I never watched wrestling growing up, my brother wasn’t into it, and my dad wasn’t interested so when I started seeing a guy who was obsessed, it was like a foreign culture to me. Even after I was forced to watch it many, many times the only thing I could really tell you about wrestling was that unless you’re looking to wind up in a sleeper hold never, I repeat never, say anything about it being “fake”.
Fast forward a few years and I can now tell you the names of a handful of WWE wrestlers, their storylines, and random facts about their personal lives. No not because I kept watching WWE long after whatshisname was sent packing, but because of a guilty little pleasure called Total Divas. That’s right guys your girlfriend isn’t all of a sudden paying attention to your wrestling play by play, she’s tuning into the E! reality show every Tuesday night to see if John Cena will ever propose to Nikki Bella.
For Cena and the bunch WWE is work, so while everyone knows the age old saying “don’t s*** where you eat”, as with all workplaces it is inevitable that relationships form between co-workers outside the office, or in this case ring. Even before the Total Divas came to life, there were many controversial and even happy relationships formed between WWE superstars that captivated the hearts and headlines of fans and pundits alike. These are the wrestling pairs who married each other in real life.
We'll be sticking to wrestlers as much as possible, with some valets thrown in. Vince and Linda McMahon will be excluded from the list, as they were married well before they took prominent roles in the WWE. This list is more reserved for couples who were brought together as a result of the business. Being on the road 300 days a year means you'll likely find your dating partner in the business.
While we've seen many on-screen "weddings" in wrestling, there were many outside the ring that didn't quite play out the way it usually would on an episode of RAW.
17 15. Tommy Dreamer & Beulah McGillicutty
Trisa Hayes, known by wrestling fans as Beulah McGillicutty was an Extreme Championship Wrestler in the late '90s. Her backstory was that she had attended summer camp with Raven and Tommy Dreamer as teens, Beulah who was overweight had fallen in love with Tommy Dreamer, but he rejected her so she slept with Raven. While his character may have rejected McGillicutty, Thomas Laughlin took a liking to Trisa and the two married in 2002.
16 14. Jeff & Karen Jarrett
A little backstory here, Karen was once married to Kurt Angle, professional wrestler and olympic gold medalist. The two divorced in 2008 and Karen went on to be romantically linked to Jeff Jarrett, Angle's TNA coworker. Jeff, WCW/WWE pro wrestler, wrestling promoter, and co-founder of TNA and GFW married Karen in 2010. This led to what ended up being a long-term story line which pitted the Jarretts against Kurt Angle.
15 13. Steve Austin & Debra
Steve Austin was the biggest star of his generation and possibly in the history of the business. When it was brought to light on WWE television that he was married to Debra, the former valet of Jeff Jarrett, it was cool to see the most popular male star mate with one of the generation's most popular female stars. Unfortunately, their marriage also represents a dark period in the life of Stone Cold.
The two would separate after charges were pressed against Austin for domestic abuse. The two would soon divorce and Debra would say the incident was a result of roid rage and WWE had covered up the incident.
14 12. Matt Hardy & Reby Sky
Matt Hardy is no stranger to relationships within the world of professional wrestling having had a dramatic relationship with Lita (who hasn't she dated?). He is now married to Rebecca Reyes aka Reby Sky. The couple have had their share of problems and were arrested in 2014 following a domestic dispute after only a year of marriage. Hardy is currently signed with TNA alongside his brother Jeff.
13 11. Drew McIntyre & Tiffany
So technically these two are now divorced, however this list would not be complete without the rollercoaster relationship that was Drew Mcintyre and Tiffany. After all, the truth is, that Mcintyre's marriage to former WWE diva, Taryn "Tiffany" Terrell was what ultimately screwed up his career. Once labeled a "future World Champion" by Vince McMahon himself and nicknamed "The Chosen One", Andrew "Drew" Galloway married Tiffany in 2010. One year and one domestic violence incident later and the two were filing for a divorce in 2011.
12 10. The Miz & Maryse
Michael Mizanin and former Divas Champion Maryse Ouellet were married in February 2014. Mizanin, a former WWE Champion himself, first gained fame on MTV's reality show The Real World while Ouellet got her start as a glamour model. In 2009, fans were given a compelling storyline that saw The Miz attempt to seduce gorgeous Diva Maryse Ouellet. While that angle never went anywhere in terms of a storyline, life imitated art and the two got together in real life.
