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Romance angles in WWE are something that can be hit and miss. Romantic relationships are a classic storyline that has been explored multiple times over the years, with varying success.
The most recent romantic storylines in WWE have been different in terms of reception from the fans. At the start of 2020, the WWE Universe was invested in the budding relationship between Otis and Mandy Rose, especially when the pair managed to overcome the obstacles in their way in the form of Dolph Ziggler and Sonya Deville.
However, the current romance angle on SmackDown has had the fans divided. Over the past few months, a relationship has been blossoming between Aalyah, the daughter of Rey Mysterio, and Murphy, the former disciple of Seth Rollins. The storyline has received mixed reviews, especially as fans learned about the large age gap between Aalyah and Murphy.
So, let's look at some of the romantic storylines that were a big success in WWE and others that failed to hit the mark.
Disclaimer: The views of the author do not necessarily represent that of Sportskeeda.
#5 WWE romantic angle that worked: AJ Lee and Daniel Bryan (and CM Punk and Kane)
During her hugely successful WWE career, AJ Lee was no stranger to romantic storylines. Towards the end of 2011, a romance was struck up between Lee and Daniel Bryan, who at the time was WWE Champion, and a heel. Lee was desperate to be on the receiving end of Bryan's affections, but he didn't quite return the same feelings.
The pair later came to blows when Bryan blamed Lee for his WrestleMania loss to Sheamus when he was defeated with a single brogue kick as Lee gave him a good luck kiss.
CM Punk and Kane were later brought into the storyline, and Lee often sided with Punk in matches during his feud against Bryan. The angle even involved a wedding between Bryan and Lee, which resulted in Daniel Bryan being left at the altar by AJ, who decided that she would rather take the job of RAW General Manager instead.
The storyline was one of the biggest of the year and established AJ Lee and Daniel Bryan as two huge WWE superstars. The angle eventually led to the Yes Movement, which was one of the most notable and best-loved WWE storylines of the last decade.
#4 WWE romantic angle that didn't work: Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch
In real life, WWE Superstars Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins are engaged and expecting their first child following years of close friendship that developed into a relationship. The pair kept their relationship under wraps for quite some time (although fans speculated after spotting them out and about together) before revealing it in summer 2019.
Around this time, their real-life relationship was mentioned continuously on RAW, where they were both holding championship titles - Lynch was the WWE RAW Women's Champion, and Rollins was the WWE Universal Champion. They began pairing up together in mixed tag team matches, often coming out on top.
The references to the couple's real-life relationship started to become heavy-handed, which didn't sit well with fans, and it didn't quite fit with their current characters either. Their couples feud with Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans felt chunky and full of missteps, and Lynch and Rollins deserved better than what went on at this time.
After the storyline wrapped up, Becky Lynch has often expressed her own negative feelings towards the storyline and admitted that she was initially apprehensive for their relationship to also be on television.
#3 WWE romantic angle that worked: Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
Like Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, the on-screen relationship between Triple H and Stephanie McMahon was also a real-life one. However, their television angle was one that was a huge hit with WWE fans.
In late 1999, Stephanie McMahon was due to marry Test until it was revealed that she was actually married to Triple H in a drive-through ceremony, seemingly against her will. It was later revealed that she was in on the whole thing, in an act of revenge against her father.
Triple H and Stephanie McMahon aligned against her dad, and the pair remained together on-screen until 2002 when Triple H divorced her for lying about being pregnant.
The real-life couple's relationship has been revisited multiple times on television, most notably from 2013, when they worked together as a villainous faction dubbed The Authority, who acted cruelly towards stars who didn't fit their agenda, mainly Daniel Bryan. The pair then engaged in a lengthy couples feud against Bryan and Brie Bella.
Triple H and Stephanie McMahon have even worked together in a mixed tag team match at WrestleMania 34, taking on Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle. Currently, both stars are still in WWE, with Stephanie working as Chief Brand Officer and Triple H is the Executive Vice President of Global Talent and Strategy.
#2 WWE romantic angle that didn't work: Lana, Liv Morgan, Bobby Lashley, and Rusev
In late 2019, Lana and Rusev were still an on-screen couple, which they had been since their days in WWE NXT. However, in September 2019, Lana betrayed her husband by kissing Bobby Lashley in front of him. Multiple vignettes were shown on RAW, with Lana and Bobby Lashley taunting Rusev over their new relationship.
Later in the storyline, Lana and Lashley set a date for their wedding. However, Rusev crashed the event by hiding in their wedding cake, and Liv Morgan made her WWE return during the segment, claiming to have also had an affair with Lana, and that she was still in love with her.
Liv Morgan and Rusev then teamed up against Lana and Lashley in a series of mixed tag matches before the storyline was dropped. A few months later, Rusev was released from WWE and is now known as Miro in AEW.
Lana and Bobby Lashley remained an on-screen couple until this summer, when Lashley blamed her for his loss against Drew McIntyre and aligned with MVP, requesting a divorce.
The storyline received mixed reviews, and the wedding segment received backlash online, especially for the inclusion of Liv Morgan, whose return WWE had been hyping for some time.
#1 WWE romantic angle that worked: Matt Hardy, Edge, and Lita
The love triangle between Matt Hardy, Edge, and Lita was one of the biggest and most explosive storylines that WWE had seen. The drama between the trio also translated to real life, where Lita had left Hardy for Edge.
In 2005, Lita was in an on-screen relationship with Kane, who she had been forced to marry against her will. During the storyline, Lita broke off the marriage with Kane to join Edge. Around this time, Lita and Matt Hardy had broken up as she began dating his friend Edge, following an affair.
During this time, Matt Hardy was fired from WWE for his online conduct regarding the situation. Hardy was later rehired by the company, and when he returned, Lita has turned heel and aligned herself with her new boyfriend Edge on screen.
Edge and Hardy engaged in an intense feud, with Lita standing by the side of Edge. The rivalry ended when The Rated R-Superstar won a ladder match against Hardy with the help of Lita, and Hardy was moved the SmackDown as a stipulation.
The on-screen relationship between Edge and Lita continued for a while, and RAW hit record ratings for their risque in-ring celebration the week after Edge won the WWE Championship from John Cena.
