While opponents in professional wrestling matches typically portray themselves to be mortal enemies, behind the scenes, they by and large get along with one another. After all, it takes a great deal of trust and respect for a performer to trust his body with another person, and the best matches are often a product of two performers with chemistry and a spirt of cooperation guiding them. Wrestlers booked against one another don’t always get along, though.

Not only do some wrestling opponents not get along with one another, though. There are also those cases in which a pair of wrestlers may get along reasonably well on a personal level, but nonetheless struggle with how they’ve been positioned on the card, the angle they’ve been booked into, or their in ring pairing getting run into the ground.

There are those times when wrestlers not wanting to work together have caused poor matches between guys working at cross purposes, or who were right all along that they didn’t have chemistry, or the gimmick for their bout was never going to work. Other times, the matches wound up good—in some cases, even great—in spite of neither performer initially wanting to be involved. These cases may be a matter of dumb luck or, perhaps, those occasions when management really did know best about how to use the talents at hand.

This article takes a look at 25 memorable matches in which neither of the participants wanted to be involved in that bout.

25 Steve Austin Vs. Bret Hart - WWE WrestleMania 13

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Nowadays, the math between Steve Austin and Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 is seen as one of the best and most important matches in WWE history. It was two pros executing at the highest level, and it was a rare double turn as Hart turned heel and Austin turned face.

The reality, is that Hart was dead-set on wrestling Shawn Michaels at this show to get his win back, and his title back from the previous ‘Mania.

Michaels suffered a spurious injury that kept him out of action. The Hitman, in turn, was left without a dance partner and out of the title picture. Meanwhile, Austin and Hart agreed that the two of them had already exhausted their feud—previously blown off at the preceding Survivor Series. Austin also didn’t like the idea of working an Submission Match, given he wasn’t a submission grappler and didn’t have a signature hold at the time.

Despite their reservations and resentments, Austin and Hart would deliver like only two all time greats can. Vince McMahon’s vision for Austin refusing to quit, and instead passing out to end the match played off perfectly. Both characters were off and running in new directions.

24 CM Punk Vs. Triple H - WWE Night Of Champions 2011

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CM Punk caught fire in the summer of 2011 based on his worked shoot Pipebomb promo, and stellar matches opposite John Cena. The follow up was less certain, as Kevin Nash returned to WWE and was lined up as Punk’s next adversary, while The Straight Edge Superstar stepped away from the world title picture.

If Punk vs. Nash in 2011 wasn’t exatly a dream match up, things got even worse when Nash couldn’t pass his WWE physical. The writing was on the wall that WWE was building toward Punk feuding with Triple H, who was still a face but working as the lead authority figure on Raw, and kept butting heads with Punk.

When Nash couldn’t work, WWE opted to both stay the course for its overarching story plans, and try to sub in a comparably high profile match for Punk it meant hot shotting Triple H vs. Punk, sooner than Triple H wanted for it to happen. Based on interviews, Punk was by and large underwhelmed with working The Game at any point, and particularly annoyed to lose this PPV match, further derailing his hard won momentum.

23 AJ Styles Vs. Christopher Daniels - TNA Bound For Glory Series 2012

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While AJ Styles is known today as one of WWE’s top stars, for the better part of a decade he was one of the definitive stars for TNA. During that tenure when he rose from top young prospect to establishment veteran, Styles feuded, teamed up with, and otherwise found his journey intertwined with that of Christopher Daniels.

Styles and Daniels were both great workers of similar size, so the pairing made reasonable sense. By the time the 2012 Bound for Glory Series rolled around, though, the two had been going at it off and on for seven years.

This latest pairing of the two not only revolved around the Series’s prize—a world title shot at Bound for Glory—but more so a convoluted storyline about Styles having a kayfabe affair with a non-wrestling entity named Claire Lynch, and perhaps having been the father of her child. Not only were Styles and Daniels working redundant matches, but they were saddled with the dirt worst of soap opera style storytelling that took the focus away from their world class athletic efforts.

22 Goldberg Vs. Brock Lesnar - WWE WrestleMania XX

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From late 2016 to early 2017, Goldberg and Brock Lesnar worked a unique program that pulled on nostalgia and both men’s smash mouth sensibilities brilliantly to arrive at a successful draw, and a fun storyline. No one would have guessed this fate 13 years earlier, however, when the two worked one of the worst matches in WrestleMania history.

On paper, the original Goldberg-Lesnar program made all the sense in the world, pitting two main event level powerhouses against each other, not to mention that Goldberg was on his way out, while Lesnar was still in the early stages of his career and would benefit from a victory.

Things took a turn when news leaked that Lesnar was also leaving to pursue a career in pro football.

