Love is in the air. Everywhere you look around.
For WWE superstars, it’s only natural that love evolves inside a wrestling ring. Close proximity to the co-workers. Many days on the road. It’s not conducive to meeting a soulmate in the “normal” ways of dating.
WWE has frowned on relationships of late, most notably Rusev and Lana and Paige and Alberto Del Rio. But in many cases, the heart wants what the heart wants, and when creative writers come up with pairings of men and women as partners on screen, in many cases those relationships take things to another level. Add the title of “Love Doctor” to Vince McMahon’s many jobs in the business.
Some relationships are extremely public like Triple H and Chyna were. Some are very private (Stacy Keibler and Test). Others are odd combinations (AJ Lee and CM Punk) and some just make no sense (Keibler and David Flair). In any event, WWE is a breeding ground for love and romance.
Here are five on-screen couples who dated in real life.
1- AJ Lee and CM Punk
I am not sure this constitutes as a wrestling couple as Punk and Lee were part of one of the oddest WWE love stories of all time. Lee, who should have been known as the “Black Widow” had a love interest in Punk, Daniel Bryan and Kane all at once – talk about craziness – and had each of her love interests vie for her affection.
She chose to “marry” Bryan, whom she left at the altar. Kane was an afterthought and Punk said he liked “crazy” chicks. Lee proposed to Punk in the ring, which he rebuffed. In the end, he married Lee and the two are now out of the wrestling business altogether.
2- Diamond Dallas Page and Kimberly
The two made headlines in WCW when Kimberly was the valet of Johnny B. Badd (Marc Mero). Page moved on to a program with Scott Steiner which involved his wife. As part of the script, Steiner kidnapped Kimberly and pushed her out of a moving car. As we all know today, she is fine.
The two have since divorced, but Page, during his height of popularity in WCW, which included holding the company title, had his beautiful wife in his corner. There was also an angle where Kimberly turned on Page, joining Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo in the wild shenanigans toward the end of the company’s run.
3- Randy Savage and Elizabeth
They were the darlings of professional wrestling during the Hulkamania Era. The rough around the edges Savage, and the demure and beautiful Elizabeth. It was one of the odder couples on and off screen. Their love was like few other relationships. At times, Elizabeth was a huge liability outside the ring.
It started with George “The Animal” Steele and carried over to other feuds. There had been rumors for years about Savage’s craziness, his lack of trust and later in the relationship about her infidelity. It was a match made in reality television heaven. Fans ate them up like a modern day Jerry Springer show.
4- Marc Mero and Sable
Sable (Rena Mero) is from my hometown and seriously, we knew nothing about her. Mero and Sable were married off screen and a couple on screen when Mero made his way from WCW (Johnny B. Badd) to WWE as a mid-carder who did well, but not as well as his on-screen love interest.
Add to the fact Sable posed in Playboy and at the time was the most popular female in the business and there was tension in the air. While they split amicably, the two divorced. Sable is now married to Brock Lesnar, while Mero is a motivational speaker.
5- Charlie Haas and Jackie Gayda
Here’s one you might not have known or forgot about. Haas and Gayda didn’t have a long run in WWE, but they met through their time in the company. Haas was a tag team partner of Rico and was paired with Gayda as their valet. The two developed a relationship on screen that carried over off camera.
Gayda made her way to wrestling through Tough Enough, winning the second season contract. She wrestled independently after leaving WWE and was also in TNA. Haas has been a tag team champion in many promotions, his most famous stint with Shelton Benjamin forming the World’s Greatest Tag Team. He and Gayda have four children together.
