Given the rigors of the road life, it is hard for a WWE Superstar or any wrestler for that matter to keep a successful partnership behind the scenes. For that reason, lots of wrestlers decide to pursue a relationship within the confines of the pro wrestling industry. Who understands that tough part of the life more so than someone that’s also involved in the same ordeal? However, it doesn’t always work out. In this article, we split the list into two featuring duos fans didn’t support all that much while featuring 10 that they adored. Some are duos from the past while we also feature duos from the present.
The wrestlers featured in this article are both in and out of the WWE these days. In fact, some completely left the business behind with no signs of returning. On the flip side, lots of the wrestlers featured in this article not only remain in the business but they’re also still a part of WWE whether it be as an in-ring talent, brand ambassador or other capacity. Not everyone was as lucky with numerous faces both male and female on the outside looking in. We’ll update the lives of these duos in this article and how they’ve grown since.
Enjoy the article folks and like always be sure to share it with a friend. From John Cena and Nikki Bella to The Undertaker and Michelle McCool to Shawn Michaels and Sunny, we discuss 10 wrestling duos fans couldn’t stand and 10 they adored. Let’s get started!
20 Can't Stand: Alberto Del Rio and Paige
Things worked out quite nicely for Paige. Despite calling it a career inside the ring, Paige has transitioned beautifully during her current stint as the SmackDown General Manager. In fact, the company is very content with her work in the spot; she’s like to continue on as the GM for quite some time.
As for Alberto Del Rio, he continues on the outside of WWE since his departure just a couple of years ago. He claims that he’ll return to the company for one final run at some point. However, for the time being he remains outside of the company keeping his pro wrestling journey alive while also dipping into the world of MMA.
19 Adore: Dean Ambrose and Renee Young
Finally, in late 2018, WWE moved on a Dean Ambrose heel turn. This should have taken place a year ago, however, due to an untimely injury, that plan was completely derailed. Ambrose new heel persona has the potential to be must-watch television over on RAW.
Speaking of must-watch television, Renee Young has turned into the official voice of RAW alongside Corey Graves and Michael Cole. She filled in for Jonathan Coachman during 2018 and it felt as though she belonged in the spot permanently. Just months later, WWE announced her permanent position in the commentary booth. She’s continuing to break down barriers recently joining the announce desk at the Crown Jewel event.
18 Can't Stand: Seth Rollins Zahra Schreiber
From one Shield member to another, since Dean’s injury hiatus, Seth Rollins turned into one of the biggest fan favorites on the RAW roster. He does all of his talking in the ring, putting on top tier matches night after night. In 2018, Seth can be considered among the elite in the entire pro wrestling business. He’s a workhorse for the company while keeping the standard extremely high.
Zarha Schreiber had the look to thrive in the business though ultimately it didn’t work. She continued on with the likes of Dream Wave Wrestling hoping to keep the dream alive and perhaps returning to the WWE someday. She still has lots of connections in the business including SmackDown GM Paige. Nonetheless, a return to the WWE seems unlikely.
17 Adore: Tyson Kidd and Natayla
Oh, how time goes by so quickly. Natalya got her start in the business back in 2001, taking on a role as a ring announcer. By 2003, she was already in the ring and four years later Natalya was approached by WWE. She signed in 2007 and hasn’t looked back. Over a decade later not only is she still part of the company but she’s also taking part in week to week storylines. What a story.
Tyson Kidd wasn’t as lucky, at least in terms of longevity. However, he was lucky to escape the tough incident alongside Samoa Joe. Despite his in-ring career coming to an end, Kidd continues to serve a purpose behind the scenes these days. He’s an agent that helps to set up the ground work for marquee matches.
16 Can't Stand: Bray Wyatt and JoJo
Still, we await the return of Bray Wyatt. He struck gold with The Wyatt Family gimmick by completely resurfacing his persona and identity. Despite the ups and downs of the gimmick, Wyatt managed to become an upper-card name, something that didn’t seem likely during his NXT stable run over on RAW. He is expected to return in the very near future and it is also expected that he’ll endure a significant push.
JoJo continues on in a non-wrestling role. It’s almost five years now since she signed a deal with WWE. What makes that so remarkable is that she’s still closer to 20 than 30 at the age of 24. She’ll be the in-ring voice of RAW for many more years to come.
