVs it wouldn't have been funny.

1. Kurt Angle (2003 – 2005) vs. Bret Hart (1995 – 1997) - Not only I'm assuming that a lot of fans had wished that Bret was still wrestling today for this to happen, but even Bret himself said in a recent interview that he wished that he would have faced Angle…while Hart was in his prime of course. Imagine when Angle was in top form putting on wrestling clinics with the likes of Chris Benoit and Shawn Michaels at the time facing off against Bret in arguably his prime years…it would be absolutely sick. I honest to goodness couldn't imagine either man losing to one another.



Ryan Byers

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Santino Marella (2008) vs. Ebessan I (2004) - If you ask most fans to come up with a list of "fantasy matches," they'll solely list main event-level bouts . . . but how about a fantasy undercard match or two? My first choice is a pairing of the two men who have made me laugh more than anybody else in professional wrestling, who could surely put together the comedy match to end all comedy matches if the language barrier did not wind up being too big of a factor.

Aja Kong (1993) vs. Jacqueline Moore (2003) - Of all of the talented female wrestlers from North America who never made it over to Japan, I always thought that Jackie Moore would've fit in the best overseas. Seeing the toughest that American ladies wrestling has to offer go up against the toughest that Japanese ladies' wrestling has to offer would be quite the treat.

Umaga (2007) vs. Ricky Morton (1985) - When it comes to dishing out a relentless beating and acting as a dominant heel, Umaga is as good as, if not better than, everybody I've seen in the last ten years. When it comes to taking a beating and getting a crowd behind a babyface's selling, Morton is as good as, if not better than, everybody who I've seen in the last thirty years. These two seem like they were made for one another, aside from the inconvenient fact that their primes were decades apart.

5.Tiger Mask I (1982) vs. Rey Misterio (1996) - Both of these men were revolutionaries. Rey Misterio, an American citizen who broke in to wrestling in Mexico, integrated several aspects of traditional U.S. wrestling in to lucha libre, gaining unprecedented crowd reactions in the process and becoming an international phenomenon. Satoru Sayama, meanwhile, donned a hood as the original Tiger Mask and turned the ground-based world of professional wrestling on its head, introducing a high flying style that essentially created modern junior heavyweights, both of the sort currently found in Japan and of the sort currently found in United States independent promotions. Later in his career, he was one of the first men to successfully integrate aspects of shootfighting in to his professional wrestling repertoire. Obviously, there is a certain aesthetic appeal to putting them in the ring together due to their colorful looks. However, if you go beyond that, you would get significantly more. UWF worked shoot style. Lucha libre. Japanese junior heavyweight style. Traditional US professional wrestling. At least one of the two competitors would be bringing elements from each of these styles together in one ring, and they'd be doing it all before their bodies started to give out due to the numerous injuries that their years of hard in-ring work caused.

4.Brock Lesnar (2002) vs. Scott Steiner (1992) - Fans who started watching professional wrestling during the Monday Night Wars or later have no clue what Scott Steiner was capable of doing when he was at his physical peak. He wasn't just strong, he was SCARY strong, as I've heard numerous wrestlers in shoot interviews tell stories about how they never feared taking Scotty's wicked suplexes when he was in a good mood, because he had the muscle to put you exactly where he wanted to put you in the ring, almost regardless of where he started from. To top things off, he was agile . . . that Frankensteiner he busts out in TNA was not a recent development. He looked so good and got so much buzz that, according to some stories, Ric Flair was practically begging to drop the World Title to him. When Brock Lesnar first started to hit his stride in the early part of this decade, I thought to myself, "Holy cow, this is Scott Steiner all over again!" They were two large, powerful men with amateur credentials who, unlike the other muscle-ridden beasts in professional wrestling in their respective eras, could actually move and work. Watching the two of them beat the ever loving snot out of each other for ten straight minutes would be absolute gold, though what I would really want to see is Brock Lensar wrestling Steiner's body from the early 90's combined with Steiner's personality from present day. THAT would be buys.

