5 WWE dream matches you didn't know actually happened in WCW

Dream matches in sports are nothing new, and in the annals of WWE history, there have been plenty of matches fans have wondered about. And though fans will never see what would've happened if 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin tangled with Hulk Hogan, some dream matches have become a reality.

Though these matches didn't take place in WWE, they did happen in WCW, the now-defunct company that for years went toe-to-toe with Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation, before being bought out by the Chairman of the Board in early 2001.

Here are five WWE dream matches you (probably) didn't know actually happened in WCW.

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#5: 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper and 'Macho Man' Randy Savage vs Bret 'Hitman' Hart and Hulk Hogan

Hart and the Hulkster emerged victorious at the Bash.

When it comes to star power, few matches could compare to this Tag-Team match that took place in WCW, which featured four of the biggest stars in WWF history. Though each man had great success in the McMahon-led promotion, by 1998, all four were in WCW, and the huge tag match took place at the 1998 Great American Bash.

A match that had major ramifications, Bret Hart and Hogan got the submission victory over their opponents, and the stipulation meant that Roddy Piper and Randy Savage would have to face each other immediately after. Doing so, Piper got the figure four on his partner to get a quick submission victory, leaving the Macho Man the only loser of the four.

Shockingly, this huge tag match wasn't even the main event of the show, as that distinction went to Sting Vs. The Giant instead, who wrestled to be the sole WCW Tag Team Champion.

#2: 'Macho Man' Randy Savage vs Bret 'Hitman' Hart

The two World Champions faced off at 1998 Slamboree.

Randy Savage is generally viewed as a star of the generation before Bret Hart rose to the top in WWE. The Macho Man was working world title matches while Hart was in the Tag-Team and then Intercontinental Championship picture, and by the time the Hitman rose to the main event picture, Savage's in-ring career in the WWF was winding down. From there, much of Hart’s time as a main event level star in WWE ran opposite Savage working in WCW.

When both men were in WCW, however, they did cross paths more than once. Perhaps most notably, they worked a match at Slamboree 1998, with the added sizzle of Roddy Piper working as the guest referee. This pairing is a perfect example of just how loaded WCW was with marquee stars at this point in its history, that a wrestling match between two icons of this magnitude was largely forgotten.

WCW's bad booking did strike in this match, as the Hitman won the match via submission on the night, but the decision was reversed the next night, with Savage winning via disqualification instead.

#3: Rey Mysterio vs Jushin 'Thunder' Liger

Two of the most famous masked wrestlers ever faced off just once in WCW.

Rey Mysterio may be considered the greatest masked Superstar in WWE history, but in the whole of professional wrestling, there are few masked wrestlers who can compare to the legendary Jushin 'Thunder' Liger. With his skills and ability, Liger helped redefine the genre after joining the Atlanta-based organization in 1991. His rivalry with Brian Pillman over the Light Heavyweight Championship — the precursor to the Cruiserweight Title — was memorable, but his oft-forgotten battle with Rey Mysterio is the true definition of a cruiserweight classic.

Joining the company in June 1996 at the tender young age of 21, Mysterio quickly showed how good he was and would become, as a match was set for the two at that year's Starrcade PPV. A meeting of the wily veteran against the young up and comer, the match was, as you'd imagine, an incredible showing by both men. Though Mysterio demonstrated a toughness that would follow him his entire career, it was Liger who got the huge win, proving that there was plenty of life left in the legendary masked sensation.

#2: 'Macho Man' Randy Savage vs 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin

Austin lost to the Macho Man before departing for the WWF.

Much like the previous slide about Savage and the Hitman, the Macho Man and the Texas Rattlesnake are considered as two of the biggest stars in wrestling history, but from two very different times. Though Savage was a main event player during the late 80s and early 90s, it would be Stone Cold who would take the top spot in the WWF a decade later as part of the Attitude Era.

Before Austin was levelling Vince McMahon with his 'Stone Cold' Stunner though, he was in WCW, and the pair did cross paths during Savage’s WCW tenure and Austin’s final days with the promotion. The writing was on the wall that guys like Stunning Steve, who had been working their way up the card, were likely not going to reach the mountain top as the company shifted directions to feature former WWE stars.

Before Austin was let go from the company, he quietly put over Savage in a sub-five-minute free TV match. In January 1996, Austin debuted in the WWF as the Ringmaster, and in just over two years, captured the very same WWF title Savage once held.

#1: Sting Vs. The Undertaker

Mean Mark Callous faced the Stinger before becoming The Undertaker at the WWF Survivor Series 1990.

For years, fans have pondered who would have won in a match pitting The Undertaker Vs. Sting. Sadly, a match between the two characters never took place, as whilst the Demon of Death Valley was becoming a legend of the WWF, Sting was a loyal soldier for WCW in the Monday night wars. And though these two characters never squared off in either company, the men behind the pair did.

In 1990, Sting had already established himself as one of the big names in WCW, capturing the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Ric Flair at the Great American Bash in July that year. Meanwhile, a young upstart by the name of 'Mean' Mark Callous had grown tired of the company, and was fancying a change. In one of his final matches in WCW, Callous took on the Stinger, before parting for the WWF.

Debuting at the 1990 Survivor Series, Callous would become The Undertaker, and though the Deadman persona never encountered the Stinger, WCW's fans got a glimpse of what the two future legends could do in the ring together.