Top 10 Most Toxic WWE Couples
#10: Eve Torres & Zack Ryder
After his rapid rise as a fan-favorite in 2011, Ryder was awarded the following year by starting a relationship with Torres. However, when he was thrown in as a side character to Cena’s feud with Kane, it all went downhill. After the Big Red Machine tried to kidnap Torres, only to be saved by Cena, she kissed him…all in front of Ryder in a wheelchair. Amazingly, this was at the time of Cena being the peak face of the WWE. Later, Torres went full dark side and admitted she was using Ryder for his popularity. Not exactly the basis of a stable and healthy relationship. Yet they still got back together!...at least for a bit, until she low-blowed him at "WrestleMania 28.”
#9: Rhea Ripley & Dominik Mysterio
No relationship, even in the WWE, starts out well when one person is attacking another and choking them out with their legs. Yet that’s how Rhea and Dom’s relationship began when he was feuding with The Judgement Day alongside his dad, Rey Mysterio, in 2022. Rhea got her hooks into Dom, leading to him joining her team and supporting his Mami. However, while there were some cute moments, there were plenty that weren’t. Rhea tended to treat Dom like a toy, one minute insulting and belittling him, the next smothering him with praise and affection. As soon as Rhea was out injured, Liv Morgan arrived to manipulate Dom away from her. Eventually, it worked at SummerSlam 2024.
#8: Trish Stratus & Chris Jericho
In 2003, Jericho and his tag partner Christian helped save Trish and Lita. Seemingly, this was setting up a cute double-date situation, as for weeks, both partnerships were getting closer. But we then heard Y2J and Christian making a bet of one Canadian dollar for who could get intimate with their woman first. So romantic! While this fractured the romance between Jericho and Trish, they did repair it. However, the Canadian tag team imploded, leading to a bout between Christian and Y2J at “WrestleMania XX.” Rather than Trish and Jericho going off into the sunset, she’d been playing him. Trish turned on Jericho, siding with Christian after costing him the match.
#7: Marlena & Goldust
In 1997, Goldust began what seemed to be a silly feud with Brian Pillman. If he lost their match at “SummerSlam,” the Loose Cannon would have to wrestle in a dress, which is what happened. But then it got super serious. Pillman issued a rematch. If he won, he’d get Goldust’s wife, Marlena, as his assistant 24 hours a day. After Goldust lost, Pillman created his “Triple X-Files,” where he heavily implied he was intimate with Marlena. She looked as though she didn’t want to be. Before the feud could be resolved, Pillman unfortunately passed away in real life. Back in kayfabe, Goldust turned on Marlena, essentially blaming her for being used by Pillman, and dumped her.
#6: Lita & Kane
This one was definitely a product of its time. In 2004, Kane began feuding with Matt Hardy, all in an attempt to lure Lita away from him. For Kane, this meant beating Hardy and kidnapping Lita. To make it super uncomfortable, she revealed she was pregnant, and it was later revealed to be Kane’s. Hardy and Kane then had a match, with the stipulation that whoever wins can marry Lita, who’s not allowed to decide for herself. She, of course, became Mrs. Big Red Machine against her will. Then, if the story couldn’t get worse, Gene Snitsky inadvertently knocked Kane into Lita, causing her to lose the baby. Somehow, this brought the duo closer as they teamed up against Snitsky. It was baffling.
#5: Vickie Guerrero & Edge
A relationship is always doomed when it’s built on what one person can do for the other professionally. For example, this one. Shortly after becoming General Manager of “SmackDown,” Edge began making moves on Vickie, leading to the duo dating. They became the brand’s power couple, as Edge used the relationship to secure himself in the world title picture. But while they were making everyone else’s lives a misery, especially with all their PDA, the two were also deceptive to each other as they both cheated, with Edge’s unfaithfulness being revealed at their wedding. Yet still, they stayed together. That was until Vickie resigned as “Raw” GM in 2009, when Edge dumped her and admitted he was using her all this time.
#4: Dawn Marie & Al Wilson
In 2002, WWE went further into the adult soap opera world. At the time, Torrie Wilson and Dawn Marie were feuding. However, to make it different from other beef, Dawn Marie began flirting with Torrie’s father, Al, leading to them getting engaged, despite the massive age difference. Yet, Dawn Marie was using Al for something else. She proposed a deal with Torrie: if the duo spent the night together, she’d break it off with Al. After the deed was done, Dawn Marie broke the agreement and stayed with Torrie’s dad. It was bizarre that Al still went ahead with all this. Yet, after they tied the knot, he kayfabe-died from a heart attack after intimacy with Dawn Marie. Yikes.
#3: Pretty Mean Sisters & Meat
In 1998, a moment in WWE infamy took place that makes fans sigh aggressively to this day. We’re of course talking about the formation of the women’s stable, Pretty Mean Sisters. Known as PMS as an unsubtle joke, the group made things really weird when Meat was introduced. A repackaged Shawn Stasiak was the stable’s love slave and, since he was treated like their piece of meat, was named as such. The group, formed of Terri, Jacqueline, and Ryan Shamrock, passed Meat around among themselves for personal workouts. This led to issues between the women when intense intimacy sessions caused Meat to lose matches from exhaustion, and they made him do humiliating things. Thankfully, this all ended in 1999.
#2: Billy & Chuck
After Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo formed their tag team in 2001, it soon became apparent that WWE was being trendsetters by showcasing a gay relationship. With aid from the stylist and manager Ricco, the duo slowly began dressing the same, dying their hair, and just being adorable as they rose up the tag ranks. In real life, GLAAD was even consulted about the story. In 2002, this led to Chuck proposing to Billy, which he accepted. However, when they were getting married in the ring, the LGBTQIA+ mask fell off. The duo admitted their relationship was just a publicity stunt and they were both straight. Yikes. Fans and GLAAD both felt deceived. Unsurprisingly, Billy and Chuck didn’t remain a team for long afterward.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Lana & Bobby Lashley
Making Out in Front of Your Ex & Faking a Pregnancy Is Not Very Healthy
Kelly Kelly & Balls Mahoney
The Odd Couple Were Forced Apart by a Very Jealous Miz
Natalya & The Great Khali
Drawn to His Big Hands, Natalya Soon Became Insufferable over the Punjabi Playboy
#1: Trish Stratus & Vince McMahon
Even without taking into consideration the dreadful accusations against McMahon in real life, this storyline was super bad. In 2000, early into her career, Trish began flirting with McMahon, leading to the two having a very public affair. At the time, he was married to Linda, who was unresponsive in a wheelchair. McMahon flaunted the affair in front of his wife after demanding a divorce. However, he then got bored with Trish. So, he tormented her, making her do horrible things such as take her clothes off and bark like a dog in the ring. At “WrestleMania X-Seven,” Trish turned on McMahon in his match against his son, Shane, thankfully ending this uncomfortable situation and allowing Trish to go on to far better things.
Who do you think is the most wholesome on-screen WWE couple in history? Let us know below!