3.Ricky Steamboat (1989) vs. Art Barr (1994) - Most people reading this website will probably have no problem classifying Ricky Steamboat as the ultimate white meat, family man babyface. However, he never really had an opponent who was the complete antithesis of his character. Yes, he had the legendary rivalry against Ric Flair, but Flair wasn't exactly the polar opposite of Steamer. Yes, the Nature Boy was all flash and materialism while the Dragon preached family values. However, Flair wasn't outright, sleazy, unmitigated EVIL. Art Barr in Triple A in 1994 was that character. The devious, scheming Barr going toe-to-toe with the virtuous, clean cut Steamboat would be the perfect basis not only for a series of angles leading up to a match but also for an in-ring story. It's also not as though I'm talking about two men who couldn't put on a classic match even without the story. Steamboat's reputation as a top shelf worker is unquestionable, and, though he never got wide exposure in the US, Barr's name would be spoken in the same breath as those of Eddy Guerrero, Chris Benoit, and Dean Malenko had he not prematurely passed away.

2.Kurt Angle (2003) vs. Randy Savage (1987) - Frenetic energy. Those are the two words which come to mind when I think of the wrestling styles of these two men. Both of them move at a breakneck pace and, in their primes, would show utter disregard for their own bodies while simultaneously working as hard as they could in order to protect their opponents. Though the majority of fans would probably rather see Angle against somebody like Bret Hart, Bob Backlund, or a competitor who was billed as more of a "technician," my thought is that most of the technicians from days gone by are more slow-paced, calculated wrestlers than Angle. I would rather have somebody who can match him move-for-move in terms of agility than I would somebody who has comparable mat based wrestling skills. Randy Savage, more than anybody else outside of the modern era, is that man. To top it all off, you have the fact that both of these men are a little bit on the crazy side, both inside the ring and allegedly outside the ring. The fact that each wrestler is just a bit "off" would add some extra sizzle to what would no doubt be a spectacular boubt regardless of their demeanors.

1.Dory Funk, Jr. (1970) vs. Bryan Danielson (2006) - Dory Funk, Jr.'s prime occurred was years before I was alive. Yet, through the magic of video tape, I have had an opportunity to relive some of his greatest moments. As a result, he's become one of my all-time favorites, and I particularly enjoy his fusion of mat-based wrestling with what were considered intense strikes for his era. Though he can also mix it up and wrestle a more typical "indy" style bout, Bryan Danielson has the ability to do everything that I love about Dory's style. Also, when he does employ that style, it is clear that Danielson does it better than any wrestler active in the twenty-first century. It would be supremely interesting to see these two men who are masters of a particular genre of professional wrestling combining their skills to produce what I believe could be the ultimate display of grappling arts.



Jeremy Thomas

HONORABLE MENTIONS

AJ Styles & Christiopher Daniels (2006) vs. Miz & Morrison (2008) - One of my favorite tag teams from TNA vs. one of the best tag teams since they Styles & Christopher broke up. How can you go wrong?

5.Hulk Hogan (1987) vs. John Cena (2008) - This would be a match that would likely cause the IWC to implode upon itself. John Cena is the Hulk Hogan of the modern era (except with a better work rate), and watching these two uber-faces match-up against each other would be epic in terms of sports entertainment, if not in in-ring work. Frankly, it would put Hogan/Warrior at 'Mania VI to shame, and that was an epic match.

4.Hayabusa (1999) vs. Evan Bourne (2008) vs. Rey Mysterio (1997) vs. Jeff Hardy (2009) vs. Dean Malenko (1998) vs. Gregory Helms (2007) - Now HERE'S a Money in the Bank line-up for you. This would pretty much be the ultimate spotfest, with Dean-O Machino in there to give us some added psychology to string the match along. I was always a huge Hayabusa mark, and seeing him go up against some of the best cruiserweights during their respective primes would be a dream come true. No, it wouldn't be a five-star match due to sheer lack of storytelling, but it would be a HELL of a lot of fun. As long as no one killed themselves, anyway.

