3 Dream WrestleMania 40 matches WWE had to cancel

A great man once said, "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry." Sometimes, you can plan everything perfectly, only to see things fall apart due to circumstances out of your control. WWE is a company all too familiar with this fact of life, having a long history of changed storyline directions and unrealized dream matches.

WrestleMania 40 was reportedly planned to feature many dream matches, some of which are still likely, such as Jimmy Uso vs. Jey Uso. However, several bouts rumored to be in the works now seem out of the question for various reasons. Consequently, the WWE Universe is set to miss out on, or at least wait a little longer, to see these fantasy battles happen.

Here are three planned WrestleMania 40 dream matches that, as it stands, seem likely to be canceled:

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#3 Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair won't be happening at WWE WrestleMania 40 due to The Queen's serious knee injury

According to multiple reports, early plans for WWE WrestleMania 40 had Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair facing off in a historic dream match before The Queen tore her ACL, MCL, and meniscus. The 14-time Women's Champion underwent successful surgery and has made incredible progress. However, she is still a long way from making her return.

This means that barring a medical miracle, Belair will have to face someone else at The Showcase of the Immortals. There is no shortage of exciting potential replacements, including Jade Cargill. Whoever The EST faces in Philadelphia, it's likely to be one of the highlights of the entire weekend.

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#2 Brock Lesnar vs. Gunther is unlikely to happen at WWE WrestleMania 40

One of the potential WrestleMania 40 dream matches the WWE Universe was most excited to see was Brock Lesnar vs. Gunther. The first-time-ever bout between the two dominant athletes was supposedly subject to much internal discussion. Reports indicated it was almost locked in for 'Mania before the Vince McMahon scandal broke out.

The Beast was subsequently pulled from the Royal Rumble match, which was most likely going to be where the two men collided and set up the planned feud. Given the delicate nature of the allegations, it could be a while before Lesnar is seen again on WWE programming. Hence, The Beast's rumored showdown against The Ring General in Philadelphia is off for now.

The record-breaking Intercontinental Champion could face someone like Chad Gable, Jey Uso, or Bron Breakker at The Show of Shows instead.

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#1 Seth Rollins and CM Punk's date with destiny at WWE WrestleMania 40 fell apart very quickly

What a difference a month makes in WWE! At the turn of the year, Seth Rollins and CM Punk were heading towards a dream match for the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 40. Rollins was fending off challengers and cash-ins from all directions with aplomb, while Punk was characteristically magisterial on the microphone.

The tension towards their inevitable clash was simmering nicely and almost reaching its boiling point. However, two quick-fire injuries brought it all to a halt. The Visionary hurt his knee while executing a routine springboard move on Jinder Mahal, while The Voice of the Voiceless tore his right tricep from a Future Shock DDT. Now, the former faces a race to be fit for The Show of Shows, while the latter is seemingly ruled out for a long time.

We will most likely get Punk vs. Rollins somewhere down the road, but WrestleMania 40 will not be the stage for their first match in over a decade.