What if this wrestler had been around long enough to face this one? What if we got that dream match between those two teams that were eerily similar back in the 1980s? What if this Superstar could face that Superstar to determine which era was the definitive best?
Try this one on for size: what if the great WWE President Jack Tunney put together a two-day supercard Bigger, Badder and Better than any WrestleMania fans could ever imagine?
B/R writers Erik Beaston and Chris Mueller tackled that possibility, drafting two rosters brimming with the greatest Superstars in WWE history.
Comprised of singles, tag teams and women, the rosters were then turned into two huge mega-cards chockful of dream matches, rivalries and the most unforgettable stars in the long and illustrious history of McMahonland.
Who made the cut, what matches did the writers put together and why?
Chris' tag team roster is an eclectic mix of tandems from a variety of eras, providing fans old and young a team they can get behind.
Below is his roster and reasoning for picking the teams that he did:
The Rockers
The New Day
Edge and Christian
Owen Hart and British Bulldogs
The Rockers are one of those tag teams everybody knows about but they are rarely mentioned in lists of the best duos anymore, and that is a shame.
Imagine a young Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty in their prime against The New Day. It would be guaranteed to steal the show on any card.
Edge and Christian were chosen for obvious reasons and the duo of Owen and Bulldog were always overlooked as a team in comparison to their other respective partnerships. I felt like both teams had to be on my roster.
Erik's tag team division is made up of three teams from WWE's golden era of tag teams and one of the most influential and revolutionary duos in wrestling history.
Below is his roster and explanation for the picks:
The Hardy Boyz
The Hart Foundation
Demolition
The Legion of Doom
The Hardy Boyz revolutionized the industry via their ladder and TLC matches, but before they became synonymous with the high-stakes gimmick matches, they were a damn good flashy babyface team. They are the perfect team to build the roster around.
The Hart Foundation might be the best dichotomy, with Bret Hart as the technical genius and Jim "Anvil" Neidhart as the bruiser. Their inclusion also allows me to utilize The Hitman as a singles competitor.
The real draw of the division is The Legion of Doom and Demolition. Two over-the-top bruiser teams, their styles mesh well with both The Hart Foundation and the flashier Hardy Boyz. More importantly, history tells us they can each work babyface or heel depending on need.
With only four picks, I had to make sure I had one of today’s top stars against one of the top names from yesteryear, which is why Lynch and Madusa were high priorities.
Lita and Asuka both represented what I feel are the outside-the-box Superstars. They have their own unique styles in and out of the ring, which would make them great rivals for one another.
If there was a women's wrestling Mount Rushmore, it would be nearly impossible not to carve Stratus and Flair's faces into it. They have championed the sport while elevating it to a level of excellence those in fans watching as late as the Attitude Era never could have imagined.
I was ready and eager to choose them when they were available.
Banks is one of those performers whose greatness has been overshadowed by some of her more successful peers but there is no denying how important she is to the history of women's wrestling. Who knows if the so-called revolution would have happened without her series against Bayley in NXT.
And finally, Bull Nakano was awesome. She's a legend, should have achieved even more in the states and the idea of her sharing the ring with any of those three women is more than appealing.
I wanted to make sure I had a variety of stars from multiple eras but I also wanted to ensure I was able to get some of my favorites. That is why Sting was a top priority.
I also wanted to have a healthy mix of different kinds of wrestlers. Powerhouses, technicians, heels and babyfaces. The third goal was picking people I knew would make for exciting dream matches like Velveteen Dream and Rick Rude.
Making sure I could put Sting with The Undertaker was important. After that, most of the other competitors were assigned to The Elimination Chamber.
The best rosters, in my opinion, have always been the ones that offered something for every fan regardless of their tastes.
I wanted to start heavy with the star power and did that with Savage, Rock, Austin and Hogan, then added Cena. From there, I compiled a group of wrestling-heavy Superstars such as Jericho, Guerrero, Benoit and even Triple H.
The inclusion of Mankind and Goldust provides my roster two of the more underrated influential stars in WWE history. Throw in Bret Hart and Jeff Hardy from the tag team division and you have a singles roster that representative of that desired style diversity.
This feud would be all about mind games and one-upmanship. Dream has modeled a lot of his characteristics after Rude, so it would be a lot of fun to see how they would perform as opponents. This match would be worth it just for the airbrushed tights they would each have made with their opponent’s face on it.
The Rockers vs. The New Day (Tag titles)
How much selling do I have to do for this one? They represent two teams who were ahead of their time from two different eras. The high-flying action alone would make this a Match of the Year candidate. The feud would be as simple as two competitive teams fighting over gold. They don’t need anything else.
