11 heart-wrenching breakups in WWE history
Breakups are rough, especially in WWE. It's not just the added pressure of splitting up with your significant other in front of a national audience, either. WWE Superstars like to do things at full speed and top volume, so it's no surprise that when a WWE couple takes a detour into Splitsville, they do so with gusto.
Photos of painful breakups | Watch aftermath of Ziggler / AJ breakup
So, from Dolph Ziggler's split with AJ Lee all the way back to "Macho Man" and Miss Elizabeth, we present to you 11 of the most gut-wrenching breakups in WWE history.
"Macho Man" Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth
In many ways, the dissolution of The Mega Powers - the team of Hulk Hogan and WWE Champion "Macho Man" Randy Savage - was inevitable. But in a sad twist of fate, Savage’s relationship with his beloved Miss Elizabeth went with it. During the increasingly tense tandem's bout with The Twin Towers, Elizabeth was inadvertently injured, and Hogan immediately escorted her to safety.
The mega-protective Savage stormed out of the ring, furious that his beloved had interacted with Hogan in any way, and left The Immortal One to finish the match by his lonesome. Hogan picked up the win, only to find an irate Savage in the trainer’s room, seething that Hogan had "lust in his eyes" for Elizabeth. Physicality quickly erupted, The Mega Powers officially exploded, and the on-again, off-again romance of Miss Elizabeth and the “Macho Man” switched to "off" for a while after that.
Harvey Wippleman and Bertha Faye
Harvey Wippleman's was a love so big it was actually measured in pounds. The diminutive WWE Superstar found himself one half of sports-entertainment's biggest odd couples when he took up with the towering Bertha Faye. Their bizarre love was oddly endearing, but ultimately ended on an unexpected note: Bertha dropped 10 pounds, and was duly dismissed thereafter. Really.
Kane and Tori
It may seem strange now, but there was a time when The Devil’s Favorite Demon was in love. And, like most outcasts, Kane fell hard for the charms of WWE Diva Tori, who played off of his lifelong insecurities into making him something of her personal bodyguard, laying waste to any opponent she saw fit to aim him at. She would insinuate the other Superstars had approached her inappropriately, and watch as The Big Red Monster flew into a blind rage and left his opponents in ruins.
But on Jan. 27, 2000, the jig was finally up when D-Generation X swarmed the ring and attacked the masked demon in red. The Big Red Monster was incapacitated and forced to watch while X-Pac revealed the truth: that he and Tori had been carrying on a sordid affair behind Kane’s back.
Stacy Keibler and David Flair
Is there a more ignominious fate for a son of "The Nature Boy" than to be left at the altar? We didn’t think so.
Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
Ah yes, even in the lofty peaks of WWE’s power structure, there will always be squabbles between man and wife. Especially when said wife fakes a pregnancy to get said man to be a more attentive husband. Stephanie’s ruse played out perfectly, even helping goad The Game into a vow-renewal ceremony.
Little did she know that The Cerebral Assassin had been tipped off prior to walking the aisle, and Triple H wasted no time in exposing his wife’s deception. After unleashing a furious tirade on his blushing bride, The King of Kings turned on a dime and stormed out, leaving his queen - and the altar itself - in shambles.
Goldust and Marlena
Goldust was one of WWE's premier performers, his in-ring skills matched only by the outlandish theatrics he incorporated. However, Goldust’s relationship with his manager, Marlena, fell by the wayside when he revealed his identity as Dustin Runnels, son of WWE Hall of Famer "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes (and half-brother to Cody).
After losing Marlena to Brian Pillman's services for a 30-day period, the couple conducted a tumultuous interview on Jim Ross' couch, where Goldust finally laid his feelings bare: "I do not love you," he hissed. "I'm sick and tired of it." And with that, so endeth the "Shattered Dreams Productions" of Goldust and Marlena.
Trish Stratus and Chris Jericho
What started as a gentleman's bet ended in humiliation when Chris Jericho and Christian struck up a wager of one Canadian dollar to see whose relationship would progress faster: Jericho and Trish Stratus’ or Christian and Lita’s.
Trish politely rebuked The Ayatollah of Rock 'N' Rolla, but the bet still escalated into a match between the two Superstars at WrestleMania XX, where Trish’s interference inadvertently cost Jericho the contest. His dignity soon followed when, feigning shock at having cost him the match, Trish inexplicably slugged Jericho across the face and set him up for a resounding Killswitch from Captain Charisma. It's safe to say Christian won the bet.
Edge and Vickie Guerrero
Never trust an Ultimate Opportunist. It's a lesson Vickie Guerrero learned the hard way, when she wed The Rated-R Superstar. The marriage lasted for two years – about two years longer than anyone expected: Edge was prone to demeaning outbursts toward his spouse, and they each carried on affairs at different points during the marriage.
Still, the happy couple kept going … until Vickie resigned as the GM of Raw and Edge exposed the marriage as a sham he used to insert himself into the World Championship picture. Having finally lost his foothold in the WWE power structure, he capitalized on a different sort of "ultimate opportunity": he served Vickie with divorce papers.
Zack Ryder and Eve
Call it the Valentine's Day Massacre: The Long Island Iced-Z had been pursuing the gorgeous Diva for months, and, despite repeated assaults by Kane, the Broski's resolve remained strong. Confined to a wheelchair as a result of a back injury suffered at the hands of The Big Red Monster, Ryder had decided to present Eve with a bouquet of roses on Valentine's Day as a token of his love.
Unfortunately, Kane picked that time to try absconding with Eve in an ambulance. The attempt was thwarted by Ryder’s friend, John Cena, who was rewarded with a spontaneous, seemingly emotionally-charged kiss from Eve. Unfortunately, Ryder saw the whole thing. We wish we could say that's all the brokenhearted Broski had to endure, but …
Zack Ryder and Eve (again!)
A bro's heart is a fickle thing, and Ryder's love for Eve was so deep he soon found himself drawn back into her web. Flying high on the promise of love and riding a winning streak, The Long Island Iced-Z took all his momentum into WrestleMania XXVIII, where he and the rest of Team Teddy battled John Laurinaitis' Team Johnny for control of both Raw and SmackDown.
Eve, who had accompanied Ryder to the ring, hopped through the ropes to help him administer The Broski Boot to The Miz. However, when The Long Island Iced-Z attempted to get her to safety, Miz capitalized with a Skull-Crushing Finale to bring Team Johnny the win, and Eve sealed the betrayal by booting Ryder where the sun don't shine.
Dolph Ziggler and AJ Lee
Dolph Ziggler and AJ Lee seemed as perfect for each other as Bonnie & Clyde, Mickey & Mallory … Skeletor & Evelyn. While The Showoff started focusing all his energy on regaining his World Heavyweight Title from Alberto Del Rio in the weeks leading up to Money in the Bank, he had no time for his erratic boo’s obsession with Kaitlyn, sending the pair on the inevitable road to nowhere.
Then, when AJ’s desire to get closer led to her accidently getting Ziggler disqualified in his pay-per-view World Title Match, it was the end of the line. Ziggler broke up with the former Divas Champion the following night on Raw. In response, AJ and her friend Big E Langston made sure it would be a painful breakup for the two-time World Champion.
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