Professional wrestlers are always on the road with each other, therefore they tend to build relationships within the industry. While plenty of friendships develop over the years, not all of them manage to survive the passing of time. There are some who were once best friends, tag team partners and travel buddies for a number of years and yet they fell through at the end. And just like in wrestling, there have been friends who pulled a heel turn in real life - leading to a bitter rift between the two sides.

The reasons may vary from personal disagreement to women, as well as money - all of which are guaranteed to end a friendship as bitterly as possible. Many of the listed pairs couldn't be separated during some times of their lives, and even had a major part in each other's career, but that wasn't enough to maintain a bond. And when it comes to the wrestling industry, it seems like we always manage to catch word about which friendships have fallen apart.

The nature of the business allows the wrestlers to always discuss their personal lives while being somewhat dramatic with shoot interviews. As these tales almost always unravel through shoot interviews and social media beefs, fans can't help but take sides. Wrestling fans are known to be highly invested in the performers beyond the ring, which means they will always care about details such as their industry friendships. Today, we look at 20 once-bestie WWE stars who can't be in the same room anymore.

20 CM Punk And Hornswoggle

One of the most odd friendships in the wrestling industry united CM Punk and Hornswoggle, who became best friends as travel buddies during the course of their careers. Fan reaction always tends to be the same, as CM Punk is known for not having too many friends in the business anymore. As for Hornswoggle, he has gained a reputation as a jerk for his backstage behaviour - as indicated by some of his peers' shoot interviews. But then again, that may have been the reason they got along so well. But like so many of CM Punk's friendships, this one didn't last either for a very strange reason.

According to Hornswoggle, he was cut off by CM Punk after asking him for the phone number of a mutual friend.

This highly offended him for unknown reasons. Hornswoggle still doesn't completely understand as to why Punk reacted the way he did, especially since the person was supposedly one of his better friends. What was already considered to be one of the most random friendships had the most ridiculous reason behind their falling out. Punk has never responded to Hornswoggle's account of the story, and at this point, he probably won't ever either.

19 Hulk Hogan And Brutus Beefcake

Before he became the WWE's biggest star, Hulk Hogan formed a team with one of his best friends Brutus Beefcake as they tried to make their way up the ladder. But they would each go on solo runs with Hogan becoming the most over Superstar within a few years, which allowed Brutus to also joined the WWE in a major role. And while he was involved in some major storylines, as well as associated to Hogan, he was never able to reach stardom. But Brutus did keep a job for so long due to his friendship with Hogan, as evident by his move to WCW when his friend had also ditched the WWE.

And for the next five years, Brutus somehow was always able to land different roles while also being re-branded with multiple gimmicks in hopes of getting him over. Up until a few years ago, they had remained very close friends but they seem to have fallen out due to Hogan dating Brutus' ex-wife. The latter was calling him out on Twitter with multiple tweets to which Hogan responded. They went back and forth with personal insults and threats - as their feud intensified when Brutus revealed that he was writing a tell-all book that would expose Hogan. The Hulkster obviously didn't take too kindly to those comments, and sent lawyers to handle the case in hopes of prohibiting the release of the book.

18 Scott Steiner And Buff Bagwell

Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell are two of the most interesting personalities in the history of professional wrestling, so it is somewhat odd that they were once close friends. Their friendship translated on-screen chemistry as they formed a memorable tag team in WCW. But what led to their fall out is probably the most bizarre reason on today's list, as it's claimed that fellow WCW wrestlers used to tease Steiner about Bagwell having a better physique. That was the ultimate insult for Steiner who took a great pride in having the best body in the wrestling industry, although Bagwell could certainly give him a good run for his money.

And with the talents constantly teasing Steiner in hoping of agitating him, they were successfully able to create a rift between the two. What started as a friendly argument turned into high tension that led to the demise of Steiner and Bagwell's friendship. Considering that neither of these men have really changed that much as far as personality goes, it seems unrealistic to expect them to make up anytime soon. If anything, we wouldn't be surprised to see another random argument breaking out between them in the future, perhaps over twitter.