Edge and Christian vs. Hart and Bulldog (Steel Cage)
This would be built up as the Hatfields vs. The McCoys of Canada. Bulldog is Owen’s Brother-in-law, which makes him a member of The Hart Family. Edge and Christian were kayfabe brothers, so this would be all about proving the Harts are not the only good wrestling family from Canada.
Becky Lynch vs. Madusa (Women’s Championship)
Madusa was the top women’s wrestler in WWE for years, so she would take exception to The Man claiming to be the best of all time. A veteran Alundra Blayze taking on Lynch at the top of her game would be a huge attraction.
Lita vs. Asuka (No. 1 Contender)
Lita and Asuka are two of the most unique individuals of their generations. When you have two people who are that talented and that different from the rest of the pack, putting them in the ring together is an easy decision. Lita would be the better choice to work this feud as a heel while Asuka operated as the fan-favorite.
Angle vs. Flair vs. Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton vs. CM Punk (Elimination Chamber)
What happens when you take six of the best professional wrestlers in history and stick them inside The Elimination Chamber? You get one of the most physical and entertaining matches of all time. The six competitors in this match represent every major era from the ‘80s until today.
The Ultimate Warrior vs. Bray Wyatt (Firefly Fun House)
The Ultimate Warrior’s most memorable feuds were against supernatural characters like The Undertaker and Papa Shango. He has never seen anything like The Fiend, but Wyatt has never faced anyone like Warrior, either. Seeing how they handle each other’s wild personalities would be incredible.
Sting vs. The Undertaker (World title)
WWE missed their chance to put Sting in the ring with The Undertaker, but I will not make the same mistake. This match along would fill the entire arena. People would travel from around the world to see two of the biggest stars from the Monday Night War finally meet face to face. Adding any kind of extra storyline on top of this would be a mistake. All it would be is two legends competing to see which one is better.
Chris Benoit is one of the greatest technical wrestlers of all-time, a master of the mat, and he has no problem challenging anyone to prove him wrong. Mankind interrupts a Benoit promo and says that Benoit may be a great technical wrestler, but it has been a long, long time since he ventured into the world of hardcore. “Leave no doubt. Prove once and for all that you’re the greatest of all time. Fight me in my world.” And the match was official.
Jeff Hardy vs. Goldust
Two of the most eccentric, enigmatic, charismatic and bizarre performers in WWE history do battle. Goldust appears during several of Hardy’s matches, even costing The Hardy Boyz a tag title match. Seemingly intrigued, obsessed even, but The Charismatic Enigma, he sets out to get his hands on the former WWE champion in one of the stranger matches on the card.
Tag Team Championship Match: The Legion of Doom vs. Demolition
Is Demolition a rip-off of The Legion of Doom or an entity of their own? Animal and Hawk believe it is the former and are prepared to prove it by successfully defending their tag team titles against Ax and Smash. The two most dominant, bruising and punishing teams in wrestling square off in a dream match.
Women’s Championship Match: Trish Stratus vs. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bull Nakano
Trish Stratus returns to the ring for a showdown with Sasha Banks, only for Charlotte Flair to take exception to such a monumental contest that does not somehow involve her. She has, after all, defeated every icon to ever set foot in a WWE ring. That is, until the legendary Bull Nakano interrupts and stakes her claim to the women’s title. For the first time ever, those four cornerstones of women’s wrestling in WWE battle for the top prize in their field.
Last Man Standing Match: Chris Jericho vs. Triple H
Chris Jericho has accomplished everything there is to in professional wrestling, including finding success beyond the walls of WWE, but one loss still haunts him to this day: the Last Man Standing Match against Triple H at Fully Loaded 2000, where The Game got the best of him for one measly second. With the ghosts of the past lingering, Y2J returns to challenge Triple H in hopes of righting that wrong.
WWE Championship Match: Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Eddie Guerrero
A pro wrestling fan’s dream match brings together two of the best to ever lace a pair of boots, with championship gold on the line. Bret seeks one more run with the title while Guerrero looks to avenge a disappointing first reign by proving yes, he does have what it takes to carry the title...and the company on his shoulders.
John Cena vs. Batista
The two biggest stars of the Ruthless Aggression Era clash one more time, with nothing more than bragging rights at stake. With both having successful film careers outside the ring, this is sure to be the last time the greatest champions of the 2000s lock up.
Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock vs. The Mega Powers
The two greatest stars of The Attitude Era battle the kingpins of the Federation Years in the biggest tag team match in professional wrestling history. Will the finger-flipping, eyebrow-raising antiheroes emerge victoriously or will Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage trounce them and prove that no one can topple the Mega Powers? The bigger question: can the teams even coexist long enough for us to find out?