Goldberg vs. Lesnar at WrestleMania XX became a match between two guys who each had a foot out the door, didn’t really want to be there, and had a smart NYC crowd all too eager to boo them both out of Madison Square Garden. It was clear the guys were out of their element and uncomfortable in the ring together, resulting in a historically bad encounter.

21 Triple H Vs. Scott Steiner - WWE No Way Out 2003

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In early 2003, WWE was by all accounts eager to cash in on what was left of the loyalist WCW audience. As such, it made sense to sign Scott Steiner, who had lost the WCW Championship on the final episode of Nitro, and emerged as a legit main event star for the rival brand in its final year.

Despite having a fun debut, Steiner quickly felt out of place cast as a top face, and his first PPV match back, challenging Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at the 2003 Royal Rumble, was an unmitigated disaster.

Most blame Steiner for the bad match as he was clearly gassed in the late stages, and working a sluggish pace. To be fair, The Game didn’t exactly save the match.

WWE might have cut its losses there, but seemed committed to its original plan, and thus staged a rematch between Big Poppa Pump and The Game for the very next month’s PPV. It’s a bout neither man wanted to be involved in and that hardly anyone wanted to see. While the No Way Out 2003 encounter generally gets, mercifully, forgotten, it was a nightmare rematch scenario for everyone involved. Steiner would never be treated as a main eventer in WWE again, and would leave for good as soon as his contract was up.

20 Chris Benoit Vs. Sid Vicious - WCW Souled Out 2000

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WCW didn’t have the best reputation for keeping its employees happy, but hit one of its lowest points of all in January 2000 in making two main event level talents unhappy, and booking a match that would not end up helping the long term creative direction of the company at all.

Going into Souled Out, Chris Benoit reportedly told management he wanted out of his contract and nothing—even winning the world title—would change his mind.

On the other side of the ring stood WCW Champion Sid Vicious, who was reticent about losing to the smaller Benoit, whom he suspected he would look bad dropping a match to.

WCW nonetheless booked Benoit to win, in what would become a phantom championship victory for WCW nullifying it immediately after. The company let Benoit and friends, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, and Perry Saturn go in the immediate aftermath, never to return, leaving Vicious a former champ, and no one involved particularly happy.

19 Chyna Vs. Chris Jericho - WWE Survivor Series 1999

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Early in his WWE tenure, Chris Jericho was tasked with the unenviable task of working an Intercontinental Championship program with Chyna. While the Ninth Wonder of the world was impressively powerful, and got over with the crowd, she was far from a polished in ring performer. To make matters worse, as Jericho chronicled in his book Undisputed, Chyna was also politically plugged in with the influential Kliq, in particular dating rising superstar Triple H.

So, Jericho wasn’t thrilled with the high risk and unfulfilling task of working with Chyna. Moreover, it became Chyna wasn’t so happy to work him either. She reportedly complained to Vince McMahon about Jericho after he hit her with a stiff shot. The two were clearly coming from different perspectives and backgrounds, and didn’t seem to jive at all as opponents or partners for the months they were booked together.

18 Stardust Vs. Goldust - WWE Fastlane 2015

Goldust vs. Stardust

Cody Rhodes played ball with instructions from WWE, playing face and heel versions of himself, bleeding over into a Dashing womanizer gimmick, a super villain themed character, and finally Stardust.

While Cody did his best with the Stardust gimmick, and had his moments, he, his half brother Goldust, and their father Dusty Rhodes all seemed to have had their reservations about it.

In particular, the concern was Stadust being booked as little more than a smaller version of Goldust for the similar look and eccentric mannerisms.

Things came to a head when this match up was booked, not for WrestleMania as the two had reportedly hoped, but for the B-PPV before ‘Mania, and with Cody actually losing to his half brother. It was all a momentum killer for him, and a key step toward his eventual departure from WWE.

17 Hulk Hogan Vs. Big Van Vader - WCW Uncensored 1995

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Hulk Hogan was an awkward fit for WCW when he first arrived. He was largely committed to working the same shtick that had made him famous in the 1980s, up against a mix of old WWE imports and WCW guys used to working a less cartoonish style. On paper, Big Van Vader seemed like a proper monster heel opponent for The Hulkster, but his hard hitting, faster work rate style did not jive so well.

The two assembled a reasonable enough match in the tradition of Hogan matches for SuperBrawl 1995. The guys reportedly didn’t like working together at all, though. Hogan complained Vader was too stiff. Vader didn’t buy into Hogan’s more kid-friendly theatrics, and wasn't happy to lose another match to him. So, when they had a rematch booked for Uncensored, neither man was too pleased. Infamously, it would be Ric Flair who wound up involved in the match, and taking the fall on Vader’s behalf so Vader wouldn’t have to absorb another pin.

