5 Infamous real-life WWE Couples that you may not remember 

There have been hundreds of on and off-screen WWE couples throughout the past three decades. Many of which were able to dominate the company together, whilst others worked only for storyline purposes.

There are several that led to off-screen romances outside of WWE, including The Miz, Maryse, Stephanie and Triple H. But the strain of being a couple on-screen took away from the chemistry for some, much like Goldust and Terri Runnels.

Over the years, there have been so many couples that a handful have been completely forgotten. Here are just five infamous real-life couples that many members of the WWE Universe may have forgotten.

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#5. WWE Hall of Famer Lita and CM Punk

CM Punk recently returned to the wrestling business as part of AEW and his wife, AJ Lee, has also been able to resurface as part of Women of Wrestling. The couple married back in 2014 ahead of Lee's retirement from wrestling, after starting their relationship a few years earlier.

Whilst Punk was part of WWE, he was linked to many former Superstars including Maria Kanellis, Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly, and WWE Hall of Famer Lita.

Lita and Punk dated for several years on two separate occasions. The couple first began dating in 2009 and then again in 2013.

Lita and Punk were spotted together at several public events as a couple before they went their separate ways sometime in 2013. It's unclear when the couple broke up since it was revealed that Punk was dating Lee in October by legendary Mexican wrestler Konnan.

Punk went on to marry AJ Lee after around a year of dating in 2014 and noted as part of his interview on Colt Cabana's podcast in the fall of the same year that it was the same date that he received his termination papers from WWE.

Both Punk and Lee had been away from the wrestling business until the self-proclaimed Best in the World made his return earlier this year.

#4. Former WWE Superstar Layla and Cody Rhodes

Former WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes has made quite the career for himself as part of AEW over the past few years. The former Tag Team Champion and his wife, Brandi, have also recently been handed their reality TV show called "Rhodes to the Top" which shows just how far the couple has come.

Whilst Brandi and Cody have become the power couple of AEW in recent years, the former ring announcer isn't the only woman he was linked to during his days in WWE.

Before Rhodes moved on to a relationship with the woman that later became his wife, the former TNT Champion also dated former Diva Search winner Layla.

The couple only dated for around two years from 2009 until 2011 when Rhodes then started a relationship with Brandi Reed, before the couple married in 2013.

Layla herself has since moved on to marry a fellow wrestler. The former Women's Champion left WWE in 2015 and went on to marry former NXT Superstar Ricky Ortiz.

#3. Former WWE Superstars Zack Ryder and Emma

Zack Ryder was part of WWE for more than a decade before his release in April 2020 and has since gone on to become Matt Cardona in IMPACT Wrestling.

Ryder and his fiancee, Chelsea Green, have both recently been released from WWE and are currently part of the IMPACT Wrestling roster. Green and Ryder have been together since January 2017, when it was revealed that Ryder and his former girlfriend Emma had gone their separate ways.

Emma and Ryder first revealed that they were together in 2015 and became one of many couples on WWE's roster at the time. Sadly the romance between the two stars didn't last very long and their split came sometime back in 2016.

The couple were very public about their relationship and often updated images on their social media accounts together, allowing fans to get behind them, leaving them heartbroken when their split was announced.

Interestingly, Emma, under the name Tenille Dashwood, Matt Cardona, and Chelsea Green, are all currently signed to IMPACT Wrestling.

#2. WWE Hall of Famer Batista and Rosa Mendes

Former WWE Superstars Batista and Rosa Mendes have been linked to several fellow wrestlers throughout their careers but WWE fans may forget that they were once linked to each other.

The Animal admitted in his autobiography that he cheated on his wife Angie and both Kelly Kelly and Melina were names that came out in his earlier career.

The former WWE Champion also noted that he was once in a relationship with fellow WWE Superstar Rosa Mendes, even though the couple only dated for a few months.

Mendes herself was linked to several WWE Superstars throughout her time in WWE and was even part of a lesbian angle on Total Divas alongside Paige. Mendes began dating Bobby Schubenski in 2015 and the couple went on to welcome their daughter before she officially walked away from the business.

According to a report by Ring The Damn Bell, The couple has since split and Roucka started her own business called ‘Totally Fit Mama.' Mendes regularly shares updates on her Instagram account that show she is in fantastic shape.

Batista, on the other hand, retired from the business following WrestleMania 35 and has since reiterated several times that he doesn't want to make his return.

#1. Former WWE Champion John Cena and Victoria

John Cena was most famously linked to Nikki Bella whilst working in WWE, but the former WWE Champion has also had several relationships with other WWE stars.

Cena was interestingly linked to former WWE Superstar Victoria back in 2002 when it was reported that the company had a short relationship. Lisa Marie Varon has confirmed these claims as part of an interview with The Wrestling Observer where she noted that even though she was married at the time, she was actually separated from her husband a number of times.

"We have separated a few times. One of those times that we were separated, I dated John for about a month. It was not in 2006 or 2007. It was in 2002. It was when we were both in Louisville. I was married but separated. John was single. I was never his ‘road girlfriend’. I know that when we were separated, my husband also dated a couple girls. That’s what happens when you are separated. In 2002, it was common knowledge that John and I dated."

The former WWE Superstar revealed that the relationship happened back in 2002 and Cena has since gone on to be linked to Mickie James and Nikki Bella.

The former WWE Champion married Shay Shariatzadeh last year, whilst his former fiance Nikki Bella has moved on to a relationship with Artem Chigvintsev.