17 Rikishi And Scotty 2 Hotty

Rikishi's induction in the 2015 Hall of Fame class was well-received by fans who were hoping to see one of the most memorable names from the Attitude Era. During his speech, Rikishi showed plenty of gratitude to everyone from family, friends, fans to co-workers although he did leave out two names that played a vital role in his career. Immediately after his speech, some fans were questioning as to why he hadn't mentioned his former Too Cool tag team partners Scotty 2 Hotty and Brian Christopher.

Scotty also expressed his disappointment with a statement, and it seems like their friendship is non-existent these days. Not only did Rikishi fail to mention them, but he also concluded his speech by performing the signature Too Cool dance with his sons, which had to rub a bit of salt in the wound. Fans were disappointed to not see a Too Cool reunion at the Hall of Fame stage - and even more so in the fact that Rikishi deliberately ignored mentioning them. They had been on good terms until recent years, but it seems like all three members of Too Cool have grown apart - leading to some tension all-around. And Rikishi's speech only escalated matters to new levels.

16 Mr. Kennedy And Randy Orton

From close friends to enemies, Randy Orton and Mr. Kennedy's relationship seemingly took a turn for the worst overnight. They always got along from the moment Mr. Kennedy debuted on SmackDown when Orton had recently been drafted from Raw. And they remained close friends throughout their careers even as both men were drafted to Raw - although that would spell the end for their friendship. In an NBA-themed tag team match, Mr. Kennedy was accused of delivering reckless moves and nearly hurting Orton, who didn't take too kindly to it and immediately complained directly to management.

With pressure mounting from top stars such as Orton and John Cena, WWE had no choice but to let Kennedy go.

Especially since he had been already on thin ice due to his previous suspensions. As you can imagine, they never made up afterwards and probably haven't even ran into each other since then. Kennedy was never brought back to the WWE since the incident, and has mostly kept a low profile when he wasn't wrestling for TNA. There is no doubt that Orton's betrayal highly affected the trajectory or Kennedy's career even if he may be satisfied with how it played out.

15 DDP And Vader

For many years, DDP and Vader had been close friends as they go way back. Last year, it was said that DDP had taken him under his wing just as he previously did for Scott Hall and Jake Roberts. The point of this was to get Vader back to a healthy point in his life. Vader was initially full of praise for DDP and his Yoga program, thanking him for helping him get healthy as well as the support being constantly provided. But within a couple months, his tune changed as Vader claimed that DDP had declined helping him after he had refused to quit wrestling.

DDP responded to the claims made by Vader, claiming that he was only looking out for him by inviting him to move to Atlanta. And since he is now a married man who clearly needs space, he couldn't invite Vader to stay over. At the same time, Vader has had financial problems and cannot afford to quit wrestling at the moment. It's been a tricky situation that should have probably never occurred in the first place. It seems like a simple miscommunication problem between them, although they haven't exactly made up since then - so the bitter feelings may still be floating around.

14 Matt Hardy And Paul London

In the mid 2000s, Paul London and Matt Hardy became close friends for a brief period but that didn't last beyond a couple of months. Although they had initially gotten along well, they would soon turn into bitter rivals due to various issues between them. The biggest problem remains London's involvement with Matt Hardy's ex-girlfriend Ashley Massaro, as he may have played a part in her and Hardy breaking up. But their problems reached an entirely different level when London accused Hardy of attempting to sabotage his WWE career by snitching on him and spreading false information.

Throughout his interviews, London has always been outspoken - blasting Hardy at any given opportunity. There is no reason to think that these two will have to run into each other anytime soon. And even if they happened to meet in person, we wouldn't put it past them to revive their past issues. After all, London did have some truly harsh words towards Hardy's character that may have made them enemies for life. As for Hardy, it seems like he had some tough luck with the dating scene during his times in the WWE as many of his beefs stemmed from his relationships.

