Whenever a wrestling feud is based on real-life events, there is always a chance that things can become personal. Audiences are always able to jump into things and connect with them on a different level because WWE fans know that the tension is real between those inside of the ring.
Sometimes, it can lead to a fantastic match taking place, with wrestlers being able to push themselves to new levels, as long as they are professional about it. However, there were other occasions when a real life issue didn't result in a great match, as things fell flat no matter what they tried and do.
10 Great: Ric Flair vs. Mick Foley (SummerSlam, 2006)
Ric Flair and Mick Foley might be two beloved wrestling legends, but that does not mean that they got along well. The two men had personal issues which stemmed from comments they each made in their autobiographies. Foley had slammed Flair for his booking work in WCW, while the Nature Boy fired back about Foley's reliance on a hardcore style.
Naturally, this led to an on-screen storyline between them. They competed at SummerSlam in an I Quit match that led to an excellent encounter. The two men put together some great work in what was a physical and hard-hitting match, and each of them went all out to ensure this was an enjoyable one.
9 Sucked: Triple H vs. CM Punk (Night Of Champions, 2011)
CM Punk aired all of his grievances about the McMahon family in public, so it was not a secret that they genuinely do not like each other. Because of that, WWE finally pushing this as a true rivalry was something that could have been great, especially since they are both talented workers.
They are also similar in the sense that they like to tell stories inside the ring, building their matches up slowly. However, they just did not connect well together in this particular match. It is a shame because they could have done something special, but this one ended up being rather flat and dull.
8 Great: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania 12)
The Ironman match between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart from WrestleMania 12 is one of the most iconic matches of all time. The two men put together a clinical masterpiece that wove together an excellent story. While it wasn't as exciting or high-drama as other matches that have used this stipulation, they still did a great job.
Everybody knew that they had a personal dislike for each other, as their personalities clashed heavily. However, they are two of the greatest wrestlers in history, and because of that they never let their issues hurt their work, which is why all of their matches together were enjoyable ones.
7 Sucked: Shawn Michaels vs. Hulk Hogan (SummerSlam, 2005)
While Shawn Michaels didn't let personal issues cloud his match with Bret Hart, that wasn't the case with Hulk Hogan. In what was supposed to be a dream match between the two, issues over who wanted to go over caused a rift between them in this one, and that was reflected inside the ring.
HBK decided to oversell absolutely everything that happened, to the point where the encounter looked ridiculous. It was a shame because with the right attitudes from both men, they could have had a rivalry for the ages. Instead, the match was an over-the-top disaster that is best being forgotten about.
6 Great: The Rock vs. John Cena (WrestleMania 28)
What was originally billed as 'once in a lifetime' ended up being more than that, however, it was only their first encounter that had personal issues anyway. By the time WrestleMania 29 had rolled around, there was a genuine level of respect between them, but that wasn't the case in this first one.
John Cena had publicly called out The Rock for walking away from the wrestling business, which is something they tapped into when it came down to this storyline. Their promos against each other were passionate and honest, and the match itself was enjoyable because of that.
5 Sucked: Triple H vs. Goldberg (Unforgiven, 2003)
On paper, Triple H colliding with Goldberg seems like an exciting prospect. Two huge stars who know how to put on exciting main events should have had a great encounter for the World Title. However, it's an example of wrestlers simply not working well together, as they did not suit each other at all inside of the ring.
Their match was not a good one. This lasted too long to truly benefit Goldberg, and the Game was not at his best here either. Nobody looked good, and the fans didn't enjoy things either, which didn't help matters. It was a truly missed opportunity in hindsight, as this could have been so much more.
4 Great: Matt Hardy vs. Edge (Raw, 8/29/05)
While Matt Hardy and Edge did compete at SummerSlam before this, that match only lasted five minutes. However, their street fight on Monday Night Raw was a much longer, more physical and intense match. The two men had serious issues with each other due to situations in their personal lives.
The affair that Lita and Edge had was well-known and public, with this being one of the first instances where fans really knew every detail of a storyline from behind the scenes. It drew fans in, and the physicality of the match only added to that. While they were safe and professional, it was clear that they were letting their feelings out at the same time, which made this great to watch.
3 Sucked: The Great Khali vs. The Big Show (Backlash, 2008)
It is not a huge surprise that a match between these two men didn't go down well, after all, whenever two people of this size go up against each other that is always the risk. There was just a real lack of athleticism and agility within this one for it to ever be remotely enjoyable from a fan perspective.
The two men had what is known as 'giant heat' which was due to the fact they were essentially fighting for the exact same spot on the card. On top of that, Big Show had issues with Khali over the fact he was using one his signature moves, which was a chop in the corner.
2 Great: Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk (SummerSlam, 2009)
It is widely known that Jeff Hardy and CM Punk did not like each other during their time in WWE. The main problems they had was that their personalities were completely different, with Punk's straightedge lifestyle being out of sync with how Jeff was behaving at the time, therefore it is no surprise that they clashed.
However, their personal promos and genuine digs at each other only got the fans onboard more. Audiences loved their storyline, and the TLC match at SummerSlam still remains one of the best that has ever been seen. They wrestled, told a great story, and fit in some crazy bumps to go along with it.
1 Sucked: Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose (WrestleMania 32)
When a No Holds Barred match was announced between these two men, there was a lot of excitement amongst fans. With Brock Lesnar's power and strength combined with Dean Ambrose's carefree attitude, there was plenty for them both to get working on in this match.
However, Lesnar wasn't willing to do much within the match, and that is where their real life issues began. It is also the reason that the match itself wasn't very good. The two men didn't put together the hard-hitting encounter that most people thought it was going to be.