16 Daniel Bryan Vs. Triple H - WWE WrestleMania 30

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WrestleMania 30 was Daniel Bryan’s night. Fans will always remember him finishing off the show with two world championships held high after making Batista tap out to beat The Animal and Randy Orton in a main event triple threat. That wouldn’t be Bryan’s only triumph, though.

Earlier in the night, Bryan pinned Triple H to win his way into the main event. While that match paid off the Bryan vs. Authority angle, gave Bryan momentum, and was arguably the match of the night, it was also an intense physical match to add to the physical toll of the night. Meanwhile, for Triple H’s part, he’d been set on working with CM Punk for WrestleMania. That Punk rejected the Triple H match en route to walking out on the company altogether was a slap in the face to The Game. Some speculate he put over Bryan in part to drive home to Punk what he could have offered him, had he not been so stubborn.

15 The Kat Vs. Terri Runnels - WWE SummerSlam 2000

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SummerSlam 2000 included the low brow side attraction of The Kat and Terri Runnels competing in a Stink Face Match. The concept was as straightforward as it sounds, with the winner rubbing her butt into the face of the loser. In a year when WWE was largely on fire, particularly with its PPV offerings, this may have been the lowest point the company had to offer.

To be fair, it’s not as though The Kat or Terri Runnels were equipped to put on a serious wrestling match of any quality.

Just the same, competing within this match concept would be degrading to any woman at all. After she was fired, The Kat would cite it among the examples of WWE objectifying her, and Runnels didn’t seem exactly thrilled to transition from her managerial role into this realm of pure smut either.

14 Madusa Vs. Oklahoma - WCW Thunder, 2000

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When Madusa made a surprise defection from WWE to WCW, and even went along with Eric Bischoff’s instructions to dump the WWE Women’s Championship in a trash can on live TV on Nitro, she’s indicated that she did so on a promise. WCW led her to believe she’d be cast as a serious athlete, and have the opportunity to put on the great matches she was capable of—opportunities that had dried up in WWE at the time.

Madusa’s return to WCW wound up leaving a lot to be desired, as it didn’t take long before her primary function was serving as eye candy. Finally, she and management seemed to strike a compromise as she began working with men in the Cruiserweight division. One bump along that road was working a comedy match with Oklahoma—Ed Ferrera’s character designed to mock Jim Ross. It was uncomfortable for the male non-wrestler to be largely dominated by a female performer, and an embarrassment for Madusa to be involved in such a farce.

13 Steve Austin Vs. Scott Hall - WWE WrestleMania X8

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There are a lot of ways in which Steve Austin and Scott Hall were more similar than different. After all, they were both sound wreslting minds and great workers who rose to iconic status in the 1990s. Both could be considered main eventers in their respective primes, and by all accounts the two men even enjoy a mutual respect for one another. Their WrestleMania X8 match, however, was not one either man wanted a part of.

Particularly for Austin, the match felt like a demotion.

Considering that he spent his previous WrestleMania appearances working with Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and The Rock, more often than not in main event scenarios, working Hall, specifically at that point in time felt more like an upper mid card attraction. Stone Cole made no bones about the fact that he wanted to have been working Hulk Hogan at that show, and his complaints didn’t exactly make Hall excited to be booked opposite The Texas Rattlesnake.

12 Sting Vs. Ric Flair - The Final WCW Monday Nitro

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Sting and Ric Flair are iconic in ring rivals, and there’s a great deal of poeticism to them working the last match of the last Nitro. There’s a real argument to be made that they represented WCW’s most iconic matchup, and on top of that the two had worked one another in the original episode of Nitro, lending sense of symmetry to this matchup.

Sting and Flair had a great deal of mutual respect, and it’s not that either man didn’t like the other at the time of this match. Sting was reportedly dealing with variety of injuries at the time, though, while Flair had been away from the ring and had fallen far enough out of shape that he wasn’t comfortable being seen publicly with his shirt off. So, the two wrestlers were not confident hitting the ring together, and the resulting match, while respectable, was a shell of what the two had put together in preceding years.

11 CM Punk Vs. Ryback - WWE Battleground 2013

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CM Punk was a notorious grump in the WWE locker room, hypercritical of how he was booked as well as others around him. When he gave a tell all interview on his friend Colt Cabana’s podcast, nearly a year after walking out on WWE, he directed a great deal of spite toward Ryback.

Punk was booked opposite The Big Guy in the latter stages of his year-plus WWE Championship reign and found him to be stiff, if not dangerous to get in the ring with.

In recalling their follow up feud in 2013, Punk commented that each match with Ryback took years off his career, particularly when he was already working hurt.

For his part, Ryback didn’t seem to have a problem with Punk’s work, but has commented in interviews about not appreciating Punk and Paul Heyman conspiring with one another throughout their angles, including when Heyman was playing Ryback’s manager, rather than Punk’s.

