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For many of us, wrestling is just a way to vent our aggression. In the end, wrestling has always been based around getting revenge, or as a way for two guys to settle their scores. More often than not, more than two guys are involved, sometimes using the numbers game to get the upper hand. Pro wrestling is anything but a way to show how one cares for the other. But there have been instances in the WWE where romance took over the center stage, and these ‘characters’ became human. It can also be argued that by showing the human side of these performers, the fans can relate more with these guys; who would relate with a Macho man character as much as the people did if it wasn’t for Miss Elizabeth? Or a Matt Hardy without Lita? Wrestling has seen its fair share of love affairs.
Although most of it is scripted, there is some reality to this aspect. Whether it is just an on screen couple or a real life couple portraying themselves on screen, wrestling has seen many such love birds who had made an impact in the business. Whether it helped in elevating one’s career or ended badly, there by changing the futures of those involved, these so called ‘affairs’ can be a big deal. In this article, I look back at 5 of the top couples in wrestling, and how they have made a difference in the wrestling business, for good or bad, and how it impacted their careers as well.
5. John Morrison – Melina
JoMo and Melina made their debuts in the WWE together, along with Joey Mercury. JoMo was called Johnny Nitro back then, and their team was called ‘MNM’ (Short for Mercury – Nitro – Melina). The team achieved success instantly, winning the tag team titles, and went on to become multi time tag team champions. But Nitro was kept while the team was dissolved, and Nitro was sent to ECW, where he was repackaged as John Morrison.
Through all of this, JoMo and Melina had been a couple, dating for years. And it was even said that JoMo had agreed for Melina to sleep around with individuals backstage, so that both of them can get a push in the wrestling business. Although we do not know the whole truth, it was even claimed that Melina and Batista had an affair, something which was orchestrated by JoMo himself, and that is why Vince never liked JoMo, or thought of him to be championship material (Vince didn’t think JoMo was man enough).
Either way, soon Melina started creating problems backstage, and it finally broke down when she had problems with Trish taking away her spotlight at Wrestlemania. Melina was soon released, and JoMo wasn’t too pleased with it, and soon he left the WWE as well. This is an instance where the woman was in power, and it ended up in JoMo walking away while he was in line to get a push.
4. Kurt Angle – Karen Angle – Jeff Jarrett
Kurt Angle is known to be one of the best technical wrestlers in the wrestling history. Every time he entered the ring, he would put people in awe with his technical prowess. But as it turned out, Kurt isn’t good everywhere, especially when it came to his ex wife, Karen. Jeff Jarrett has worked for major promotions like WWE and WCW, winning the World title, and was the co-founder of TNA, and has been a multiple time TNA (Former NWA TNA) World champion. When Kurt jumped ships to TNA from the WWE, it was one of the biggest transitions in the wrestling history.
Little did Kurt know that this little change would cost him his marriage. Kurt was married to Karen, and when they separated, she started dating fellow wrestler Jeff, who lost his wife to cancer sometime ago. And this spilled as an on screen rivalry, and it was anything but pleasant.
3. Stephanie McMahon – Triple H
During the Attitude Era, in the later part of the 90s, Triple H became one of the top heels of the company, with factions such as DX. But perhaps the most pivotal moment in his career came when Triple H started dating Stephanie McMahon, the daughter of the boss and the Chairman of the WWE, Vince McMahon. They were also paired on screen as the power couple in the then WWF, which was called the McMahon – Helmsley era. This did not only change the direction that the WWE was heading in at that time, but also changed the fortunes of Triple H.
When you’re dating the boss’s daughter, you can virtually do anything and everything. And that was what happened with Triple H. For the next decade, Triple H was at the helm of the company. Like Dwayne once said in his diatribe, ‘Every time Triple H thinks of a title run, Stephanie gets pregnant’.
2. Matt Hardy – Lita
Lita gained fame ever since her stint with the Hardy Boyz as Team Xtreme. Ever since then, Matt and Lita have been dating, and were together for years. They had endured injuries and time offs, being away from each other. But that all came crashing down when Matt realized that Amy Dumas was cheating on him, with his good friend Adam Copeland, aka Edge. What happened after that, was the biggest true – kayfabe – true drama in the history of pro wrestling.
First, Matt came out with the affair and publicized it through social media, when Edge was in the middle of the biggest push of his career. This led to Matt getting released, and Edge and Lita being paired on screen as well. Due to the over whelming support from the fans, Matt was brought back, and was immediately thrown in a feud with Edge. This led to Matt getting the push of his career, and later getting released from the company, while Edge had a long on screen relationship with Lita, becoming a multiple time WWE/World Champion.
1. Randy Savage – Miss Elizabeth
Miss Elizabeth was termed as ‘The first lady of wrestling’, and for all the fans who were fortunate to witness her, it was true. She was the epitome of femininity, and portrayed everything a woman was. Her on screen relationship with Savage transformed wrestling, as she was adored by everyone in the wrestling business.
The sight of Savage proposing to Miss Elizabeth will be one of the most iconic moments in the history of professional wrestling, and was the crowning jewel in their on screen relationship. Most of the people who were present couldn’t help but shed tears of joy and happiness in a world of smoke and mirrors. This would undoubtedly put the couple as the most beloved couple in the history of pro wrestling.
