Matches they were building up to that never happened

[OGBoardPoster2005]

Watching Raw in 1994, they are building up to a Luger/Crush and Yoko/Quake match at KOTR seemingly. However Quake got injured and so we ended up with Yoko/Crush vs The Headshrinkers. To make it even more obvious, Todd Pettingill after the Owen/Doink match talks about how Owen won thanks to Yokozuna (which it was actually Jarrett who interfered in the match), so I assume they pre-recorded the promo by Todd when it was suppose to be Owen/Quake instead on Raw.

Other instances of this?

[auph10imitated]

Alundra Blayze vs Aja Kong at the 1996 Royal Rumble

[魔界5号]

Samoa Joe debuts in NXT by interrupting Kevin Owens and stopping him from attacking Sami Zayn any longer, seemingly building to Owens vs Joe at the next TakeOver.

The confrontation is never referenced on TV again.

[thecrusherwi]

I feel like this is my example every time these threads come up, but I am STILL waiting for Austin vs Rock vs Triple H

[The Kevstaaa]

Apr 29, 2016 8:06:21 GMT -5 魔界5号 said:

Samoa Joe debuts in NXT by interrupting Kevin Owens and stopping him from attacking Sami Zayn any longer, seemingly building to Owens vs Joe at the next TakeOver.

The confrontation is never referenced on TV again.

It was referenced again...they had a match. Granted, it wasn't a huge match like we all thought, but still.

[The Kevstaaa]

[魔界5号]

Apr 29, 2016 8:23:23 GMT -5 The Kevstaaa said:

Apr 29, 2016 8:06:21 GMT -5 魔界5号 said:

Samoa Joe debuts in NXT by interrupting Kevin Owens and stopping him from attacking Sami Zayn any longer, seemingly building to Owens vs Joe at the next TakeOver.

The confrontation is never referenced on TV again.

It was referenced again...they had a match. Granted, it wasn't a huge match like we all thought, but still.

I have zero memory of that happening. I must be going crazy.

[MiLB Fan]

WCW initially promoted a US Title match between Dustin Rhodes and Ron Simmons at SuperBrawl 3. At the beginning of the show, Eric Bischoff announced that Simmons could not compete because of a shoulder injury and that Maxx Payne would get the title shot.

Rick Rude vs. Vader at Slamboree '94. This match came about after Harley Race cost Rude the International Title at Spring Stampede, but Rude's back injury in Japan put an end to that.

[ltcproductions]

They were setting up a Dean Ambrose vs. Mick Foley feud, but that was scrapped when an inability to get medically cleared forced Foley to officially retire.

[Push R Truth]

Cena vs Orton 28th Time in a Lifetime

They hinted at it a bit, then played it up ... was it in the Rumble? And the crowd took a collective shit on it.

[The Kevstaaa]

Apr 29, 2016 8:23:23 GMT -5 The Kevstaaa said:

Apr 29, 2016 8:06:21 GMT -5 魔界5号 said:

Samoa Joe debuts in NXT by interrupting Kevin Owens and stopping him from attacking Sami Zayn any longer, seemingly building to Owens vs Joe at the next TakeOver.

The confrontation is never referenced on TV again.

It was referenced again...they had a match. Granted, it wasn't a huge match like we all thought, but still.

[Dr. Bolty, Disaster Enby]

Samoa Joe vs. Low Ki rematch in ROH. That match was slow-burn built for something like four years before Ki and ROH had their falling out in 2006.

[Joe Neglia]

King Kong Bundy vs. Kamala. Circa 1987, they were building up to *something* with these two, as they kept crossing paths in the aisle as one left a match and the other headed toward his, but one or the other (I forget which) left the WWF before they could go anywhere with it.

Also, the Rude/Bossman match they were building to when Rude left.

[2coldMack is even more baffled]

Apr 29, 2016 13:38:29 GMT -5 Joe Neglia said:

King Kong Bundy vs. Kamala. Circa 1987, they were building up to *something* with these two, as they kept crossing paths in the aisle as one left a match and the other headed toward his, but one or the other (I forget which) left the WWF before they could go anywhere with it.

Also, the Rude/Bossman match they were building to when Rude left.

Man, Kamala vs. Bundy would have been ugly.

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

Apr 29, 2016 13:38:29 GMT -5 Joe Neglia said:

King Kong Bundy vs. Kamala. Circa 1987, they were building up to *something* with these two, as they kept crossing paths in the aisle as one left a match and the other headed toward his, but one or the other (I forget which) left the WWF before they could go anywhere with it.

Also, the Rude/Bossman match they were building to when Rude left.

I'm pretty sure Kamala and Bundy did have some house show matches with Kamala going over. Nothing televised though. Definitely would've been an interesting match to see.

What's funny about Bossman/Rude is that even though were feuding they never once had an altercation. It was just them threatening each other in promos and then Rude left before they had a match or even an altercation. Another one that's similar and from the exact same time is Saba Simba/Akeem which I would've loved to see just for the hilarity of it even though the matches I'm sure would've been horrible. They both cut inset promos on each other the others squash matches with each claiming to be greatest African in the WWF, but Akeem left before anything could happen. Oddly it appears that Rude and Akeem left at pretty much the exact same time as their last dates are both in early October 1990 and they both appeared last on TV in late October, with both then being replaced in their respective Survivor Series matches.

[Can you afford to pay me, Gah]

Sid vs. Roberts/Taker in 91. I remember Taker and Roberts attacking Sid but never recall an official match between either of them at that time. Plus the WWE Magazine with Taker vs. Nailz.

Of course you can also talk about Savage and Roberts being removed from the Survivor Series in 91 on the PPV.

[jmule]

Austin vs Hogan

[jason1980s]

With Rude and Vader at Slamboree, I think it was billed as Rude until the very night of the PPV. Nick Bockwinkel announced Sting for the match before the start of the matches.

Crush was a replacement for Mr. Perfect in the fued with Luger. It worked considering Crush's connection to Yokozuna but Crush was pretty much done after Macho Man and the feud seemed forced. They had a "blow off" match at the Summerslam Spectacular but I imagine that was just to give Luger TV time and a non-jobber credible opponent.
Yokozuna was not far removed from being the world champion so he had to have something even if it was a throw together match for KOTR. I think it kind of sums up how poor business was considering there were not many "real" heel tag teams for Headshrinkers to face and Yokozuna didn't even have a match (no credible opponents, I guess) at Summerslam.

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

Apr 29, 2016 15:20:04 GMT -5 Can you afford to pay me, Gah said:

Sid vs. Roberts/Taker in 91. I remember Taker and Roberts attacking Sid but never recall an official match between either of them at that time. Plus the WWE Magazine with Taker vs. Nailz.

Of course you can also talk about Savage and Roberts being removed from the Survivor Series in 91 on the PPV.

Savage was never announced to be in the match, they just teased him as a potential replacement for Sid who was originally announced but removed due to injury which was also why his feud with Jake ended up getting dropped. Jake was "suspended" for Survivor Series by Jack Tunney for his snake attack on Savage, thus making the Survivor Series match a three against three with LOD/Bossman againt Natural Disasters/IRS.

[Hit Girl]

Hogan vs Flair at a major WWF PPV