3.Terry Funk (1989) vs. Mick Foley (1998) - Funk and Foley always had a very special chemistry with each other in the ring. With that in mind, one wonders what they could have been if they'd locked up during their respective primes. This could have been a great, intense and bloody brawl; toss in a serious hardcore stipulation and this would have been one for the ages.

2.Raven (1996) vs. Jake Roberts (1990) - Raven is one of my all-time favorite guys. He has a great charisma about him, a wonderful character and one of the sharpest minds in the industry. One of the places he always excelled at was psychology and telling a great story in the ring. With that in mind, how awesome would a match between him and the original WWF master of psychology and storytelling, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, have been? You have two people who give great interviews that take them to the dark side in some degree, wrestling in their prime (read: not during Jake's drug-addled, snake-masturbating era or Raven's depressed and unmotivated time), and the match would just be an utter joy to watch.

1.Bret Hart (1997) vs. Kurt Angle (2001) - Both Kurt and Bret have said they always wish they could have locked up when they had the chance. Who am I to deny I would have loved to see it? Let's face it, this would have been a work-rate dream of a match that would have had some absolutely amazing technical wrestling going on. Both men could go and both men could play heels as well as they could faces, so this could have gone with any number of angles thrown in with it. I can't imagine any match I would have wanted to see more that we never got the chance to see than this.



Michael Bauer

KENTA (Current) vs. CM Punk (Current) - If for nothing else, the Go2Sleep has made both men fanous.

Ricky Steamboat (Late 80's) vs. Shawn Michaels (Mid 90's) - If not for Steambost coming back this year, I would have never put this down.

Rey Mysterio (Anytime this decade) vs. AJ Styles (Anytime this decade) - Pure high flying craziness.

5. Samoa Joe (2006) vs. Steve Austin (1997-1998) - This is the brawl to end all brawls. Samoa Joe has just been fierce in both Ring of Honor and TNA, although he could never win the big one. Austin got his shot and took it, being the roughneck. Both of them just never gave a damn about anything and this match would be non stop punches and stomps. Good luck picking a favorite.

4. KENTA and Naomichi Marufuji (2004) vs. John Morrison and The Miz (2008) - Everyone has tag team matches of some sort. And while you have the Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian, the Hart Foundaion, and the Steiners, I like me some fast tag team action with ridiculous tag team moves. Miz and Morrison were the best tag team in the WWE for the past two years and simply have the great combonation of charisma and ablility to be a very over team. KENTA and Marufuji was Japan's equivilant for 2003 and 2004. These guys by themselves have move on top of moves. Put them together and it was a thing of beauty. Putting these teams together would be pure poetry.

3. Mankind (1998) vs. Necro Butcher (Current) - You want to talk about a slugfest where the winner is simply the man who can take the most punishment? This would be that match. Mankind continued matches after being chucked off and through Hell in a Cell. Necro Butcher is the most psychotic wrestler in the Indys today and would surely give Ms. Foley's baby boy plenty of punishment, while being able to take a shit load back also. This could easily be the most violent match of any mainstream promotion.

2. Mitsuharu Misawa (1997) vs. Undertaker (1997) - I have to agree with what was stated before. Misawa is prehaps the greatest Japanese wrestler of all time. I have seen him live and he has the same vibe no matter who he is facing or what the situation is during a match. The Undertaker was very similar around this time, before Kane came into play. After that, he started showing frustration on the ring. These two going at it would be totally epic, even though it might slightly bore many people who just don't understand the psychology of a wrestling match.

1. Bryan Danielson (2005-Current) vs. Bret Hart (Mid 1990's) - Abso-Freaking-Lutely! Arguably two of the greatest Technical Wrestlers ever in the ring at the same time would be a match worth paying for over and over again. Danielson has won the Wrestling Observer Most Technical Wrestler four years in a row, trailing only Chris Benoit in that regard. And while Bret Hart was almost overshadowed during his prime by Liger and Benoit, Bret Hart was almost one of the smartest technical wrestlers of his generation. This match would all kinds of awesome and would showcase the best of each man.