15 Adore: Jimmy Uso and Naomi
It might not be as well documented but behind the scenes, Naomi was one of the female’s hoping for a revolution to take place. In fact, things were so bad at one point that Naomi was told to tone her skill-set down inside the squared circle. Ouch! Luckily for her, she’d be able to show-off her dazzling skills once the company finally transitioned away from the Divas Era.
Jimmy Uso continues to enjoy success over on SmackDown Live. The duo featuring Jimmy and his brother Jey continue to be pushed, that’s remarkable given their longevity in the business. Taking off the paint proved to be a wise decision, it gave the duo a different identity and one they can ride out for many more years.
14 Can't Stand: Batista and Melina
With all his Hollywood success, one would assume that Batista was done with anything pro wrestling related. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The Animal wanted to return for quite some time. He was finally granted a return during the SmackDown 1000 episode. With Triple H’s recent injury it remains unclear if he’ll return or not. Nonetheless, given the pop he recently received, fans would welcome that return with open arms.
Melina on the other hand, remains away from WWE despite her intent to return. Naomi actually tried to sell a match against Melina at the Evolution PPV and despite Melina accepting, it was never meant to be. Here’s to hoping Melina gets one final run at some point, before it’s too late.
13 Adore: Matt Hardy and Lita
Matt Hardy's future remains unknown at the moment. Some believe his career is done with while others speculate that he’s taking some time off to recover from some nagging bumps and bruises. Nonetheless, he remains a pivotal player for WWE. Since his departure, Matt continues to take on various projects with the WWE Network while serving as a brand ambassador in markets such as Mexico.
Who would have thought that while Matt was on the sidelines, Lita returned to the WWE in a wrestling capacity? She teamed up alongside Trish Stratus in a winning effort at the Evolution event. In all likelihood, Lita is set for another return at a later date in 2019.
12 Can't Stand: Edge and Lita
Speaking of injuries, Edge was forced to call it a career after being diagnosed with spinal stenosis. The Rated R Superstar was inducted into the Hall of Fame, an honor he deserved without a doubt. Despite the controversy surrounding his Rated R gimmick, Edge endured the best run of his career under the persona.
Lita initially left WWE on rocky terms back in 2006. She would return sporadically for minor appearances after that. She was officially welcomed back in 2014 as a part of the Hall of Fame class. She was embraced by the company and her demons are now well in the past.
11 Adore: Edge and Beth Phoenix
Similar to a lot of other Hall of Fame talent that called it a career with WWE, Edge remains on board as a brand ambassador. He appears every now and then on the main roster shows as well. However, Edge is a lot more involved when it comes to WWE Network content. He’s also the host of his own podcast, the E&C Show, a big hit with the pro wrestling community.
The youngest Hall of Famer ever, Beth Phoenix also continues on with WWE. This time, instead of Gorilla Press Slamming her opponents Beth’s putting her talent to use as a color commentator. She took part in the Mae Young Classic and she also worked alongside Michael Cole and Renee Young during the Evolution all women’s event.
10 Can't Stand: Sean Waltman and Chyna
Despite his troubled past, Sean Waltman seems to be back on his feet nowadays. Not only is he a brand ambassador for WWE, but he’s also a successful podcast host. Waltman continues to take positive strides. Due to putting his personal demons in the past, a Hall of Fame induction seems quite likely in the next couple of years.
Fans are hoping for the same trajectory as it pertains to the former Women’s Champion, Chyna. She deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame without a doubt based on her accomplishments alone. She was a trailblazer back in her day with WWE. She definitely deserves the recognition for her achievements.
9 Adore: CM Punk and AJ Lee
Passion. This was the biggest reason as to why fans adored both CM Punk and AJ Lee. Punk in particular didn’t like playing it safe. He was always willing to push boundaries both on and off screen, and for that reason, he became a beloved talent during his prime run and later stages. Despite all the success, a return to the wrestling business seems unlikely.
On the other hand, Lee has admitted that she misses the squared circle. Some anticipated that she might return to the ring for the Evolution PPV, however, that wasn’t the case. She’s currently working on projects outside of WWE but who knows, maybe she’ll return one day. She is still in her early 30s, and has time on her side.
8 Can't Stand: Bubba Dudley and Velvet Sky
Bubba Ray Dudley isn’t the first wrestler to call it a career only to return shortly afterwards. His former tag partner D-Von currently works behind the scenes with WWE. Bubba prefers to stay involved on-screen, appearing sporadically for the likes of ROH.
