There's nothing more exciting for wrestling fans than when we get to see all-time greats duke it out right in the middle of the ring.
On the other hand, there's nothing more disappointing than when we get overly excited for a match between two wrestling legends, only for the bout to fall way below our expectations.
Here are the 10 worst matches involving WWE legends.
10 10. D-Generation X vs. Brothers of Destruction (Crown Jewel)
Shawn Michaels stayed true to his retirement word for eight and a half year after losing to The Undertaker in the main event of WrestleMania XXVI.
But WWE was able to recruit The Heartbreak Kid out of retirement for the 2018 Crown Jewel event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He reformed D-Generation X with Triple H, and the duo went up against Kane and The Undertaker - who reformed the "Brothers of Destruction."
However, the choice to make this the main event match was a real mistake. Michaels, arguably the greatest in-ring performer of all-time, simply wasn't close to performing as the legend we all knew and loved before. The entire match was just lacking in excitement and space.
9 9. John Cena vs. The Rock: WrestleMania 29
WWE fans got the dream match when John Cena and The Rock met in the main event of WrestleMania XXVIII in Miami. This match was billed as "Once in a Lifetime," because we were simply told that Rock vs. Cena would happen once. The People's Champion came away with the victory, but sure enough, WWE ordered a sequel.
So a year later, we saw Cena and Rock meet in the main event of WrestleMania 29 for the WWE Championship. The match offered nothing new or special compared to the previous year, and it was simply unfair to hold back the other major WWE talents so that we could see Rock vs. Cena once again.
There wasn't as much hype for Rock vs. Cena Part II, and it certainly didn't come as a surprise that the second go-around didn't match the excellence and entertainment of Part I.
8 8. Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar (SummerSlam 2016)
Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar met for very first time in the main event of SummerSlam 2016. This match was billed as "15 years in the making," and we simply couldn't wait to see how The Viper would perform against The Beast Incarnate.
Instead, WWE simply insulted our intelligence with a lackluster match that ended when Lesnar defeated Orton via technical knockout in just 11:45. No drama, little pace and an ending that can only be deemed as a true disappointment.
This was a sour way to end an otherwise excellent show that saw Finn Balor become the inaugural WWE Champion over Seth Rollins. That should have been the main event, no?
7 7. Shane McMahon vs. The Undertaker (WrestleMania 32)
Shane McMahon made a totally unexpected return to WWE in early 2016, and he was thrown into a power struggle with sister Stephanie McMahon for the control of Raw. So Vince McMahon offered this stipulation: Shane would take Raw if he could defeat The Undertaker. If The Deadman lost, he wouldn't compete at WrestleMania again.
Fans couldn't help but think of the many endless possibilities. Would The Authority interfere in this match? Would Sting help out Shane and set up a dream feud with The Undertaker? There were so many ways this match could have gone.
Instead, Undertaker dominated Shane and defeated him via pinfall. Vince also went back on the stipulation and allowed his son to control Raw for a brief period - before naming him the commissioner of SmackDown.
6 6. Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania XX)
On paper, Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XX should have been an extraordinary and entertaining match. Unfortunately, the circumstances - along with an unforgiving crowd at Madison Square Garden - wouldn't let it happen.
Fans had heard the news that Goldberg's contract was up in WWE after this match, and that Lesnar was leaving to pursue a career in the NFL. The sold-out crowd berated the two during and after the match, with chants such as "This match sucks," "You Sold Out," and "Boring," Among others.
The only saving grace was when Steve Austin, serving as the special guest referee, hit both superstars with a Stone Cold Stunner - thus putting a merciless end to this match.
5 5. Hulk Hogan vs. Yokozuna (WrestleMania 9)
Bret Hart faced Yokozuna in what was expected to be the main event of WrestleMania IX. The former claimed that Hulk Hogan refused to put him over, which led to an extremely forgettable finish for one of the worst WrestleMania shows ever.
Yokozuna defeated Hart to win the World Heavyweight Championship, but Hogan came out to check on The Hitman after the loss. Hogan was immediately pitted against Yokozuna in the real main event for the title.
Hogan was able to defeat Yokozuna in just 22 seconds to become the New World Heavyweight Champion. Couldn't we have at least gotten a decent match for five to 10 minutes? Nope. Hart should have been the winner that night. Instead, we were left with this woeful main event with a miserable ending.
4 4. Triple H vs. Randy Orton (WrestleMania XXV)
Triple H defended his WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania XXV against Randy Orton. But Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker had already stolen the show with their match for the ages, one that can be regarded as the greatest in WrestleMania history.
Orton and Triple H just didn't have the same pace and overall excitement as other matches that night. It simply shouldn't have closed out the show. And because they already had a long history up to this point, nothing about this match really felt that special.
3 3. Hulk Hogan vs. Shawn Michaels (SummerSlam 2005)
Hulk Hogan returned to the WWE in 2005, and he agreed to go up against "The Showstopper" at SummerSlam 2005. The match was billed as "Legend vs. Icon," and fans simply couldn't wait to see how the former face of professional wrestling would fare against the legendary HBK.
Well, rumor has it that Michaels was supposed to win this match, but Hogan refused. That could explain why Michaels was completely overselling Hogan's moves throughout the hyped-up match.
If the backstage politics leading up to this match are true, then it's a true shame. We could have gotten a match for the ages, rather than a bout that's mostly remembered for Michaels' over-the-top flops.
2 2.The Undertaker vs. Goldberg (Super ShowDown 2019)
After a two-year hiatus, Goldberg returned to WWE in 2019 to face The Undertaker for the very first time. Even if there were concerns about the quality of the match, simply seeing these two indestructible forces brought plenty of excitement among the wrestling world.
But the match was a mess from the very beginning. Both superstars botched finishing moves (Goldberg dropped Undertaker on top of himself while trying to perform a Tombstone Piledriver).
Goldberg was also concussed during the match, which forced them to rush through the ending. Undertaker emerged victorious to put an end to what turned out to be one of the most disappointing pay-per-view main events in WWE history.
1 1. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (Survivor Series 1997)
Though Hart and Michaels were real-life enemies backstage, it didn't stop the two Hall of Famers from working together to form one of the greatest rivalries in the history of professional wrestling. But WWE was struggling financially in 1997, and Vince McMahon convinced a reluctant Hart to join with WCW (Hart had recently signed a 20-year contract with WWE).
The latter had one last request, and that was to defeat Michaels at Survivor Series 1997 in Montreal. Hart would defeat his arch enemy in his native Canada and relinquish the title a day later.
But we all know what happened instead. Vince double-crossed Hart and had the referee ring the bell while Michaels had Hart in the Sharpshooter submission hold, even though the latter never tapped out.
That incident became known as "The Montreal Screwjob," and Hart wouldn't return to WWE to patch things up with Michaels and McMahon until 2010. What a terrible ending to one of the greatest wrestling feuds of all-time.