Romance has always had a place on WWE programming. Going all the way back to Macho Man Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth’s marriage, the promotion has given fans reasons to invest in talent beyond their abilities inside the squared circle. Where there is romance, there is room for betrayal.
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WWE has never been above going down the soap opera route, running angles with jilted lovers and adulterous partners. This usually occurs with scripted romances, but the promotion is fond of blurring the lines between kayfabe and reality. So, on some occasions, WWE wrestlers have had to deal with being kissed by someone right in front of their real-life romantic partners.
Lana Turns To Dolph Ziggler When Rusev Spurns Her
The Bulgarian Brute Pushed Lana Away As She Turned Babyface
- Rusev ended his alliance with Lana after he failed to regain his lost United States Championship.
- Lana was being cheered by audiences, so she was booked in a romantic storyline with Dolph Ziggler.
- Lana and Ziggler kissed in front of Rusev, and Rusev got Summer Rae as a manager in a weird storyline.
When Rusev, the Bulgarian Brute, debuted on the main roster, he was an unstoppable monster. With Lana by his side, the duo took Raw by storm, going on an unbeaten streak that led to a United States Championship reign. With growing TV time, Lana became just as, if not more, popular than Rusev with live audiences.
She excelled as a manager. Her charisma and star power were essential to Rusev’s presentation as well, but as is the case with most manager-duo pairings, a breakup was inevitable. Going into WrestleMania 31, Rusev faced the biggest challenge of his career as he defended his United States Championship against John Cena. WWE sowed the seeds for Rusev and Lana’s breakup in the bout, as a miscommunication between them led to his defeat.
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While Rusev fought to get his title back after WrestleMania 31, Lana became increasingly over with live audiences. On the Raw after Payback, Rusev ended his alliance with Lana, who aligned herself with the Showoff, Dolph Ziggler. WWE booked an awkward love triangle, with Ziggler and Lana kissing each other in front of Rusev, who was on crutches because of a broken foot. Summer Rae aligned herself with Rusev, and WWE went ahead with a weird feud between all four people. WWE put a lot behind the storyline but had to pull the plug when pictures of Rusev and Lana’s real-life engagement leaked. All that making out with Ziggler in front of her fiancé, Rusev, ultimately amounted to nothing.
Sharmell Tries To Help Booker T Beat The Boogeyman
She Got A Wet, Wormy Kiss For Her Troubles
- The Boogeyman dumped a bucket of worms in front of Booker T and Sharmell and then started stalking them.
- They faced off in an Intergender Handicap match at WrestleMania 22.
- When Sharmell tried to distract The Boogeyman, he kissed her with a mouth full of worms, and then beat Booker T.
On the Road to WrestleMania 22, WWE booked Booker T and Sharmell in a weird food with The Boogeyman. The Boogeyman is a beloved character in WWE’s rich history, but featuring him in a WrestleMania feud with someone like Booker T was a little ridiculous. The build was also weak. Sharmell and Booker T were at ringside as guest announcers for a Boogeyman match. At the end of the bout, the face-painted madman dumped a bucket of worms on the announcers’ table.
He then started stalking the married couple, setting the stage for their feud. The match was scheduled to take place at Saturday Night’s Main Event on March 18th, 2006, but Booker’s knee injury pushed the bout back by a couple of weeks. This led to an Intergender Handicap match at WrestleMania 22. During the match, Sharmell tried to distract The Boogeyman to let Booker gain the upper hand. But that plan went sideways when The Boogeyman instead chose to kiss her with a mouth full of worms. The kiss sent Sharmell running, allowing The Boogeyman to hit his finisher and grab the win.
Lana Makes Out With Bobby Lashley While Rusev Watches
The Soap-Opera Storyline Was Extremely Divisive
- After a rocky first half of 2019, Bobby Lashley was taken off programming for a few weeks.
- Soon after Rusev returned to WWE as a face, Lashley and Lana began a romantic relationship, making out in front of Rusev.
- The storyline was soap-opera drivel that ended when Rusev was released from his WWE contract.
2019 started well enough for Bobby Lashley, with him winning the Intercontinental Championship. But things quickly turned sour for the heavyweight. He dropped the title in just under a month and was then used as cannon fodder for The Shield’s final reunion. He then segued into a feud with Braun Strowman, which he then lost in July, before taking some time off.
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Rusev returned to WWE after a sabbatical on September 16th as a babyface, and fans were only too happy to cheer for him. Things took a weird turn on the September 30th episode of Raw when Bobby Lashley and Lana kissed at the top of the ramp while a helpless Rusev watched on from the ring. It was a gross kiss, and things only got worse in the weeks to come. Lashley and Lana were shown in a bunch of compromising situations. If that wasn’t enough, Lana claimed Rusev was a controlling sex addict, and Liv Morgan was also brought into the fold as she proclaimed her love for Lana. It was utter nonsense that ended prematurely when Rusev was released from his WWE contract during the COVID-19 budget cuts.
Stephanie McMahon Is Knocked Out Before Randy Orton Kisses Her
This Built Orton Vs. Triple At WrestleMania 25, as Orton Targeted The McMahons
- Randy Orton started targeting the McMahon family in early 2009 en route to winning the Royal Rumble.
- After he hit Stephanie with an RKO, Triple H got involved, setting up their WWE Championship feud for WrestleMania.
- Things got personal when Orton knocked Stephanie out, and kissed her in front of a handcuffed Triple H.
Randy Orton did some of the best heel work of his career on the Road to WrestleMania 25. He started 2009 by targeting the McMahon family, taking out Vince, and then besting Shane in the ring. He also won the Royal Rumble, booking his ticket to the WrestleMania 25 main event. When Stephanie stepped up to him, she ate an RKO for her troubles. This act was enough to get Triple H involved, starting the build to their WrestleMania match.
Things got way more personal and uncomfortable when Randy Orton kissed an unconscious Stephanie McMahon while Triple H watched on helplessly, handcuffed to the ring ropes. Orton claimed that Triple H ruined his life when he kicked him out of Evolution, so he decided to take everything away from The Game. The Legend Killer failed to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 25, but won it at Backlash in a six-man tag team match full of shenanigans designed to give Orton even more heat.
Linda McMahon Gets A Front Row Seat To Vince Kissing Trish Stratus
Mr. McMahon Drugged His Wife So He Could Do As He Pleased
- Linda McMahon had a nervous breakdown after Vince McMahon demanded a divorce in December 2000.
- After the breakdown, Linda was heavily medicated and stuck in a wheelchair, while Vince started an affair with Trish Stratus.
- They kissed in front of Linda in a sickening moment, but Linda got revenge when she finally stood up at WrestleMania 17 and hit Vince with a low blow.
In early 2001, Trish Stratus started an on-screen relationship with Vince McMahon. Vince had caused his wife to have a nervous breakdown when he had demanded a divorce the previous month. Wheelchair-bound and heavily sedated, Linda was rendered catatonic, unable to stop her egomaniacal husband.
The angle was designed to feature Stratus in a prominent story and give the Mr. McMahon character more heat. Things hit a fever pitch when Vince kissed Trish right in front of Linda, who could do nothing but look on. In a Street Fight against Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 17, Vince was going to force Linda to watch her son be beaten with a garbage can. In one of WrestleMania’s greatest moments, Linda finally rose up, hit her husband with a low blow, giving Shane the opening he needed to pick up the win.