13 Tommy Dreamer And Paul Heyman

During the run of the original ECW, Tommy Dreamer and Paul Heyman were extremely close and that's why the former resisted a hefty offer from the WCW. As per Heyman's request, Dreamer rejected what would have been a major payday to stick around, although he did add that Heyman had lied to him about some promises that he failed to deliver. Following the death of ECW, their relationship was rocky to say the least although they never became enemies per definition. Perhaps Heyman had felt bad for what he had done to Dreamer, who obviously still holds some sour feelings as evidenced by some of his interviews.

Whenever people mix business with their personal lives, one or the other almost always goes south.

In the past few years, they have reunited a number of times - mostly to record WWE programming content. And while they may be fine enough with each other from a professional standpoint, their friendship has never recovered since the days of ECW. Now that so many years have passed by, it seems unlikely that they will ever get back on the very same page again. Some past issues cannot be resolved, but at least they have been mature enough to put their differences aside when needed.

12 Shawn Michaels And Marty Jannetty

The Rockers were once the hottest team in professional wrestling as both Shawn Michaels And Marty Jannetty displayed their tremendous potential. But once the company split them up, their career trajectories couldn't have been more different. Michaels went on to become the top star in the WWE while his former partner faded into irrelevancy. And for many years, they had stopped talking until sometime in the mid 2000s when they re-connected again. Jannetty was brought back to the WWE to be apart of the ongoing storyline between Michaels and Kurt Angle, which meant that The Rockers were back in action.

But Jannetty failed to earn a full-time contract which he nearly did according to rumours, only management didn't view him as a reliable performer. Michaels and Jannetty would remain on decent terms for the next few years, but that has changed more recently. These days, Michaels attempts to avoid discussing his former partner as much as possible, while Jannetty doesn't always have the nicest things to say. And he has also thrown some subtle shots along the way, although Michaels hasn't escalated their unknown issues any further. It is very clear that one member of the team took off like a rocket while the other was left far behind to struggle.

11 Vince McMahon And Hulk Hogan

It is clear that Vince McMahon has plenty of love for Hulk Hogan since he was willing to forgive him for dubious actions a number of times. They went from having a business relationship to close friends, but as the cards were being shuffled in the WWE, and there were some controversial issues haunting the company - they ended up having a major fall out in the early 90s. That led to Hogan's departure from the WWE only to join its rival WCW - and he played a vital role in nearly taking down McMahon's empire.

But despite the infamous trial as well as Hogan's days in WCW, that didn't stop McMahon from bringing him back in 2002.

Not only did Vince sign him to the WWE, but he also made him one of the top stars once again as he was able to reclaim the WWE Undisputed Title - winning some major bouts along the way including the dream match against Shawn Michaels. But there always problems between them - mostly related to contract negotiations and Hogan's lack of loyalty to the WWE. The tapes that were released to the public only made things worse as McMahon didn't hesitate to let him go from the company. And despite having so many rumours floating around, he has yet to agree to allow Hogan back in the WWE.

10 Steve Austin And Hardcore Holly

At some point, Hardcore Holly, Steve Austin and Billy Gunn were travel buddies who spent plenty of time together. According to Holly's shoot interview, that changed as soon as Austin received a huge push by the WWE with his ego significantly growing overnight. He claims that Austin had become a know-it-all, ignoring those around him including his closest associates. Holly added that Austin began treating him and Gunn different than he did from the past, alienating himself from the crew.

Since then, they were never on good terms again. And while they may not exactly be at each other's throats these days, there doesn't appear to be any interest from both sides to rekindle their friendship. Two decades have passed by since their initial fall out, so it is understandable as to why they may not care to revisit their past issues. Austin has never given his side of the story, so it is entirely possible that there is more details than we know. But if you take Holly's word for it, then Austin may have allowed his newly found popularity to affect his personal relationships, especially when it came to wrestlers who weren't considered to be main event material.

