5 on-screen romances that made WWE Superstars uncomfortable in real life
Several WWE Superstars have taken part in on-screen romances over the years. However, a few of them felt uncomfortable participating in these storylines.
While some WWE Superstars have dated in real life, others have only had love affairs on camera as part of scripted storylines. Mandy Rose and Otis, for example, had an on-screen romance a few years ago. Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix were also an on-screen couple once.
Over the past few years, some WWE Superstars have confessed that they were uncomfortable taking part in these on-screen romances. As a result, Vince McMahon's company decided to drop some of these stories.
Here are five on-screen romances that have made WWE Superstars uncomfortable.
#5. WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus and Jeff Hardy
In 2001, Trish Stratus and Jeff Hardy had a very brief on-screen romance. The two superstars kissed after The Charismatic Enigma lost a match against Big Show on Monday Night RAW. Nevertheless, the storyline got quickly dropped.
Speaking on the Something To Wrestle podcast, WWE's Senior Vice President Bruce Prichard disclosed that Hardy felt uncomfortable participating in the storyline. Hence, Vince McMahon decided to drop it.
"Jeff was uncomfortable with it. Trish was always game, man. She always had ideas and she would listen and she would try pretty much anything. There wasn't a whole lot of chemistry there and Vince looked at it and was like, 'Not feeling it, next, move on.' Nobody was going to buy that because there wasn’t any chemistry. He [Vince] didn't feel it," he said.
In March 2003, the company tried to revive the storyline. Stratus and Hardy teamed up to defeat Steven Richards and Victoria on RAW. Nevertheless, the storyline got canceled again after the former WWE Champion was released from his contract in April 2003.
#4. WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair - Lacey Evans
Ric Flair and Lacey Evans were involved in an on-screen romantic relationship in early 2021 and entered a feud with Flair's daughter, Charlotte.
The Sassy Southern Belle was reportedly set to face The Queen in a RAW Women's Championship match at WrestleMania 37. Nevertheless, WWE dropped the storyline after Evans got pregnant with her second child.
Speaking to ESPN MMA's Ariel Helwani about his on-screen romance with Evans, Flair revealed that he did not feel comfortable with the storyline. He also disclosed that his daughter also did not like it.
"In this instance, I didn't (feel comfortable). It didn't make a difference. One thing I've learned is that you're not going to win a war when someone has their mind made up. [Charlotte] most definitely didn't like it. She [Lacey Evans] is a Marine and we can’t give enough back to the people who have served. He [Vince McMahon] wanted her to be successful and the way to be successful sometimes is to take two other people who are doing well and give them the rub. She's a nice girl, but it didn't fit. We made the best of it and ultimately, she's pregnant now with her husband. It was never anything personal, I barely know her," Flair said.
Evans gave birth to her second daughter, Sunny, last October. She is currently on maternity leave. Meanwhile, Ric Flair left Vince McMahon's company last August.
#3. WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle - Stephanie McMahon
In the early 2000s, Kurt Angle and Stephanie McMahon were involved in a love-triangle storyline with Triple H. During the storyline, Angle and McMahon had a few intimate scenes.
Although Angle admitted that he enjoyed working with McMahon, he confessed that some of their intimate scenes made him a little uncomfortable.
"I'm not going to lie to you. There were times I had to get intimate with Stephanie. It was a little bit crazy. I enjoyed it, you know, it got a little uncomfortable at times, but for the most part, I really liked it. It was a lot of fun," he said on The Kurt Angle Show.
Angle and McMahon's on-screen romance ended abruptly when The Billion Dollar Princess chose Triple H. Despite being uncomfortable at times, The Olympic Gold Medalist disclosed that he believes the storyline should have lasted longer, stating that it could have been one of the hottest storylines in WWE history.
#2. Buddy Matthews - Aalyah Mysterio
About six weeks ago, a bunch of y'all laughed at my idea that Aaliyah and Murphy would 'fall in love' Romeo and Juliet style, and have a kiss in middle of the ring. https://t.co/mrNWSO6B3D
Buddy Matthews (FKA Buddy Murphy) and Seth Rollins were involved in a feud with The Mysterios in 2020. During the storyline, Murphy went into an on-screen romantic relationship with Rey Mysterio's 19-year-old daughter, Aalyah.
As part of their on-screen romance, Murphy had to kiss Aalyah. Speaking to Chris Van Vliet, the former Cruiserweight Champion revealed that he felt uncomfortable kissing Rey Mysterio's daughter.
"I wasn't comfortable kissing Aalyah. I did that because it was my job and it was going to create more drama in the story (...) Seth was nervous about it because this whole storyline rides on this one kiss. I'm uncomfortable, and she's new. We are out there and about to cut the promo and I said to her this needs to look good. If you have any second minds, I am giving you the green light. Do whatever you want, it's 100% you. Do what you need to do, this needs to look good. It looked great, the aftermath wasn't great for me. But we are both adults, we are both acting, we gave each other a high 5 after it and that was it," he said.
The company dropped Murphy and Aalyah's storyline after the 33-year-old defeated Rollins on SmackDown in November 2020. In June 2021, WWE released the former RAW Tag Team Champion from his contract. He recently debuted in AEW.
#1. Bobby Lashley - Lana
Bobby Lashley, Lana, and Miro (FKA Rusev) were involved in a love triangle storyline in late 2019 and early 2020. During the storyline, Lashley and Lana had a few intimate scenes in which they kissed and appeared together in Miro's bed.
In an interview with Sporting News, The Almighty disclosed that he was not entirely comfortable during the storyline. However, he tried to have fun with it.
"It happened so quick. When I was introduced to it, I was told what to do and … (groans). I didn't understand the magnitude of it. But the one thing I did know was that I was doing something different. And you can say whatever you want about Lana but she was 100 percent committed and invested in that character. I felt awkward doing it. I'm always in fight mode but it was good to pull me out of that mode. But I needed to relax and just have fun with it. I loosened up because I knew we were trying to entertain people. I understood that, even though I didn't originally like the idea and ended up being cool with it. It's not comfortable for me but I understood the lesson I was being taught," he said.
Vince McMahon's company dropped the love triangle storyline when Miro got released from his WWE contract in April 2020. Lana and Lashley continued to work together for a few more months before going their separate ways in mid-2020. Meanwhile, Miro joined AEW later that same year.