Many people, viewers and non-fans, have often called WWE a macho soap opera. Sure there's a bunch of action and impressive feats of athleticism but there are also wild storylines. Just like you'd find in a soap opera, one of the stories you see most often revolve around love triangles.
Some of these were well-crafted tales featuring interesting characters that audiences thoroughly enjoyed. Others were poorly laid out plots that didn't help any of the people involved and turned fans away. We have looked through WWE's long history to find the best and the worst love triangles they've ever put on screen.
10 Worst: Val Venis/Yamaguchi-San/Mrs. Yamaguchi-San
The Attitude Era was a weird time. Val Venis had a gimmick that would only have worked back then, portraying a male pornstar. One of the first storylines he was involved in saw him make an adult film with the wife of Yamaguchi-San. He was the manager for the Kai En Tai stable.
Yamaguchi-San didn't treat his wife well but that didn't make what Val Venis did okay. Regardless, he was viewed as the good guy during this rivalry. The whole thing struggled because nobody cared much for the Yamaguchi-Sans and it led to the ridiculous scene where Yamaguchi-San tried to chop off a certain part of Val.
9 Best: Shawn Michaels/Rick Martel/Sensational Sherri
Shortly after Shawn Michaels tossed his former tag team partner Marty Jannetty through a window, he joined up with Sensational Sherri. Shawn used her as arm candy and as someone to hold a mirror for him. Shawn loved himself more than anyone else. In the summer of 1992, another man wanted to fight for Sherri's affections.
That man was Rick "The Model" Martel. Possibly the only WWE Superstar vainer than Shawn Michaels. The whole thing led to a match at SummerSlam with the stipulation that neither man could hit the other in the face. Sherri's antics during this whole thing were spectacular.
8 Worst: Daniel Bryan/Brie Bella/Nikki Bella
The rare WWE love triangle involving two women. Unfortunately, this one didn't work and one of the main reasons was because the ladies were sisters. During their first run with the company, the Bella Twins were often seen as eye candy and not wrestlers. They were put into a storyline with Daniel Bryan, who was seen as a nerd by pretty much everyone.
Daniel Bryan was awkward around both Bellas, yet they'd constantly compete over his affections. He kissed both of them, which is certainly odd to look back on considering he went on to marry Brie in real life. This whole thing ultimately ended with Bryan choosing Gail Kim instead of one of the Bellas.
7 Best: Edge/Matt Hardy/Lita
A case where real life spilled over into television. Matt Hardy and Lita were together for several years outside of the ring. While he was away with an injury, Lita began traveling with their mutual friend Edge. The two started having an affair and Hardy was eventually released from WWE.
Matt Hardy returned to WWE programming and attacked Edge. It was one of the most intense rivalries in history since we all knew about the real implications behind it. Their matches were heat-filled, the promos were great, and it helped push Edge into the next level of superstardom.
6 Worst: Kane/X-Pac/Tori
After starting his career as the silent younger brother of The Undertaker, Kane had a big 1999. He developed into more of a well-rounded character thanks to a partnership with X-Pac. It humanized him to viewers. He also got his first girlfriend, WWE Diva Tori. After X-Pac turned on him, she became part of the feud.
Kane lost a match where the stipulation was that Tori would have to spend Christmas weekend with X-Pac. When she returned, she claimed that he was a complete gentleman and that started their relationship. She broke Kane's heart. While we loved Kane, Tori was never a character who fully connected with audiences and that hurt this triangle.
5 Best: Hulk Hogan/Randy Savage/Miss Elizabeth
The romance between Macho Man Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth was a storybook one. Savage didn't treat her well in the early days but became the perfect partner for her as time went on. When Savage won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania IV, he hoisted Liz on his shoulders for an iconic image.
The other person celebrating with them was Hulk Hogan. He and Savage formed the Mega Powers and things were fine until Savage started getting jealous. Savage noticed that Hogan had eyes for Liz and it sent him off the deep end. Hogan denied it but a lot of fans saw where Savage was coming from. This year-long story culminated in a classic WWE Title match at WrestleMania V.
4 Worst: Edge/Big Show/Vickie Guerrero
While it made sense on paper, there was always something just a little off about the relationship between Edge and Vickie Guerrero. Maybe it was because we knew that Vickie was the wife of the late Eddie Guerrero. Regardless, Edge was clearly in it for the power she held as General Manager.
To make things weirder, Big Show was added to the mix on the road to WrestleMania XXV. John Cena shared footage of Show making out with Vickie ahead of the triple threat match involving the three men. It made for awkward television and not many were engaged in this tale. Cena walked out of WrestleMania as World Champion and the Edge/Vickie/Show storyline didn't go anywhere after.
3 Best: CM Punk/Daniel Bryan/AJ Lee
AJ Lee became one of WWE's most fascinating performers during her breakout 2012. She went from Daniel Bryan's innocent girlfriend to heartbroken ex to scorned woman and that was just about halfway through the year. With Bryan going after CM Punk's WWE Championship, AJ Lee got inserted into the story.
She began flirting heavily with Punk, so Bryan stepped back in to manipulate her. He knew that getting to AJ could help him win the title. This story had all sorts of twists. Kane became part of it for a while, there were marriage proposals, AJ threw both men through a table, and we were treated to great matches. Not only was it highly engaging but it helped everyone involved. It came during Punk's 434-day reign as champion, Bryan formed Team Hell No with Kane, and AJ ended up as Raw General Manager.
2 Worst: John Cena/Zack Ryder/Eve Torres
Poor Zack Ryder. In 2011, he rose to become one of the most popular wrestlers in WWE thanks to his YouTube channel. He ended the year by winning the United States Title and becoming friends with John Cena. That proved to be problematic. Cena's rival Kane saw Ryder as a punching bag and victimized him on several occasions.
Ryder ended up confined to a wheelchair. His romance with the lovely Eve was just getting going as well. Kane kidnapped Eve but Cena came to her rescue. The damsel in distress thanked Cena by kissing him. Slightly off-screen, Ryder sat in his wheelchair with flowers for Eve and a heartbroken look on his face. This triangle featured bad acting, two unlikeable characters, a humiliated Ryder, and it ultimately went nowhere. Ryder forgave Eve by WrestleMania, only for her to turn on him anyway.
1 Best: Kurt Angle/Triple H/Stephanie McMahon
This wasn't just the best love triangle in WWE history. It is one of the best-written storylines they've ever done. Triple H was married to Stephanie McMahon and they were riding high at the top of the company. She started hanging out with Kurt Angle and Triple H got jealous.
Angle insisted that he was just Stephanie's friend. Yet he kept going in for long hugs and doing little things that showed he wasn't being truthful. It all came to a head when he planted a kiss on Stephanie days before a triple threat match against Triple H and The Rock. The two continued to be rivals for a long time after that even though Stephanie never left HHH for Kurt. The chemistry between the three was top-notch, the story was engaging, and we all remember it fondly.