The best wrestlers to come out of TNA made names for themselves in an industry that was dominated by WWE. Both promotions had their own success stories of talents going back and forth. Quite a few dream matches would take place when talents finally mixed it up for the attractions. The matches would have results going both ways of huge success or disappointments.
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Some wrestlers switched companies when moving too late to deliver a great outing. Others found the right timing to deliver classic bouts that fans wanted to see for years. Each instance featured a different story of why the match was appealing and how it played out.
10 Great: Brock Lesnar vs Samoa Joe
The move to WWE for Samoa Joe allowed him to have quite a few dream matches when making his way to the main roster. Joe got over enough to become a credible threat to Brock Lesnar’s WWE Championship reign.
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The big match main evented the Great Balls of Fire PPV with huge expectations. Joe was one of the few wrestlers to look strong against Joe in both the booking and the match. Fans wanted more from the two, but the one singles match was a hit.
9 Flopped: AJ Styles vs Randy Orton
WWE used the appeal of a big AJ Styles vs Randy Orton match at WrestleMania 35. Styles was coming off his WWE Championship reign ending and needed a new opponent. Orton challenged Styles on the biggest stage in an attraction match.
Fans wanted to see the WWE vs TNA dream match for years before AJ finally joined WWE. The match at WM turned out to be a disappointment with fans chanting for lights due to an issue with the set-up. Styles and Orton never had the great match many expected on the biggest stage.
8 Great: AJ Styles vs Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns was the top star when AJ Styles debuted for WWE in 2016. The initial moment of Reigns looking in confusion as the new music played for Styles’ surprising debut in the Royal Rumble match set the tone for their future match.
Styles was Roman’s first WWE Championship challenger after WrestleMania 32. The title matches were outstanding with both men having superb chemistry. Reigns had the best matches of his defense and Styles proved to be a top star in WWE.
7 Flopped: Matt Hardy vs Bray Wyatt
The Broken character of Matt Hardy in TNA saw him becoming a character fans wanted to see in WWE. Bray Wyatt was the obvious opponent for Matt when thinking of similar characters that could thrive in the cinematic genre.
WWE placed them in a feud after Matt appeared for months without showing signs of the Broken character. Wyatt was also in a terrible place after losing his biggest feuds. The two had a lackluster cinematic match with Bray and Matt eventually forming a short-term tag team.
6 Great: Sting vs Triple H
The move to WWE in late 2014 saw Sting finally making his debut in WWE after decades of hope from fans. Sting decided to spend almost a decade in TNA instead of going to WWE after WCW went out of business.
The first program for Sting in WWE saw him feuding with Triple H. Many fans were upset that Undertaker didn’t face Sting, but Triple H had a fun match with the icon. WrestleMania 31 saw an excited crowd going wild for the dream match. It wasn’t a five-star classic, but the two legends put on a great spectacle.
5 Flopped: Bobby Roode vs Randy Orton
Randy Orton and Bobby Roode were considered two of the best technical wrestlers in the world when working for separate companies. Both wrestlers were successful heel world champions with similar styles at their peak.
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Roode coming to WWE saw him getting over in NXT before getting called up to the main roster. WWE placed Orton into a feud with Roode for the United States Championship. The matches were lackluster and barely remembered despite once holding great appeal.
4 Great: Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe
One of the dream matches between WWE and TNA stars came early in TNA’s history when Kurt Angle jumped ship. The unhappy ending of Angle in WWE saw him leaving the company to get a fresh start in TNA in 2006.
Samoa Joe was the instant dream match everyone wanted, and TNA wasted no time. Angle debuted by headbutting Joe to bust him open in a wild brawl. The first matches of Angle in TNA delivered big time against Joe with an all-time great trilogy.
3 Flopped: Mick Foley vs Abyss
Mick Foley signing with TNA was initially done as an authority figure. The retirement of Foley saw him later in his career not having many matches at the end of his WWE run. TNA eventually convinced Foley to start having matches to bring attention to the company.
Abyss was considered a dream opponent for Foley in TNA since he was developing a legacy as a top tier hardcore wrestler. The TNA stipulation of Monster’s Ball gave them a violent platform with Foley taking dangerous bumps that just depressed many viewers.
2 Great: AJ Styles vs John Cena
The biggest potential dream match of WWE and TNA wrestlers saw John Cena and AJ Styles finally facing off when Styles joined WWE. Fans wanted to see the faces of each company having the dream match for years when both guys were leading the way in the industry.
Styles turned heel in WWE by attacking Cena to add some intensity to their feud. The matches between the two were spectacular with Styles getting over thanks to Cena being unselfish. Both wrestlers benefited immensely from getting to face off after the appeal existed for about a decade.
1 Flopped: Jeff Hardy vs Sting
An argument can be made that Jeff Hardy and Sting were the two most successful wrestlers with face paint in wrestling history. Hardy revealed that Sting was his favorite wrestler as a kid and getting to have a match when he moved to TNA was a huge selling point.
Unfortunately, the first major match between the two came when Hardy was in a poor place mentally. Sting was livid when Jeff appeared intoxicated and he had to force the match to its end. TNA had their all-time worst moment during a dream match.
NEXT: 5 Times TNA Insulted WWE With Successful Results (& 5 Times It Failed)