10 Brock Lesnar Vs. Dean Ambrose - WWE WrestleMania 32

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WrestleMania 32 was a strange one, with a cast of high profile stars including John Cena, Seth Rollins, and Bray Wyatt unable to perform, thus forcing WWE to shuffle the deck. We’ll never know for sure how the card would have stacked up with everyone in play, but the Street Fight between Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose may not have come to pass in that case.

Lesnar-Ambrose was an awkward fit, because Ambrose hadn’t really been situated as a main event guy going into the program. To make matters worse, Lesnar was reportedly in one of his less energized moods at this point, already casting an eye toward his one-fight return to UFC opposite Mark Hunt.

The result was a match in which Ambrose claims to have pitched ambitious ideas, only to get stonewalled by The Beast, who was not invested, and perhaps saw Ambrose as beneath him. For one of the featured draws of that year’s ‘Mania, the results were largely lackluster, with neither man happy to be in the ring with the other.

9 Edge Vs. Booker T, WWE WrestleMania X8

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By WrestleMania X8, Edge and Booker T were very different wrestlers with very different histories, on markedly similar paths. After starring in the tag team division, Edge was finding his footing with an upper mid card push as a face. Booker T was just about the last man standing from the failed WCW Invasion angle, coming into his own as not a representative of his own company, but his own man.

Both Edge and Booker T would have at least one WrestleMania world title match in their futures, and world championship reigns. At this point, however, they met not out of a well told story or out of the spirit competition. Instead, for lack of anything better to do with either man, WWE slapped them together in a WrestleMania feud.

The core of their rivalry? Edge had gotten a (fictitious) Japanese shampoo commercial over Booker T.

It was lousy storytelling, and it’s a testament to each man’s professionalism that they both took and did their best with a story and match that the company clearly didn’t care about.

8 The Road Warriors Vs. The Midnight Express -NWA Starrcade 1986

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The Road Warriors and Midnight Express were iconic NWA tag teams of the 1980s and had a number of solid matches with one another. They represented a great balance. The Road Warriors were awesome looking, hard hitting beasts who got over with crowds based on how raucous they were, despite not being the best or safest workers in the ring. Opposite them, The Midnight Express played terrific chicken heels, whose actual in ring mechanics were beyond reproach.

There’s little account of these teams having any real life beef, but when it came time to Starrccade 1986, no one was excited for the gimmick math they were booked into—a Scaffold Match that called for the winners to throw the losers off the imposing scaffold structure. Both teams’ reluctance is immediately evident in watching the match as they both appear very tentative, slow, and careful, making the encounter feel like anything but the epic war bookers intended for it to be.

7 Tatanka Vs. Lex Luger - WWE SummerSlam 1994

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Tatanka’s first year or so with WWE was largely successful, as he was well built with a lengthy winning streak, and his Native American heritage offered him a unique identity on the WWE landscape. Meanwhile, Lex Luger transitioned from the largely generic Narcissist heel gimmick to playing a patriotic babyface main eventer.

Unfortunately, both Luger and Tatanka saw their stock wavering as 1993 transitioned to 1994.

That Tatanka and Luger would end up feuding going into SummerSlam 1994 was a demonstration of how each man’s careers had hit the skids.

They worked an angle of intrigue around Tatanka accusing Luger of secretly working with Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Corporation (a stable that, itself, had no heat attached to it that that point). There was a predictable double cross as Tatanka turned heel to reveal that he was actually the one who had been working with DiBiase. The reveal fell flat, and Tatanka himself has spoken in shoot interviews about not feeling right in the heel role. So, this match represented two guys taking a demotion, and one being miscast.

6 Taz Vs. Mike Awesome, ECW, April 2000

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The April 2000 match between Taz and Mike Awesome went down as a historical anomaly. It was a WWE wrestler (Taz) challenging a WCW wrestler (Mike Awesome) for the ECW Championship on an ECW show.

The story was that Awesome, while reigning as ECW Champion, signed with WCW, hence leaving his previous employer in a bind. WCW agreed to let him work one more match to drop the title. ECW needed both a credible challenger to preserve booking continuity, and wanted a name who’d generate buzz, and make ECW look like an exciting place to be, rather than a second-rate company Awesome didn’t mind walking from. WWE agreed to let a recent ECW alum step up to bat.

For as much as the match was historic, neither of the men involved particularly wanted to be there, each having moved on to greener pastures. Awesome, in particular, was all too eager to be on his way. For Taz’s part, there arose a sinking suspicion that WWE let ECW borrow him just so Taz could in turn lose a match to WWE Champion Triple H in a rare champion vs. champion opportunity.