The history of ECW from Paul Heyman’s upstart promotion in the ‘90s to WWE’s failed relaunch in 2006 featured quite a few romantic storylines. Heyman specifically loved booking the love angles that were over the top and still fell into that pattern back in his WWE years. Vince McMahon’s presence in bringing back ECW saw his booking having love angles as well.
ECW’s best and worst couples showcased just how hit or miss the storylines of that genre can play out in the long run. The better ones provided great chemistry that benefited both performers with compelling storytelling. Fans grew tired of the less ideal ones that lacked the same chemistry.
10 Loved: The Sandman & Woman
Nancy Benoit aka Woman was one of the most underrated female personalities in wrestling. Woman had a great stint in WCW, but some of her best work came during the ECW tenure working with The Sandman.
The couple complimented each other as Sandman needed something extra to get over the top due to his limited skills. Woman was a huge part of the Sandman vs Tommy Dreamer angle that made Dreamer a top face for ECW.
9 Didn't: Mike Knox & Kelly Kelly
WWE’s version of ECW featured Kelly Kelly getting signed as an 18-year-old with the ridiculous exhibitionist dancer gimmick. The show teased Kelly taking it all off during her dance segments before her boyfriend Mike Knox stopped her.
Knox received heat for his actions, but the lazy storyline didn’t help either performer. There was almost zero chemistry between Kelly and Knox to make fans invest in them being a couple, let alone wanting them to break up.
8 Loved: Chris Candido & Tammy Sytch
Paul Heyman was always a big supporter of Chris Candido and wanted to bring him in once he opted to leave WWE. The failed run in WWE as Skip was memorable for the chemistry with his real-life girlfriend Sunny aka Tammy Sytch.
ECW booked Candido and Sytch as a pair to utilize their relationship to their advantage. Candido gained momentum as part of the respected Triple Threat faction to have great programs with Lance Storm and Taz for a successful time working with his girlfriend.
7 Didn't: Raven & Beulah
Beulah was instantly an important part of ECW storylines when debuting as Raven’s love interest. The backstory was that Beulah had a crush on Tommy Dreamer who didn’t reciprocate the feelings due to her looks at the time.
Raven brought Beulah into their storyline to make things more personal against Dreamer. The only issue was that Raven and Beulah didn’t have much chemistry as a couple. Both were fine in the angle due to their individual success, but the couple act wasn’t meant to be. which caused the split. Raven's creativity allowed the angle to have enough twists to get her back with Dreamer at the end.
6 Loved: CM Punk & Kelly Kelly
One of the forgotten memories of CM Punk’s career came when getting romantically involved with Kelly Kelly on the ECW brand. Punk was the face who stood up to Mike Knox for being a controlling and borderline abusive boyfriend.
The feud between Punk and Knox was centered around Kelly. Punk winning out saw Kelly starting to wear his merchandise and start a short-term romantic angle. The story never really got going but it was a rare bright spot on ECW TV.
5 Didn't: Kevin Thorn & Ariel
The other romantic storyline on WWE’s ECW featured Kevin Thorn and Ariel debuting with the vampire gimmicks. Thorn always had some interesting creative concepts for his character and tried to get over utilizing a tie-in to ECW’s SyFy network.
Shelly Martinez played Ariel as Thorn’s manager and love interest. The lack of momentum showed why ECW would not work under WWE’s guidance. Fans didn’t care for the gimmick since it came off cheesy rather than having any authenticity behind it.
4 Loved: Shane Douglas & Francine
Shane Douglas was the top heel for ECW and was elevated into a huge position for many years. Paul Heyman always wanted to build around Douglas, but he didn’t get truly over until Francine became his love interest.
Francine turned heel by betraying the Pitbulls in favor of Douglas for both performers to thrive together. Douglas became the top villain in ECW for years as Francine was allowed to showcase her personality for the first time. The act was a smash hit and played a huge role in ECW’s history.
3 Didn't: Blue Meanie & Jasmine St. Claire
The Blue Meanie leaving ECW for WWE saw the move flopping badly for him. Meanie was out of WWE faster than expected when the company struggled to find the ideal role for his skillset. The time away from the ring saw Meanie having dramatic weight loss.
ECW brought Meanie back towards the end of the company’s run with his new girlfriend and adult actress Jasmine St. Claire. The heel act saw Meanie mocking the weight of others while St. Claire feuded with the women. It was a failed run that showed why ECW was reaching the end of the road.
2 Loved: Tommy Dreamer & Beulah
Tommy Dreamer was the man of the people when looking back at his ECW career. No wrestler had as much support from the ECW fan base as Dreamer once they accepted him as their own. Dreamer’s rivalry with Raven was the peak of his career.
Beulah starting off as Raven’s girlfriend wanting to get revenge on Tommy for turning her down in their childhood years led to a bigger payoff. The face turn of Beulah saw her and Dreamer finally getting together. Both talents had remarkable chemistry together and ended up getting married in real life.
1 Didn't: Danny Doring & Lita
Lita getting her start in ECW is a tidbit many forget about her career. Paul Heyman added Lita to the roster under the name of Miss Congeniality. Danny Doring was her love interest as she managed him and his tag partner Roadkill.
ECW rarely spotlighted the in-ring ability of Lita as it was more character-based. The segments were designed to get cheap heat and did little for her career. WWE signing Lita to end the couple worked out well for everyone involved at the time.