9 Nikki Bella And Maria Kanellis

There was a time when Nikki Bella and Maria were good friends, but those days are long gone as there has been tension between them for a while now. According to Maria, it was set off during a party in which Nikki had a problem with Maria dancing with her then boyfriend Dolph Ziggler, and called her about it. Since then, they have had some harsh words towards each other in shoot interviews. In 2013, Maria was constantly bashing Nikki in interviews, as well as social media, claiming that she had sabotaged an opportunity to return to the WWE.

Maria would have to wait a few more years to get back to the company, but she never forgave Nikki for her actions. This is understandable considering the underhanded tactics used to trick Maria. As for Nikki Bella, it seems like she had other problems with Maria - some of which were to related to her father - claiming that Maria had attempted to get him fired from the WWE. With so much bitter history between the two, it seems nearly unthinkable for them to return on good terms again despite the fact that Maria was able to return after all.

8 Raven And Shane McMahon

For many years, Vince McMahon held a grudge towards Raven due to his past friendship with his son Shane. As both men were in their early 20s and coming up around the same time, they became buddies almost instantly to the point where they were partying together all over town. And that didn't please Vince who was upset with Shane supposed being drunk out of his mind very often, placing the blame on Raven's bad influence. With Shane's party habits getting worse by the day, Vince had to interfere to guide him towards the right path.

And luckily for him, he didn't face much opposition from Shane who was willing to listen to his father's advice. As for Raven, he was practically forced to stop communicating with Shane since Vince saw him as a bad influence. And that's why he retained some of the past dislike for him upon Raven's return to the WWE in the early 2000s. Two decades have gone by since Shane and Raven were truly hitting it off, and both have obviously grown apart. Given how differently their wrestling careers played out, it's no surprise that they haven't been on speaking terms since their younger days.

7 Enzo Amore And Big Cass

Enzo Amore and Big Cass formed one of the most popular teams in recent years, but it seems like their legacy may not age so well considering how their solo careers have turned out. From NXT to the main roster, they became one of the most over teams in recent history with so many catchphrases that gained popularity among fans. But there were always rumours that Vince McMahon had high hopes for Cass as a singles competitor, so it was only a matter of time before they split up. And when they finally did, it was underwhelming to say the least.

Not only did they split up as tag team partners, Enzo and Cass also stopped talking with each other.

Neither have revealed the exact reason behind their fall out, although Enzo did wish his former partner the utmost success in his career - despite noting that they weren't on speaking terms. Like so many members of the roster, it seems like Cass also grew tired of Enzo's acts. He had made several enemies to the point where he got banned from the locker room, so it's not surprising that even Cass didn't get along with him by the end.

6 Vince McMahon And Vince Russo

Vince Russo's impressive work for the WWE in the 90s had made him grow closer to Vince McMahon. They had become friends towards his final years with the company, although Russo's frustrations were growing at the time especially once SmackDown was introduced. With the tasks increasing, and his family having to take a backseat to work, Russo decided that it was time to leave the WWE as he had been fed up. In 1999, he would join WCW and was even dubbed by some as the potential saviour for the company.

But we all know how that played out, as Russo's legacy was severely affected by his days as the booker. And despite having turned his back on the WWE for its rival, McMahon was still keen on bringing him back following the demise of WCW. With Russo joining WWE in 2002, it seems like they had repaired their friendship once again until he left the company almost immediately after penning a contract. Russo was supposedly offended by a phone call from Stephanie McMahon, which seems to have set him off. Since then, McMahon and Russo haven't been on the best of terms - and when the latter reached out to his former boss for a potential return in 2016, he was turned down.

5 Bret Hart And King Kong Bundy

King Kong Bundy and Bret Hart came up around the same time in the wrestling industry, and they became good friends during their WWE tenure in the 1980's. At the time, Bret was still an up and coming wrestler who was trying to move up from the tag team division into a solo star. Bundy left the WWE for many years, and by the time he came back in 1994, Hart had already become one of the WWE's top stars. Their friendship didn't survive the times as Bundy claims to have grown sick of Hart's growing ego.

