In all sports, fans always want to see a game between the two biggest teams, or for that matter, the two best athletes. Wrestling is no exception, as fans always want to see the greatest. WWE wrestlers facing each other, the main eventers.
However, for one reason or another, sometimes these matches between megastars don’t happen, or only happen once. Maybe the fans loved that first match and wanted to see a rematch, or maybe history needed another match, but that didn’t happen. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at 10 main event stars who, surprisingly, only met once.
10 Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan
Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan only met once, in the main event of Survivor Series 2018. It was an epic Champion vs. Champion match, one of the best matches of Lesnar’s career. They were 18 dynamic minutes, with a perfect rhythm and action inside the first level ring. Lesnar ended up defeating Bryan. The fans wanted to see a rematch, and they surely still do, but sadly it wasn’t possible.
9 Brock Lesnar and CM Punk
Another fighter that Brock Lesnar must have faced more than once was CM Punk. They only met in Summer Slam 2013, in a match without disqualification in which Lesnar prevailed. It was a spectacular game, and some fans consider it an all-time classic.
It would have been great to see a rematch though, the storyline could have been longer and better, maybe with Paul Heyman playing a crucial role, it could have been an amazing fight, but it all came down to one match (thankfully it was awesome).
8 Undertaker and Ric Flair
In wrestling 18, The Undertaker and Ric Flair met for the first and only time, which is surprising considering they were active for many years. Remember when Ric Flair helped The Undertaker defeat Hulk Hogan at Survivor Series 1991? Well, one would expect Flair and Taker to have met in the ring before, but their meeting happened in 2002. Obviously, Flair was just another victim of The Undertaker, and the match was pretty good.
7 Triple H and Roman Reigns
Certainly, Triple H and Roman Reigns belong to different generations, but even so they could have faced each other more than once. They met in the main event of WrestleMania 32, in a game that sucks. These two can do so much better, and they should have had a rematch to redeem themselves after that disappointing match. But we already know that this did not happen, and the only memory that fans of Roman Reigns and Triple H have in a ring leaves a bad taste in their mouths.
6 Randy Orton and Cactus Jack
It’s surprising that Randy Orton and Cactus Jack have only faced each other once, as WWE has always based their storylines around multiple matches, especially when they’re good. The young Orton defeated the legendary Cactus Jack in his own hardcore match.
Orton endured an unimaginable amount of pain and showed that he would do whatever it took to win the company over, while Jack did as phenomenal a job as ever. It was an unforgettable match, possibly the best match in Backlash PPV history.
5 Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels
Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels are two of the greatest wrestlers in WWE history, but they only met once, and that was in the main event of Summer Slam 2005. It was a quirky match, to say the least, as Michaels oversold Hogan’s moves, which is amusing to some fans and others who killed the match because Michaels wasn’t working seriously. For one reason or another, it was a memorable match. After 21 minutes, Hogan defeated Michaels.
4 Shawn Michaels and the big show
Obviously, The Big Show was never on the same level as Shawn Michaels, but he was still a main eventer at some point in his career, so it’s somewhat of a surprise that these two only met once. The match didn’t even take place on a PPV, but it did occur during the December 12, 2005 episode of Monday night raw. It was an Elimination Chamber qualifying match, which the Heartbreak Kid won via disqualification.
3 Brock Lesnar and AJ Styles
Considering that Brock Lesnar has worked part-time for most of his career, it’s understandable that he doesn’t have as many matches, but it’s still surprising that he and AJ Styles have only faced each other once. It wasn’t even a proper story, but they clashed in Survivor Series 2017 because both were the champions of their respective brands. The match was phenomenal (no pun intended) but it would have been great to see them in a long fight and maybe enjoy a trilogy of matches.
2 John Cena and Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy was a midcard wrestler for most of his career, but he made it onto the main event scene at some point. As for John Cena, well, he is the definition of a main eventer. So, it’s funny that these two superstars only met once. The match was in the main event of the June 2, 2008 episode of Monday night rawCena was the winner to earn a WWE Heavyweight Title shot.
1 Drew McIntyre and Big E.
In the era of The Tribal Chief, it’s hard to see anyone else headlining PPVs, but still there are several wrestlers who are considered main event talent, such as Drew McIntyre and Big E. These two wrestlers have only met once, in Crown Jewel 2021. It was a great match, two over babyfaces fighting intensely from start to finish, performing good maneuvers and telling a good story. Fans would have loved to see a rematch, but it was a one night show.