4 wrestling romances that are caught between WWE and AEW
While many fans may view WWE and AEW as enemies, the talent within both companies generally don't.
In fact, there have been quite a few romantic entanglements between employees from both promotions. Some were resolved with one of the talents leaving their company, such as Adam Cole jumping from NXT to join Britt Baker in AEW or Renee Paquette leaving Vince McMahon's company not too long after husband Jon Moxley became All Elite.
Despite this, there are still several examples of WWE stars whose partners are working in AEW. Whether they are married or just dating, these relationships have managed to weather the storm, despite each half working for a supposed competitor.
With that in mind, here are four couples that are split between WWE and AEW.
#4. WWE's Roderick Strong and AEW's Marina Shafir
With Roderick Strong recently requesting his release, this entry may quickly become outdated. For now, he is still a member of the NXT roster, while Marina Shafir currently wrestles in AEW.
Strong has been a key player in NXT since 2016, first as a member of the dominant Undisputed Era, and then as the leader of the Diamond Mine. Shafir herself also spent time in NXT before making the switch to AEW.
The pair were together before either set foot in Vince McMahon's company, getting engaged in December 2015. They're now married and have a five-year-old son. Strong has requested his release several times over the last year, presumably to join his wife and former stablemates in AEW, but his requests have thus far been denied.
#3. AEW's Buddy Matthews and WWE's Rhea Ripley
The newest couple on this list, Buddy Matthews and Rhea Ripley only revealed their relationship earlier this week. The two had often been spotted together at the gym or out in public prior to Ripley confirming the matter on Twitter.
While Matthews is now a fixture on the AEW roster, he once worked for Vince McMahon and likely met fellow Australian Ripley during his time with the company.
The 33-year-old left last year and made a huge splash when he debuted in AEW as a member of The House of Black, while Ripley has been a key figure in Raw's women's division since her main roster debut.
#2. AEW's Malakai Black and WWE's Zelina Vega
Malakai Black and Zelina Vega have been a couple for quite some time and tied the knot back in 2018.
After Vega was released in November 2020, she returned six months later and explained that she did so to be closer to her husband. In a cruel twist of fate, Black was released just weeks later and has since signed with AEW.
The Dutchman is currently the leader of the popular House of Black stable in All Elite Wrestling. Meanwhile, Vega has enjoyed her own success, winning the inaugural Queen's Crown tournament as well as the Women's Tag Team titles alongside Carmella.
#1. AEW's Andrade El Idolo and WWE's Charlotte Flair
The most high-profile couple on this list, Andrade El Idolo and Charlotte Flair have been together since January 2019. The two have been engaged for just over two years at this point.
Charlotte is one of the most decorated women's wrestlers of all time and has racked up a staggering 13 Women's Championship reigns on the main roster.
Andrade enjoyed his own success in the company, winning the NXT Championship as well as the United States title before requesting his release in March 2021. He debuted in AEW shortly after, but has yet to achieve anything of note during his time in the promotion.
There were rumors several months ago that the pair had broken up - speculation fueled when Flair appeared to unfollow Andrade on social media. However, the two have since laid the rumors to bed, proving that they are as strong a unit as ever.