5 former superstars who have dated more than one WWE woman
Several former WWE Superstars have had romantic relationships with their colleagues. Bryan Danielson, for example, dated Brie Bella for a few years before the couple tied the knot in 2014. Earlier this year, Andrade El Idolo also married Charlotte Flair.
Meanwhile, some former superstars have dated more than one of their co-workers. While a few of these couples split after only a few months, others ended up getting married.
Here are five former superstars who have dated more than one WWE woman.
#5. Former WWE Champion Batista
In 2000, Batista joined Vince McMahon's company, where he spent about a decade as a regular competitor before leaving in 2010. He also returned for two brief runs in 2014 and 2018. The Animal retired from professional wrestling in 2019 following his defeat against Triple H at WrestleMania 35.
During his time in WWE, Batista reportedly dated several female superstars. In 2006, The Animal started a romantic relationship with former Diva Search contestant Rebecca DiPietro. However, their romance reportedly lasted only four months.
In 2007, Batista entered another romantic relationship with Melina. In his autobiography "Batista Unleashed", The Animal revealed that he and the former Women's Champion got together after his second divorce:
"Since then, as I've said, Melina and I have gotten closer and our relationship has become physical. That's caused a bit of controversy, but I don't give a sh*t. She's my friend, and I love her very much," he wrote.
Nevertheless, Batista and Melina's romance also ended after a few months. The following year, he started dating Kelly Kelly. Their relationship also ended quickly, with The Animal citing age difference as the main reason he and Kelly broke up.
The list of co-workers Batista dated also includes Rosa Mendes. The couple dated for a few months in 2009. Nearly a decade later, The Animal openly flirted with Dana Brooke on Twitter.
In an interview with Forbes the following year, the 24/7 Champion confirmed that she and Batista once went out on a date. Nonetheless, she stated that things did not work out between them due to their busy schedules.
#4. Former United States Champion Matt Cardona
During his 15-year tenure in Vince McMahon's company, Matt Cardona (fka Zack Ryder) dated two WWE women. The 37-year-old entered a romantic relationship with former superstar Tenille Dashwood (fka Emma) in 2015. However, their romance ended about a year later.
In 2017, Cardona started dating former WWE Superstar and current IMPACT wrestling star Chelsea Green. In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, the former United States Champion disclosed that Cody and Brandi Rhodes were the ones who set them up:
"You're single. Why don't you guys... I'm like... I don't want to date a wrestler. Been there, done that, doesn't work out. No way. And then they said, 'she likes Disney.' Oh, she likes Disney... ok. So, I did the typical slide into the DMs and I think the first thing was, you like Disney. We went on a date, like two weeks later. She tried avoiding me but I finally got through," he said.
Cardona and Green dated for about five years before tying the knot on December 31, 2021.
#3. Former WWE Champion CM Punk
Like Batista, CM Punk dated several of his colleagues during his time in WWE. The Best in the World had a romantic relationship with former superstar Maria Kanellis during their time in developmental. They were an item for a couple of years before splitting a few months before Punk made his main roster debut.
Punk also dated Beth Phoenix for a couple of years before The Glamazon left the company in 2012. However, their relationship ended badly.
While there were rumors that Punk and Kelly Kelly had dated, another confirmed relationship for The Best in the World was with WWE Hall of Famer Lita. He and Lita first dated in 2009 but later split. In 2012, they became a couple again. Nevertheless, they broke up once more about a year later.
After ending his relationship with Lita, Punk started dating AJ Lee. The couple then tied the knot in 2014. They have now been married for nearly eight years.
#2. Former Intercontinental Champion John Morrison
While participating in 2002's Tough Enough, John Morrison first met Melina. After being friends for about two years, the two former WWE Superstars started dating.
Melina and Morrison had an on-and-off relationship for 11 years, during which they worked together as part of MNM. The couple then finally broke up for good in 2015.
While working for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide that same year, Morrison met Taya Valkyrie (fka Franky Monet). The two then hit it off and started dating. Three years later, they tied the knot.
Morrison returned to Vince McMahon's company in 2019, about eight years after his first departure. In February 2021, his wife joined him in WWE. However, the company released both of them from their contracts last November.
#1. Former Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Matthews
While working together in NXT, Buddy Matthews (fka Buddy Murphy) and Alexa Bliss started dating. The couple then announced their engagement in 2016.
In an interview with Gorilla Position in April 2017, Bliss disclosed that while she and Matthews were planning their wedding, she got drafted from NXT to SmackDown in July 2016. Hence, they had to postpone it:
"So we got engaged over a year ago (...) and we were like 'okay, so we're going to set this date and then I ended up being moved to SmackDown, which was amazing. And so we're like 'All right, we'll push it to this date' and then with our traveling weeks to see each other seven days a week and work together six days a week, because I was partnered with Blake and Murphy, and now we see each other maybe six hours a week, so it's one of those things that we've really be able to talk through text and FaceTime and I'm sure he's annoyed with me calling his phone like every other minute but it's one of those things that we have had to adapt to for sure," she said. (6:20 - 7:32)
However, the wedding never happened. Although Bliss and Matthews remained friends, the couple called off their engagement and split in early 2018.
The AEW star is now apparently dating current WWE Superstar Rhea Ripley. A few hours ago, the former RAW Women's Champion seemingly confirmed their relationship by posting a photo of them together on her social media accounts, captioning it with a heart.
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Jacob Terrell