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It is not uncommon for two babyface WWE Superstars to shake hands in the middle of the ring after a competitive match. The post-match handshake has taken place throughout WWE history between fan favorites and almost always draws a round of applause from fans in attendance.
Away from the ring, shaking hands is also viewed as the ultimate sign of respect among superstars in real life. The men and women of WWE often greet each other at arenas by shaking hands, while opponents usually shake hands backstage after matches.
The unwritten handshake rule has been followed by most WWE Superstars over the last few decades, with the exception of a select few.
In this article, let’s take a look at six WWE/WCW stars who did not shake a co-worker’s hand.
#6 Andre the Giant initially refused to shake Shawn Michaels’ hand in WWE
While Andre the Giant is one of the most respected WWE stars of all time, he is almost among the most feared.
Legendary stories have been told about Andre disliking certain members of the locker room during his time in WWE. The 520-pounder famously had issues with other big guys, notably Big John Studd, while he also had a problem with the up-and-coming Shawn Michaels.
In 2015, Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso wrote an article about Michaels’ WWE career. He mentioned that The Heartbreak Kid attempted to shake Andre’s hand in the late 1980s, but the Frenchman repeatedly rejected him.
“Michaels desperately wanted to be accepted, and he walked over to shake Andre’s hand,” Barrasso wrote. “But the Giant ignored him. For six months, both he and [Marty] Jannetty would greet Andre, only to be ignored. Jannetty decided he’d had enough, but Michaels stayed consistent for a year, providing a glimpse into his character and desire to succeed in the business.”
Andre finally accepted a handshake from The Heartbreak Kid after they teamed together during a WWE European tour.
Michaels told Barrasso that Andre later admitted to disliking him when they first met. As for the constant handshake refusals, The Eighth Wonder of the World said that was his way of playing a joke on Michaels.
#5 Chyna did not shake Jazz’s hand in WWE
Jazz became a two-time women’s champion during her initial three-year run with WWE between 2001 and 2004.
The wrestling legend joined WWE around the time that Chyna was on her way out of the company after failing to agree to a new contract.
In 2018, Jazz said on the Noonan Speaks podcast that she attempted to shake Chyna’s hand while introducing herself to the then-WWE star. The Ninth Wonder of the World allegedly ignored Jazz and refused to acknowledge her handshake offer.
“I saw Chyna there one Monday and I never saw her there again,” Jazz said. “It was really weird because she was in a corner by herself. I had heard stories. Yeah, yeah, yeah… I didn't really know, but out of respect to Chyna, I went and introduced myself and she didn't even reach her hand out, extend her hand out whatsoever to try to shake my hand to say 'hello' or anything. And I was like, 'Whoa, okay.'” [H/T Wrestling Inc.]
Jazz previously worked for ECW before joining WWE. She said Chyna’s handshake refusal was unexpected because she had become accustomed to the family atmosphere that existed backstage in ECW.
#4 Chris Masters did not shake Bob Holly’s hand in WWE
While many of these handshake refusals were intentional, former WWE star Chris Masters certainly did not mean to shun a handshake from Bob Holly.
Speaking on The Hannibal TV in 2020, Masters said Holly did not like him from the beginning of his time in WWE’s developmental system. Their relationship became even more strained when Masters failed to shake Holly’s hand on the day of a television taping.
“He was crowded with three other guys and I didn’t want to interrupt, so I just went to my bag,” Masters said. “You know, Bob really took that as a sign of disrespect, like I was shunning him, or like I purposely didn’t go to greet him. He was upset.”
Masters said he once failed to show up to an OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling) taping because he did not think he was needed. He received a telling-off from OVW officials due to his no-show, and Holly happened to be in the same room.
“In his mind, too, it’s like, ‘This is that same punk kid that didn’t show up to the OVW TV taping. Now he’s disrespecting me,’” Masters added.
Following the handshake miscommunication, The Masterpiece claimed that Holly tried to face him that night because he wanted to “rough [him] up.” In the end, WWE’s higher-ups booked Holly against Carlito instead.
#3 and #2 Lex Luger and WWE Hall of Famer Sting refused to shake Vampiro’s hand in WCW
Vampiro has never worked for WWE during his three decades in the wrestling business, but he did work for WCW between 1998 and 2001. He feuded with both Lex Luger and Sting in WCW and even joined forces with Sting to face Luger and Ric Flair.
While he later learned a lot from Sting outside the ring, Vampiro’s relationship with the WCW icon got off to a bad start. He revealed on The Steve Austin Show in 2018 that Sting and Luger refused to shake his hand on his first day in WCW.
“When I first came in the dressing room and I went to say ‘hi’ to Sting and to Lex Luger… it’s in my head like it happened this morning,” Vampiro said. “I went to shake their hands and they went literally turned their back on me. That was something that took me aback.” [H/T Wrestling Inc.]
Vampiro added that Sting disliked his edgy gimmick and questioned whether he worked hard enough. He also clarified that the 2016 WWE Hall of Famer took time out to speak to him and educate him about the wrestling business.
Regarding Luger, Vampiro recalled how the former WWE star once dropped him while trying to perform a bodyslam. He claimed Luger did not have the strength to slam his 220-pound body to the mat.
#1 Triple H did not shake Matt Cardona’s hand in WWE
Matt Cardona (f.k.a. Zack Ryder) worked for WWE between 2005 and 2020. While he spent the majority of that time performing on Vince McMahon’s main roster, he also appeared on Triple H’s NXT brand for two years.
Since leaving WWE, Cardona has created his own weekly podcast, MC! True Long Island Story, on The Major Pod Network. During an episode in August 2021, the former WWE star told an amusing story about Triple H refusing to shake his hand backstage.
“I’m hanging out with the merch guys, whether I’m pitching ideas or what,” Cardona said. “Triple H is walking down and he’s got like a script or whatever rolled up. I go to shake his hand and say like, ‘Hey, Hunter,’ and he stabs me in the throat and goes, ‘Right in the jugular!’ and just keeps walking. Obviously he wasn’t trying to really stab me, but he did the motion, he connected, and he said that, and he didn’t shake my hand! Like, how do you respond to that?”
Judging by the humorous way that Cardona told the story, he was not annoyed about Triple H’s handshake snub.
Instead, he was genuinely confused about how to react to his former boss rejecting the handshake offer.
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