10 Biggest WWE Rematches That Never Happened

5. Steve Austin Vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 14 (1998)

Why There Was No Rematch: Shawn Michaels’ back injury was so bad that he didn’t wrestle for over four years. When he came back in 2002, Austin’s neck injury forced him to retire in early 2003.

That Austin/Michaels match at WM14 was huge because of Tyson’s involvement and also because that’s when WWE really started to turn the tide in their war with WCW. It was the top face who had such a bright future against the biggest heel in the business that had been established as the best wrestler in the company.

It’s too bad that Michaels’ back injury was so bad that he couldn’t wrestle for the next four years. His 2002 return was triumphant, but also came at a time when Austin was sparring with Vince McMahon over the creative direction of the company. Austin was back in the mix in early 2003, but we didn’t know at the time that he would retire at WrestleMania 19 a few months later.

If they were both healthy at the same time they could have had some incredible matches together. Unlike some of the others on here, this wasn’t their only match (check out King of the Ring ’97 for a double DQ match), but it’s a match that left people wanting more because of what they could have done. It’s too bad that it wasn’t meant to be.