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Odd pairings in WWE have been a thing for a long time now. It isn't recent, but many have worked better than the others. These six examples showcase odd WWE pairings who had an enjoyable run together, even if it was for a short while:
#6. Kane and Daniel Bryan - Two unlikely WWE stars become Tag Team Champions
Team Hell No is one of WWE's most beloved odd-pairing tag teams of the last decade. While they weren't the first nor last odd pairing, they worked out better than most.
It was a different phase of Kane's career, and he started going to anger management classes. The entire anger management angle began with Daniel Bryan losing his cool, and AJ Lee pushing him to attend the classes hosted by Dr. Shelby.
In a memorable set of segments, Daniel Bryan and Kane would start to pair up, despite both men being as hot-headed as could be. They won the WWE Tag Team Championship early on by defeating Kofi Kingston and R-Truth at Night of Champions 2012.
They had a great and enjoyable run together, even successfully defending the tag team titles at WrestleMania 29. While they wouldn't last a full year together, it turned out to be the catalyst for Daniel Bryan's meteoric rise in WWE in 2013-2014.
Had it not been for Team Hell No, Bryan would likely have not gained the momentum needed to become the hottest star in WWE at the time. Kane and Daniel Bryan's odd pairing turned out to be surprisingly great, and even fans who weren't happy with The Big Red Machine's direction felt that this was the best work he had done in years.
It worked out well because there were two WWE stars, veterans in their own right, who played off each other and helped elevate their partner. The comedic timing of their segments definitely helped, and they reunited five years later at Extreme Rules 2018 - losing to The Bludgeon Brothers.
#5. Eddie Guerrero and Chyna
Eddie Guerrero and Chyna is an odd WWE pairing that is still hard to believe worked out as well as it did. It was early into Eddie Guerrero's WWE run and the tail end of Chyna's.
It started when Chyna turned on Chris Jericho to help Eddie Guerrero win the European Championship. Before that, Eddie Guerrero was actively pursuing Chyna, and she eventually gave in to The Latino Heat.
They had a memorable run together where they both won the Intercontinental Championship, and they were quite popular with fans as well. Unfortunately, it ended when Eddie Guerrero was caught showering with two of The Godfather's 'hos'.
#4. The Rock N' Sock connection - The greatest odd pairing in WWE history?
Perhaps the greatest odd pairing in WWE history happened between two old bitter rivals - The Rock and Mankind (Mick Foley). The two had been neck-and-neck, but in the summer of 1999, The Rock needed a tag team partner to take on the lethal duo of The Undertaker and The Big Show.
They would defeat them for the tag team titles and have a memorable run together. Perhaps the funniest duo in the company's history, the two would also have the iconic 'This is your life' segment, which turned out to be one of the highest-rated in WWE history.
Their partnership wouldn't last too long, but they had three WWE tag team title runs together.
#3. R-Truth and Carmella - WWE Mixed Match Challenge winners
R-Truth was moved to SmackDown as a part of the 2018 WWE Superstar Shake-Up. Later that year, he began to have hilarious segments where he claimed he would pin Carmella to become the United States Champion.
Carmella was reluctant at first but began to manage R-Truth. They slowly gelled well together and went on to become WWE's funniest duo. Perhaps the peak of their run was when the 24/7 Championship was introduced, leading to several segments featuring R-Truth and Carmella running away from gangs of WWE Superstars.
They even won season two of the WWE Mixed Match Challenge, giving them the right to the 30th spot in their respective Royal Rumble matches in 2019. While they weren't together for too long, they enjoyed a run of over a year, where they were both given frequent TV time.
It was one of the more enjoyable parts of WWE programming, and they would be separated by the 2019 WWE Draft. Carmella remained on SmackDown, while R-Truth went to RAW - ending a great partnership.
#2. Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss - WWE's version of Beauty and The Beast
Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss were paired together for season one of the WWE Mixed Match Challenge. They were an odd pairing given the height disparity alone, but personality-wise, they gelled together just fine.
It should be noted that the WWE Mixed Match Challenge was essentially a separate entity to RAW and SmackDown, and it was presented as something that existed completely away from regular programming.
That included their characters as well, and that's how Braun Strowman was able to portray a lighter side with Alexa Bliss. There were several romantic teases through the tournament, and they lasted until the semi-final, where they were defeated by Asuka and The Miz.
They were easily the most popular team in the WWE Mixed Match Challenge despite not winning it. The story between them played out over two years later during Braun Strowman's feud with Bray Wyatt.
It would be what led to Alexa Bliss aligning with 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt in an entirely different phase of her career.
#1. Paul Heyman and CM Punk - Why was it a surprising WWE pairing?
This shouldn't be a surprising WWE pairing given that CM Punk famously said 'I'm a Paul Heyman' guy in his 2011 pipebomb promo. However, given the nature of his character and ability to talk, the fact that he even needed Paul Heyman came as a surprise.
Behind the scenes, Paul Heyman had been a fan of CM Punk for a long time. During his early WWE ECW days, Paul Heyman was the man who actively pushed for CM Punk and gave him the early boost that he needed in his run.
It was only in the second half of 2012 when CM Punk started aligning with Paul Heyman. To the surprise of WWE fans, the pairing worked out well and they complemented one another. It enhanced CM Punk's WWE title reign, even though he would lose it at the 2013 Royal Rumble pay-per-view to The Rock.
The duo would split at Money in the Bank 2013 after Paul Heyman betrayed him - setting up a SummerSlam feud against Brock Lesnar.