He blames him and Shawn Michaels for affecting the WWE product in a negative manner with their childish antics. A few years ago, Bundy once again called out his former friend - noting that he had read Hart's autobiography and couldn't believe the ego that he had developed. Hart is known for having some enemies in the industry and while Bundy isn't exactly at the top of his list, it is still sad to see two former friends being unable to make up after all these years. And based on their comments towards each other, it seems like the old wounds have yet to heal.

4 Alberto Del Rio And Sin Cara

Upon their arrival in WWE, it seems like Alberto Del Rio and Sin Cara instantly got along behind the scenes. But their friendship didn't last for too long as there was mounting heat between them. To make matters worse, one of their matches may have led to a major fall out between them when Del Rio was angered by Sin Cara, and threw some stiff shots. They had been working together from time to time to both get comfortable in the WWE. After the stiff shots though, it is understandable that some animosity developed between the two.

Once that incident occurred, it seems like WWE realized that it was for the best to separate both men. But Sin Cara is just one of the many Superstars that went from being one Del Rio's friends to someone he may have sour feelings towards. Since his departure from the WWE, Del Rio has lost many former friends due to his antics and controversial comments. At this time, it seems like their friendship is beyond repair although neither men are probably losing sleep at night these days. And based on their different career trajectories, it is unlikely that they will be running into each other anytime soon.

3 Michael Cole And Tazz

Considering that the Monday Night Raw announce team consisted of two all-time greats in Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler, the SmackDown gig was always going to be tough for anyone who wanted to take it. The comparisons to the two legends would surely never even be close. And yet the team of Michael Cole and Tazz successfully managed to exceed all expectations by becoming the voice of SmackDown for a number of years. They had great chemistry and were seemingly the perfect fit together as their strengths meshed very well together. But when Tazz left the WWE in 2009, it seems like he also left a good friend behind in Cole.

While they may not have clashed, it has been said that they stopped speaking following Tazz's departure. They had grown close to each other after being co-workers for so many years, and it seems like Cole may not have been a fan of Tazz's switch to TNA. Looking back, it was not the wisest career decision by Tazz as he would have been better off maintaining a great relationship with the WWE. As of now, it seems like they still don't care to be around each other but that may change with time.

2 CM Punk And Colt Cabana

For so many years, CM Punk and Colt Cabana had been best friends in real life with their wrestling journey bringing them even closer together on a personal level. From their independent circuit days to WWE, the two friends never grew apart until recent times. They were always spotted together and had done various projects with each other.

Even when Punk reached new level of fame, he didn't turn his back on his old friend and even tried to bring him over to the WWE.

And not only did he namedrop him in one of the most famous promos in WWE history, but he also went on Cabana's podcast following his departure from the WWE to discuss the situation, as well as his career. At the time, Punk was engaged in plenty of rivalries with fellow wrestlers and had lost some of his closest friends along the way - although he did stay close with Cabana longer than the rest. But soon enough, he also joined the list of Punk's former friends for unknown reasons. Fans have been speculating with various theories since their split, but as of now, neither men have confirmed the true reason behind their fall out.

1 Matt Hardy And Lita

Before they became a couple, Lita was great friends with Matt Hardy as well as his brother Jeff. It didn't take them too long to transition from friends to a couple, becoming one of the most popular duos of their time. But once their relationship was over, that didn't leave any chance for their friendship to continue - especially due to the circumstances surrounding the break up. Lita had broken things off with Matt to start something new with one of Hardy's closest friends in the industry in Edge, so we can only imagine how he felt at the time - especially since he had to see them together while working for the WWE.

For so many years, Hardy had also intense heat with Edge for understandable reasons, but a recent photo posted by the latter suggests that they have resolved all past issues. And while they probably aren't friends these days, at least they can co-exist in the same room. The same cannot be said for Hardy and Lita, who still don't get along very well. And there is very little evidence to suggest that will change anytime soon since Hardy doesn't seem to hold his former girlfriend in the highest regards.