Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Boy smashes other boy over the head to defend girl’s honor. Okay, so it’s hardly the stuff of fairytales, but wrestling couples have made us laugh, have made us cry and they’ve also made us scream ‘WTF?’ at the screen. This Valentine’s Day, we pay homage to some of our favorite on-screen wrestling couples! And as always, we encourage to share yours in the comments too!
MISS ELIZABETH & ‘MACHO MAN’ RANDY SAVAGE
If there was ever a professional wrestling couple that personified the motto ‘overcoming the odds’ it would be the diabolical and charismatic Randy Savage and his beautiful long-time manager/partner, the stoic and regal, Miss Elizabeth. Their relationship was far from easy. Savage constantly overshadowed Elizabeth and sometimes, he wasn’t the best person to be around. The two endured several obstacles including George “The Animal” Steele’s obsession with Elizabeth, her slightly innocent flirtation with Hulk Hogan, and at one point, Savage even sent Elizabeth packing in favor of “Sensational” Sherri Martel. But in the end, love would eventually triumph. After losing a retirement match at WrestleMania VII to the Ultimate Warrior, Savage was attacked by Sherri for the fact he lost. Miss Elizabeth came out of her seat from ringside and got physical, pulling Sherri off her man, and reuniting wrestling’s most beloved couple. The reunion would culminate in the greatest wrestling wedding of all time, “The Match Made in Heaven” at SummerSlam 1991. Despite having their wedding go off without a hitch, the reception was ultimately ruined thanks to a gift containing a live snake courtesy of Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts. Perhaps it was an omen. Because after the wedding, Savage and Elizabeth were never really the same. An angle with Ric Flair followed and eventually, Elizabeth left the then-WWF. Little did we know that the real-life relationship between the two had come to an end as well. Savage issued a statement that WWF Magazine printed saying the he and Elizabeth were no longer involved in each other’s lives and the book officially closed on the storybook romance of wrestling’s most semi-heroic, flamboyant, sorta-villian and the beautiful, shy, and soft-spoken girl next door.
CHYNA & EDDIE GUERRERO
One of the more odd couples in WWE, Eddie Guerrero and Chyna had some entertaining moments in their short time together. Coming off of a reign as the Intercontinental Champion, Chyna hooked up with the late Guererro, becoming his ‘Mamacita’. The pair became a force to be reckoned with inside the ring, but things started to go downhill when Guerrero took the Intercontinental Title off Chyna in a triple threat match. The final nail was put in the coffin, when Eddie was caught in the shower with one of the Godfather’s hos, one of which is a very familiar face. Though their relationship ended with heartbreak for the 9th Wonder, for the time we saw them together, fans were treated to a more feminine, playful and beautiful side to Chyna. Sadly, Eddie is no longer with us but his real-life Mamacita, Vickie Guerrero, can currently be seen heating up the screen with the likes of Edge and Dolph Ziggler. Latino heat, indeed!
TRISH STRATUS AND THE ROCK
Arguably the most charismatic WWE Superstar in history, when The Rock locked lips with arguably the most charismatic Diva in history, Trish Stratus, we squealed just a little bit. Though they were never a full-fledged couple in WWE, the chemistry between these two was, to steal a phrase from The Rock, electrifying. The banter and sexual tension between the pair in backstage segments had us on the edge of our seats, willing them to get it on. The kiss (as seen on your left) eventually did happen and the crowd erupted. Though wrestling couples are an everyday occurrence in today’s product, they oftentimes don’t work due to lack of depth or chemistry. Two of the most popular Superstars at the time, the excitement of a Trish/Rock segment was like lightning in a bottle. It’s unlikely we’ll see wrestling couple quite as magnetic as the future Hall of Fame duo again.
MOLLY HOLLY & SPIKE DUDLEY
In an industry where storylines about male/female pair-ups are rarely of the slow-burn variety, the Molly/Spike pairing felt like it took ages to get going. But don’t get me wrong; that’s not a bad thing–sometimes the build-up is the best part. For this angle, which was 95% build-up, that was definitely true. This storyline, with an innocence that felt like snippets of some 1950s movie set at soda fountains and sock hops, was a breath of fresh air. Yeah, it’s concept was hardly new, since it was pretty much Romeo and Juliet set in a wrestling ring: Bob and Crash Holly pulling Molly in one direction, and The Dudley Boyz pulling Spike in another. In terms of wrestling storylines, it was nicer and more honest than most, and just made you smile when you weren’t cringing from the uber-sweet awkwardness. It’s rare that something like that can be pulled off, with no pressure to make it sexy or intriguing. It was a plain, old-fashioned love story, which it itself made it an anomaly in the pro wrestling industry. Plus it put Molly Holly, innocence personified, in the forefront of an angle that didn’t involve her getting pantsed, which alone gives it my respect.
STEPHANIE MCMAHON AND TRIPLE H
The McMahon-Helmsley Era began under seemingly bizarre circumstances. The sweet, innocent daughter of Vince and Linda was in the middle of her wedding to her beloved Test, when Triple H interrupted the ceremony and played a video that detailed his own wedding to Stephanie, a controversial union that took place in a drive through chapel with a drugged Stephanie passed out in the passenger’s seat. People everywhere were horrified. Stephanie dissolved in tears. The McMahons were stunned. Test didn’t know what to do. And there stood Triple H standing on the stage like the cat who had just swallowed the canary. It was epic. But what’s more epic is that the wedding of Trips and Stephanie was a revenge plot all along. Stephanie turned on her family at Armageddon 1999 and sided with her husband. That spurred the McMahon-Helmsley Era and catapulted Stephanie into the role of the WWE’s best female heel of all time, a title she’s held until recently. Following the Invasion angle and after losing a match to Team WWF at Survivor Series, Stephanie and brother Shane were banished from television. Stephanie’s return to television coincided with Triple H’s return from an injury and McMahon and Helmsley were reunited once again. Things were different, though. The couple started having problems and in order to keep her man, Stephanie did numerous things including fake a pregnancy. During a ceremony to renew their vows, Triple H left his bride at the alter after learning about her lie. In real life, Triple H and Stephanie are happily married with three daughters.
Check back later today for part two!
What are your thoughts on our couples featured? Who were your faves?
— Reporting by Cryssi, Erin, Melanie and Steven
