Marriages are never easy. In professional wrestling, they’re almost impossible. The long list of broken relationships in wrestling is well known as it’s hard to maintain a marriage when a guy is on the road for months at a time with a lot of temptation. Some get around it by marrying other wrestlers or valets, but that still leads to problems. Trying to keep a marriage healthy in the business is tricky, but they always try. WWE has had a lot of great couples over the years who put their real-life marriages front and center on screen. That also includes a few couples not fully married but still together, although it’s fun to see the marriages not recognized on-screen (such as Zelina Vega and Aleister Black).
While some famous couples were married, a few weren’t. That includes some of the best known WWE couples who kept it up for a while, but behind the scenes weren’t entirely wed. A few weren’t even in a real relationship but did a spectacular job faking it on screen. Several are famous, but it’s surprising how some folks fans assumed were married for real weren’t. Here are five iconic WWE couples that really were married and five who weren’t to show how romances can be tricky both on and off the screen.
10 NOT: Skip and Sunny
It’s sad to look back at the story of Chris Candido and Tammy Sytch. After time in Smokey Mountain, the duo came to WWE as Sunny and Skip, a pair of fitness experts. Skip had a good push only to suffer a stunning loss to jobber Barry Horowitz.
He and Sunny still stuck around for a time, including Skip and Zip winning the tag titles. Sunny, of course, became a massive success as one of the hottest Divas around. Sadly, they hit the skids personally even though Sunny was still Candido's common-law wife at the time of his passing in 2005. It’s better to remember the good times they had.
9 REAL: The Miz & Maryse
One has to give it to the Miz. This guy should have been a forgettable reality jerk turned lame wrestler but instead has become one of WWE’s most dependable stars. He and Maryse had been linked on camera a few times, and the two clicking with their great arrogance. They were married in 2014 and have kept busy as a fun on-screen couple since.
That includes their own reality TV show and nicely handling being either arrogant heels or being more sympathetic babyfaces such as when Maryse was targeted by Bray Wyatt. Right now, the two are pretty hot as a couple in WWE, and showing a modern wrestling marriage can work.
8 NOT: Sherri and Shawn Michaels
When Shawn Michaels started a singles heel, there were a lot of doubters he could be that effective. But being paired up with Sherri Martel was an excellent way for Shawn to get over with the fans. The two were a terrific couple with their egos and wild fashions matching. Sherri was there to hold up a mirror for Shawn to enjoy his reflection and interfere on his behalf.
This set up a great feud with Rick Martel and Sherri playing both guys against each other. They weren’t indeed together, but Shawn has always credited Sherri with helping him become a star.
7 REAL: Goldust and Marlena
It’s a shame a guy as talented as Dustin Rhodes always needed to rely on his Goldust gimmick to make something of himself. Goldust was an act ahead of its time with its bizarre overtones to get attention. At the 1996 Royal Rumble, Goldust threw everyone by having the gorgeous Marlena at his side.
She was Dustin’s real wife, Terri and the duo made a weird but captivating pair. They were successful for a time, but real life majorly intruded with them having a bitter divorce in 1999. They are on better terms today as they remember their golden time together.
6 NOT: HHH and Chyna
They didn’t push the romance angle much, but the pairing of HHH and Chyna was a huge one in its time. Hunter hadn’t won over fans on his own, but the sight of this Amazonian woman as his bodyguard gave him serious heat.
Chyna proved herself beating down guys and aiding Hunter as he would rise up the card. Behind the scenes, they were together, but the relationship faltered when Hunter hit the main event scene and took up with Stephanie. Still, it worked to make HHH a star.
5 REAL: Booker T and Sharmell
Booker T had already been an excellent star in WWE when he was married to Sharmell. At first, she was the supportive wife who secretly aided Booker in winning with some cheating. This led to a heel turn with Booker boasting he’d been aware all along of Sharmell’s actions.
They got better when Booker became a “King” and Sharmell going all out as his “Queen.” The duo was terrific selling themselves as top heels with feuds from the Boogeyman to others. Sharmell even followed Booker to TNA. The two are still together to remain a royal couple behind the scenes.
4 NOT: Eddie Guerrero & Chyna
Eddie Guerrero’s ups and downs in wrestling are well known. He was a big star in 2000 when he entered into a program with Chyna. At the time, Chyna was the “Ninth Wonder of the World” and proud mixing her strength with her beauty. Their chemistry was terrific from going to the prom to some mixed tag team matches.
In real life, Eddie was happily married, although that wouldn’t be acknowledged for a long time. They had a great time before Eddie beat Chyna for the IC title just before his personal demons came calling. Still, they made a great on-screen couple who never hooked up for real.
3 REAL: HHH and Stephanie McMahon
On the “McMahon” DVD, Stephanie talks of how her father had always refused to let her date any wrestlers. She and HHH started as just the on-air couple whose fake marriage turned into a real deal, and the fans loved to hate them. The duo had an on-air breakup, but in 2003 were married for real.
Since then, they’ve acknowledged their marriage in storylines and kept up as the hated Authority. While some might argue it was for political gain, HHH's bond with Stephanie has helped shape the last decade of WWE.
2 NOT: Edge and Lita
It’s one of the most infamously heated love triangles in wrestling history. When news broke that Lita was cheating on Matt Hardy with Edge, it was a firestorm in the wrestling fandom. Both Edge and Lita were instantly loathed by fans and used that to become major heels. This led to Edge reaching the main event scene and doing a great job as champion.
He and Lita had some wild times in feuds with various faces like Mick Foley but never did get around to tying the knot. They would split with Edge marrying Beth Phoenix, but they were a hot couple in their time.
1 REAL: Randy Savage and Elizabeth
They were the First Couple of WWE. When Randy Savage entered WWE, lots of managers wanted to handle him. Instead, he brought out a gorgeous woman who was his real-life wife, Elizabeth. The two had a great dynamic with Savage jealous and possessive and Elizabeth putting up with it all.
They were perfect together whether Savage was the heel or the face, and their reunion at WrestleMania VII was epic. They had an in-ring wedding although sadly divorced for real in late 1992. Yet for all their ups and downs, they were still one of the best couples in wrestling history.