11 9. Jimmy Uso & Naomi
Jonathan Fatu Trinity McCray were married in January 2014 and are one of the couples featured on the WWE hit reality show, Total Divas. Trinity McCray made her debut as one half of The Funkadactyls and Fatu is of course apart of the Anoa’i family – a renowned Samoan-American wrestling dynasty which includes The Rock and Roman Reigns (cousins) and of course their father Solofa Fatu, better known as Rikishi. Jonathan is one half of one of the most exciting tag teams in WWE along with his twin-brother Joshua, Jimmy and Jay Uso. The two tied the knot on an episode of Total Divas.
10 8. CM Punk & AJ Lee
Phillip Brooks and April Mendez were married in June of 2014, before they got together however, Brooks better known as CM Punk was known for being a bit of a playboy and dated many female wrestlers from Lita to Maria and even Beth Phoenix. After a year of dating quite privately, the two married. A series of incidents resulted in Punk walking away from wrestling and shortly after AJ Lee followed suit and retired as well. In a twist that could only happen in the wrestling business, Punk claims he was notified of his release from WWE on his wedding day.
9 7. The Undertaker & Michelle McCool
A 15-year age gap and multiple failed marriages between the two of them wasn't enough to stop The Undertaker and Michelle McCool from tying the knot. Mark Calaway and Michelle Leigh were married in June 2010. The Undertaker is the company's longest-tenured in-ring performer and has been with the WWE since 1990. McCool is best known for her time with WWE and is also a former two-time WWE Divas Champion. Thankfully their wedding didn't follow the un-holy ceremony of The Undertaker and Stephanie McMahon.
8 6. Natalya & Tyson Kidd
Natalie "Natalya" Neidhart and Theodore Wilson have known each other since they were kids. The couple began dating in 2001 and were married in 2013. Their wedding, and marriage struggles were featured on the reality show Total Divas. Neidhart is the daughter of wrestler Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and Ellie Hart, who is the daughter of Stu Hart, making Neidhart a third generation wrestler. Tyson Kidd has essentially been part of the Hart family his entire life.
7 5. Booker T & Sharmell
Booker Huffman Jr. better known as Booker T is known as the most decorated wrestler in WCW history holding 21 titles. He dated Sharmell Sullivan for five years before marrying her in 2005. Sullivan originally started out in the wrestling business as a member of the Nitro Girls known as “Storm”. In 2006 Booker became King of the Ring and one of his first acts was to declare his wife Queen Sharmell.
6 4. Brock Lesnar & Sable
Rena Marlette Greek better known as Sable is one of the first WWE Divas and is married to former WWE Champion/UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. Lesnar was signed to WWE in 2000 and Sable began working for the WWE in 1996. The two met in Sable's second stint in WWE, starting in 2003 with Sable coming off a divorce from Marc Mero.
Unlike many wrestling stars the couple live a quiet life and reside on a farm in the midwest. The pair began dating in 2004 and married in 2006.
5 3. Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella
Total Divas stars Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan wed in front of family, friends and E! cameras. Bryan Danielson and Brianna Garcia-Colace were married in April of 2014. Garcia-Colace, one half of The Bella Twins, is one of the main stars of Total Divas and is a top Diva in the company. The twins were signed to developmental contracts in 2007. Danielson is signed to WWE, but is currently on hiatus due to injury.
The wedding made for amazing timing, as Bryan had just realized his greatest career achievement by headlining WrestleMania and winning the world title just days before marrying the woman of his dreams.
Nikki Bella (Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace) has been dating fellow professional wrestler John Cena since 2012.
4 2. Randy Savage & Miss Elizabeth
No one said that all marriages on this list would be lasting marriages, but these two were wrestling's most famous couple for a long time. Randy Poffo married Elizabeth Hulette in 1984 and Miss Elizabeth soon became a staple alongside the Macho Man on WWE programming. One of the most heartwarming moments in wrestling history came at WrestleMania VII when the two reunited on-screen. Sadly they would separate in 1992, although they would continue acting as an on-screen couple for several more years.
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2 1. Triple H & Stephanie McMahon
At #1 are the heirs to the WWE throne, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
McMahon is the daughter of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, and she is also the only 4th generation superstar/diva in the WWE. McMahon began dating Paul Levesque, better known as Triple H, in 2000 during their scripted romance. A memorable wedding saw Triple H elope with Stephanie against her will and the two eventually married for real in 2003. Triple H has had a Hall of Fame wrestling career and is currently in semi-retirement and serves as WWE's executive senior adviser where he heads up the whiff-or-miss new talent division. Stephanie is the Vice President of Creative and Developmental Operations.