.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1100&h=618&dpr=1.5)
One of the many things fans love about WWE 2K22 is the fact that the playable roster spans almost every era of WWE history. From the larger-than-life personalities of the Golden Era, to the in-your-face stylings of the Attitude Era, to the fast-paced workhorses of the modern era.
Not only that, but players get to play as those stars when they were at their peak, meaning they can put on the kinds of matches that are simply impossible to see in real life. Be it because a wrestler has retired, passed on, or left WWE, WWE 2K22 allows for a whole host of dream matches fans will never see anywhere else after fans unlock these Legends through the in-game store.
10 Shawn Michaels Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
With the overall descent Shinsuke Nakamura has gone through since joining WWE, it's easy to forget that, when he wants to be, he's one of the best in-ring workers of the current era. In NXT he adapted his Japanese Strong-Style to the WWE formula perfectly, and it made for some incredible matches.
Seeing Nakamura balance technical prowess with fast-paced, high-impact offense makes fans wonder who from wrestling's past would pair well with it. Shawn Michaels seems like the best candidate. The Heartbreak Kid could sell hard strikes better than anyone, and he could easily keep pace with Nakamura in the ring.
9 Ric Flair Vs. Walter
When looking through history at the best all-around performer to ever do it, Ric Flair has got to be high on that list. He could drive crowds into a frenzy, both for and against him with his promos, meanwhile, his technical in-ring work laid the foundation that wrestlers are still building from today.
WWE has a whole host of great technical wrestlers today, but none thrive in that subtle mat-based style quite as much as Walter, who is making his video game debut in WWE 2K22. The story they could tell with Flair's smaller physique and Walter's mass is obvious, but the two could absolutely go hold-for-hold in the ring too. There are perhaps no two men in wrestling history who could make a slow, mat-based match as thrilling as these two could.
8 Brock Lesnar Vs. Keith Lee
Fans could talk for days about how horribly WWE squandered Keith Lee's potential. The man has charisma like no one else in the wrestling world right now. He had an imposing physique but could move with amazing speed and power. Sound familiar? Brock Lesnar certainly thinks so.
The only time these two ever faced off was in the Royal Rumble, and the little taste of what fans saw there promised a thrilling match between two of WWE's biggest wrestlers. Sadly, it would never come to pass, as Keith Lee has since left WWE for AEW, and this fast-paced hoss-fest of a match can only be seen in video game form.
7 The Undertaker Vs. Drew McIntyre
The reports from the past few years are to be believed, this is a match that nearly happened on several occasions, but plans were always changed somewhere along the line. When Drew McIntyre made his grand return to WWE looking beefier than ever before, his ascent to main-event stardom was just a matter of time.
A high-profile match with The Undertaker was discussed several times and even set for Summerslam one year before plans sadly changed. Drew can strike hard and fast in the ring, which would've paired well with Undertaker's slower, heavier pace. The Undertaker has hung up his boots now, but he shall live on forever in WWE 2K22, where this match can still happen.
6 Brock Lesnar Vs. Batista
Two of the biggest stars of the Ruthless Aggression era, it seems unbelievable that these two wrestlers have never fought in the ring. When looking at their career trajectories, though, it becomes obvious why they never met.
Brock's first run in the company was from 2002 to 2004 when Batista was still a mid-card talent and hadn't risen to stardom yet. Batista retired in 2010, two years before Brock returned to WWE, and Batista's 2014 return was too brief for the match to happen. It would've undoubtedly been a sight to behold as these two gigantic muscle men tried to destroy each other.
5 Stone Cold Steve Austin Vs. Roman Reigns
One of the best kinds of dream matches involves taking the top star from one era and pitting them against the top star from another era. Stone Cold is arguably the biggest wrestling star of all time, rivaled perhaps only by The Rock in terms of his mainstream celebrity appeal.
While The Rock vs. Roman Reigns is still being planned, Stone Cold has long been retired, and it's a shame so many great matches will never happen. With Roman Reigns' heel attitude, he would be able to cut some incredible promos with Stone Cold, and their match would be an interesting mix of styles.
4 Eddie Guerrero Vs. Shawn Michaels
One of wrestling's most tragic losses is that of Eddie Guerrero, who was taken from fans in the prime of his career. One of the people he never got to have a great match with was Shawn Michaels, who had returned as an active wrestler just a few years before Eddie's passing.
Michaels had a fantastic match with Rey Mysterio as a tribute to Eddie the week of his passing, so fans can only imagine what it would've been like to see the two collide in the ring. Eddie has a unique take on the Lucha Libre style, a style Michaels always worked well against, and the clash of personalities would be a sight to behold.
3 Hulk Hogan Vs. John Cena
Ever since the Golden Era, Vince McMahon had been trying to find his next Hulk Hogan. The star that would define an entire generation as an uncomplicated hero who pulled crowds in by their thousands. After going for something completely different in the Attitude Era, the right man finally came along in 2002.
It would take a few years for WWE to capitalize on the potential of John Cena, but once they did, it was massive. WWE went all-in on John Cena for so long that eventually, fans got sick of it. That said, a match between Hogan and Cena would've been a sight to behold. Granted, it probably wouldn't have been a very great in-ring match, but the clash of personalities would've been enough to carry the whole thing.
2 Bret Hart Vs. AJ Styles
The conversation for "best technical wrestler" will be forever ongoing, but there is a larger portion of wrestling fans who will die on the hill that it is Bret Hart, and they may very well be right. Modern fans, however, will point to a few contemporary stars, most notably, AJ Styles.
Although a match like Styles vs. Shawn Michaels might be more flashy, the sheer technical genius that would be on display between Hart and Styles would blow everyone away. Making it a Submission match would make things even better, as the Sharpshooter and the Calf Crusher are a pair of great submission holds.
1 Hulk Hogan Vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
It is a match that many fans still believe to this day should've happened, but it just never came to be. Both men were active in WWE in 2002 and 2003, but the match never came together. The story as to why is a little muddled, not least because Hogan is the biggest tall-tale teller in the business, but the general consensus is that Stone Cold didn't like or trust Hogan, and refused to do it.
Although Hogan was a few years past his prime by 2002, there isn't an arena in the world that wouldn't have cheered that match. Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock happened at WrestleMania that year, and it has gone down as an all-time great WrestleMania match. Fans can only imagine Hogan vs. Austin would've been much the same.
WWE 2K22 is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.