You certainly can use resistors in matching netoworks--as long as you do not mind the loss that ensues. One good example is a broadband schottky diode detector, where you basically parallel the diode and a 50 ohm shunt resistor to that you get good vswr (at the expense of sensitivity). Another use is in amplifiers, where you sometimes add resistors to keep a device in a stable region. A third application is where you want to equalize a gain slope (such as throw away gain in an amlifier at lower frequencies) by absorbing power in a resistor selectively with frequency.
Places where you do not want to use resistive matching is where you are looking for the maximum gain, best noise figure, or in a high Q resonant circuit.