Velvet Sky, despite her younger age, called it a career for good most recently, particularly from in-ring action. She’s still making autograph appearances while calling out several wrestling fans via Twitter for their comments. So much for putting the business behind her! Eventually, she’ll have to put everything wrestling related aside if she really plans on entering a new line of work.
7 Adore: Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella
It’s almost a year now, but it still feels surreal to many fans seeing Daniel Bryan back in a WWE ring. He returned at WrestleMania 34, and he is now a full-time act despite the fact that some thought he’d be part-time. He hasn’t missed a beat in the squared circle, and fans are hoping he recaptures the WWE Championship at some point in 2019. What a moment that will be.
As for Brie Bella, her return wasn’t as smooth. It was admirable to see Brie back in such tremendous shape shortly after having her first child. However, her in-ring work became a liability with numerous botches. It hit a peak worst following a botched kick to the face of Liv Morgan. Thankfully, the dust has finally settled from that scenario.
6 Can't Stand: Shawn Michaels and Sunny
For the first time since late March of 2010, Shawn Michaels returned to the ring for a comeback match fans thought would never take place. Given the circumstances of the return, it was a bit of a letdown seeing the greatest in-ring talent of all-time return in such a mess of a match that was not only put together poorly, but resulted in Triple H sustaining an injury during the bout. Here’s to hoping HBK returns for one more match, at least.
As for Sunny, she remains on the outside of the WWE brand and that won’t change given her troubled history. The 45-year-old was at one time the most popular personality in all of WWE, particularly during the mid-90s. Clearly, those days are in the rear-view mirror.
5 Adore: The Undertaker and Michelle McCool
Age 53, the bell has yet to toll on the storied career of The Undertaker. Somehow, in late 2018, he’s somewhat active with the company. Putting things into perspective, ‘Taker got his start in the business back in 1984. It might finally be over for The Undertaker with WrestleMania 35 rumored to be his final event.
Michelle McCool on the other hand looks like she can still go. The 38-year-old put on one heck of a performance during the Women’s Royal Rumble match earlier in the year. Not only is she still incredibly fit but she can definitely still move in the ring. Who knows maybe she’ll return for an extended run in 2019?
4 Can't Stand: John Cena and Mickie James
Flat out, WWE is a better place with John Cena. Although he’s used sporadically these days, Cena is set for a return on route to WrestleMania 35. Who knows what he’ll bring to the show. Whether it will be a 17th WWE Title run or the other possibility of stepping up to the plate and taking on The Undertaker in what might be The Deadman’s final match ever.
Like Natalya earlier, Mickie James' longevity in the business remains a remarkable story. Not only does she look identical to the James of years prior, but she also continues to perform exactly like her old self. She deserved a shot at redemption given her troubling release, and she’s taking full advantage.
3 Adore: John Cena and Nikki Bella
Nikki Bella returned to WWE in 2018. She took part in the Royal Rumble match and later, would work a program alongside Ronda Rousey. Bella did a great job in elevating Rousey. The build up to the match was a great one featuring tremendous promo exchanges between the two. Although the spotlight was on Rousey, Bella proved that she’s still got it.
Cena’s likely to prove the same thing once he returns to the company. John looks to be in the best shape of his life these days. The fact that he’s wrestling less while traveling half as much must help in every way.
2 Can't Stand: Brock Lesnar and Sable
With Roman Reigns on the sidelines, Brock Lesnar is once again WWE Universal Champion. It seems like the company has a renewed confidence in Brock with rumors that he signed an extension. Whether fans like or not, it might be yet another year with Lesnar being the major focus of WrestleMania entering the event as champion.
With the Hall of Fame looming, we can’t help but to think about notable names who aren’t in the prestigious class. Despite her polarizing legacy, Sable has to be in that conversation. However, she isn’t losing any sleep on the snub given that she’s living a quiet life outside of the pro wrestling limelight these days. In all likelihood, Sable might not want any association with her husband’s company, that’s a shame.
1 Adore: Macho Man & Miss Elizabeth
At least on-screen this has to be one of the most beloved duos ever. Of course, "Macho Man" Randy Savage would go on to have a Hall of Fame career and that’s an understatement. He was just so ahead of his time back in the day from his look to the promos. For those aspiring to get into the business, watch some of Macho Man’s work alongside DDP during his later days. The guy’s longevity was truly something else.
Miss Elizabeth wasn’t an in-ring character, however, she would turn into one of the most loved managers in WWE history. She lost her way with WCW, but take nothing away from her pro wrestling resume. She deserves the positive accolades for her days with the WWE.