Wrestling Love Triangles-Valentine’s Day 2026

The love interest storyline that set the bar for all the rest to follow was a decade-long angle in the making, marred by real-life domestic disturbances and her volatile relationship with her first husband and performer Macho Man Randy Savage(real name: Randy Poffo). The nature of their relationship should never be made light of, but neither should her talent in and out of the ring—existing as the premier ringside valet.

The two met in 1982 and were married by ’84, with their debut as a in-ring team beginning the following year when many managers were courting Savage, only to debut Miss Elizabeth (Elizabeth Ann Hulette). The debut came while the couple was working for International Championship Wrestling, but they would land a spot with WWF/WWE, where the historic rivalry with Hulk Hogan over Elizabeth would begin.

The Mega Powers were one of the biggest tag teams in the history of the sport and certainly in that Era, but their lore is more memorable for the feud it sparked than for the number of tag team titles they held—zero. Initially, the tandem worked with Hogan as the 1a and Savage as the 1b, but both were managed by ‘Liz,’ as they both affectionately called her.

What started as a powerhouse launched by Honkey Tonk Man’s beatdown of Savage and Hogan, providing the save, morphed into a love triangle storyline that culminated in a showdown at WrestleMania V.

The program used themes like jealousy, paranoia, and trust, but it also utilized the real-life insecurities Savage was experiencing within his marriage. In later years, we would find that those performances from Randy with Hogan were stemming from a real uncertainty, and it very much ‘played’ within the angle—Savage and the gang were credited for their work at a time when few realized that his performances were being drawn from real-life anxiety over Elizabeth’s affection.

So, it was no surprise when fans began to see Hogan as her savior, and the partnership broke down on a fateful night in February of ’89 when, in a match with the Twin Towers, Miss Elizabeth was injured—prompting Hogan to carry her to the locker room for medical treatment. The show of intimacy sparked the match that set ablaze the Mania main event two months later, where Hogan would defeat Mach.

Macho Man and Liz would reunite in March of ’91 at WrestleMania VII, and their complicated relationship would once again take center stage in the ‘NWO era’ of WCW. However, nothing would ever top the moment Liz jumped the barrier to aid Savage, who Sensational Sherry was attacking during his ‘career V career’ match against Ultimate Warrior. This led to their infamous wrestling wedding.

There Is No Scorn like Lita’s Love—Matt Hardy & Edge & Lita

Despite the ample evidence that ‘real-life’ relationships used in kayfabe storylines can be tumultuous to the couple and the roster, WWE went all in on the rocky romance between Matt Hardy and Lita.

The couple were 2/3 of the Hardy Boyz tag team with Lita as the manager (not valet), and it came at a time when the success that the trio of teams enjoyed during their TLC era had now launched single runs for several team members. These teams created legendary moments to go along with career-long feuds in the ring.

For Matt, it was even more devastating that Lita ended up aligning with one half of the Hardys’ two biggest rivals. The real-life romance was used as a storyline in one of WWE’s most controversial angles ever, and it drove the fandom for Matt, as online posts mostly painted him as a victim not just of Lita and Edge’s infidelity but also of the WWE’s decision-making.

Lita, real name Amy Dumas, gained her fame by working with Matt and his brother Jeff—two of the most innovative performers in wrestling history—and the narrative online (in a heavily male-dominated era of ‘wrestling social media’) was that Lita was an ‘opportunist’ jumping from mid-carder to main eventer.

Matt was released from the company in April of 2005 after an injury forced him off TV, but by then, Lita and Edge’s relationship had become more than innuendo, blossoming into a full-blown affair. Famously, Paul Heyman would go on to use the real-life story in his shoot-promo at ECW’s (presented by WWE) “One Night Stand” show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Philly.

However, by the summer of the same year, Matt was re-signed by the company for the purpose of using his love quarrel on WWE TV as a means of ‘creative.’ This was one of the most visceral runs for each superstar, leading to Lita’s first retirement in 2006 as she gained atomic heat for her unapologetic on-screen persona.

No One Passes The WWE Love TEST—Test, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H

We will not get into the weeds on this one because there is too much context to give in a very nuanced story that spans decades, both in and out of the ring. However, this list would not be complete without the most timeline-altering relationship in wrestling history, which involved both a kayfabe and a real-life relationship.

In what became some of the most provocative storytelling in the (then-named) WWF, it started with the introduction of the on-screen character, Stephanie McMahon—a spoiled and conniving nepo baby who will stop at nothing to take over her father’s company while posing as ‘Daddy’s princess.’

She was paired with Test in a storyline that would result in, you guessed it, another botched wrestling wedding, only this one pushed the boundaries of storyline to the max (and maybe a bit over).

On the RAW that was to be her wedding day, Triple H revealed he had kidnapped Stephanie and married her as she appeared unconscious in the passenger side of his convertible. After suspending the belief that you could ventriloquize your spouse’s response to the question of marriage (even in a Las Vegas drive-through chapel), you immediately questioned who the heel was supposed to be in this situation.

The video that showed Triple H getting the upper hand on Vince McMahon’s Corporation faction left ‘Steph’ destroyed as she produced one of her most meaningful performances, as the look of heartbreak was sewn onto her face like the big white poofy wedding gown she wore to end RAW.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the whole thing was staged in a terrific Attitude Era swerve that produced industry-altering ramifications. While behind the scenes, Triple H was romantically involved with his on-air enforcer-valet Chyna (she was so ahead of her time), and this program would lead to their breakup, though Paul and Stephanie would become far more than a fling.

Trips and Stephanie’s romantic relationship would make them the definitive power couple in pro wrestling, eventually getting married and having a family while they played major authority roles in the company.