WWE Weddings That Went Horribly Wrong
Weddings, despite being a happy occasion for the couple involved, can often bring with them a fair amount of drama. From familial in-fighting to last minute cancellations to complicated seating charts, there are many things that can go wrong at weddings. WWE is no stranger to this phenomenon, as most weddings presented by them have often gone down in flames. In WWE history there have only been a handful of weddings that didn't result in fist fights and hurt feelings. It's worth noting that one of those weddings was Dexter Lumis and Indi Hartwell's ceremony on "NXT," which was still an oddity for sure.
From snakes in boxes to evil cults to priests being battered, WWE certainly knows how to ruin holy matrimony for all involved. Presented here are just a few examples of the times that a superstar's wedding day didn't go to plan. So cut yourself some cake, pop some inordinately overpriced champagne and enjoy some WWE weddings that went horribly wrong.
Randy Savage & Elizabeth
In terms of duos in pro wrestling, few man and woman pairings have drawn more money than Miss Elizabeth and the "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Slotting the boisterous "Macho Man" with the elegant and soft spoken Elizabeth was a genuine stroke of booking genius, albeit one based on their real-life relationship. Their onscreen story, which lasted for several years, was rife with twists, turns and heartbreaks — it was the perfect crossbreed of pro wrestling and soap opera drama. Following his heel run as the "Macho King" and his tearful reunion with Elizabeth at WrestleMania VII, Savage finally popped the question. The much hyped ceremony was dubbed "The Match Made in Heaven" and took place in-ring at the 1991 edition of SummerSlam.
Surprisingly, standard wrestling goofiness aside, the ceremony itself went off without a hitch, a true rarity given the nature of most wrestling weddings. However, it was during the reception that things truly went to hell courtesy of one Jake "The Snake" Roberts. When it came to raining on someone's parade in just about the most sadistic way possible, Roberts was untouchable. Fittingly, a snake popped out of a gift left for Savage and Elizabeth right before Roberts and The Undertaker attacked the "Macho Man." This madness is what kicked off Savage and Roberts' now-legendary feud that included a cobra biting Savage on "Superstars."
Undertaker & Stephanie McMahon
Yes, even the Deadman himself was part of a wedding segment, in fact, he was a part of one of the Attitude Era's finest. During the late-'90s, The Undertaker had taken on a more occult edge, forming a sinister cult known as the Ministry of Darkness. 'Taker and his new legion of brainwashed zealots wreaked havoc on "Raw," attacking "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and even targeting the McMahon family. This led to Stephanie McMahon ending up in the crosshairs of the Ministry which resulted in her subsequent kidnapping. Following the famous "Where to Stephanie?" segment at Backlash 1999, the Billion Dollar Princess found herself as an unwilling bride.
Strapped to the Ministry's bizarre symbol, Stephanie was set to be married to 'Taker live on "Raw" in an occult wedding. Despite the likes of Big Show and Ken Shamrock trying to make the save, it seemed as though Stephanie's fate was sealed. However, none other than Austin, a long time enemy of her father, opted to do the right thing and come to the rescue. "Stone Cold" stormed the ring and took the fight to 'Taker, vanquishing him and saving Stephanie in the process. Stephanie tearfully hugged him before reuniting with Vince who seemed to begrudgingly thank the Rattlesnake for his help. It's peak Attitude Era insanity and all these years later is still a phenomenal segment with everyone leaning into their roles with gusto.
Test & Stephanie McMahon
The Attitude Era was a frequently problematic time for pro wrestling, not the least of which being its treatment of women. No where was this more apparent than in the twist revealed during the wedding of Stephanie McMahon and Test. They were presented as an onscreen item for a majority of 1999, resulting in a feud between Test and Shane, Stephanie's brother. Following his victory in a "Love Her or Leave Her Match" against Shane at SummerSlam, Test and Stephanie were free to keep seeing each other. Following a few mixed tag team victories, the happy couple was set to marry on the November 29, 1999 edition of "WWE Raw."
However, before they could seal the deal, Triple H arrived on stage to reveal he had a surprise for Stephanie. "The Game" then revealed some footage of him taking a drugged and unconscious Stephanie through a drive-through wedding ceremony in Vegas. Now we're sure that we don't need to belabor the point that you can't marry someone without their verbal and written consent. However, that didn't seem to matter to Triple H who was just beaming that he'd conned his way into the McMahon family. This was later revealed to be a part of a long-term plan forged by Triple H and Stephanie, who' would turn heel alongside her hubby.
Triple H & Stephanie McMahon
Triple H's road to success has been fast tracked by many things but none more prevalent than his relationship with Stephanie McMahon. In an instance of art imitating life, what began as a twisted onscreen romance soon morphed into a real-life relationship and eventual marriage. Their kayfabe marriage was still very much in effect well into the 2000s when their roles within the company were expanding. Following the events of the WCW Invasion, two major developments occurred: Stephanie was banished from WWE television and Triple H returned from injury. "The Cerebral Assassin" had been out of action due to a tear in his left quadriceps muscle, missing the entire Invasion storyline.
Following his return, which saw him arrive to a hugely positive reaction, Triple H was presented more as a babyface. This clashed with Stephanie, recently having returned to weekly television, who was becoming an increasing nuisance for "The Game." In order to keep Triple H wrapped around her finger, Stephanie lied and told her husband that she was pregnant. The couple were then set to renew their vows in a wedding-like ceremony on a 2002 episode of "Raw." It'd be here that Triple revealed he knew of Stephanie's ruse and soundly broke off the relationship, leaving Stephanie in shambles. This was the second ceremony Triple H had ruined and it certainly wasn't his last, but we'll get to that later.
Billy & Chuck
In terms of wrestling storylines that have aged poorly, look no further than the misguided ballad of Billy and Chuck. Following the misfire that was the WCW Invasion storyline, many former Alliance members found themselves slotted into new roles. Former WCW alumni Chuck Palumbo began tagging with Billy Gunn, former D-Generation X member, simply as an act of defiance towards the Alliance for curbing him. Though originally presented as heels, the duo soon began to win over the crowd due to their legitimately charming rapport. The two seemed to show genuine affection for each other, even sporting matching red headbands and bleach blonde hair. For so early in the 2000s, this was a surprising amount of LGBTQ representation for WWE who'd previously used homosexuality as a punchline of sorts.
In fact, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation AKA GLAAD, had even consulted with WWE on the storyline (via OutSports). The duo even announced they were going to have a commitment ceremony on "SmackDown," which is where everything went wrong. The duo revealed they were not gay and the entire thing was done merely for increased media attention. As an additionally ridiculous twist, the ceremony's priest was revealed to be "Raw" GM Eric Bischoff in old age makeup. Bischoff then unleashed 3-Minute Warning on "SmackDown" GM Stephanie McMahon, who was present for the ceremony, ending the segment. Needless to say, GLAAD felt used and years later the whole angle is still looked at quite negatively.
Dawn Marie & Al Wilson
Throughout the Ruthless Aggression era, WWE often threw countless ideas at the wall to see what would stick. From dressing Chavo Guerrero like a white golfer to Brock Lesnar assaulting one-legged wrestlers, this wasn't an era built on good taste. Case in point, the torrid love affair between Dawn Marie and Al Wilson, the real-life father of Torrie Wilson. That's right, amid a feud with Torrie Wilson, Marie resorted to the loathsome tactic of seducing her opponent's father. This resulted in several awkward segments where Torrie was forced to watch her own father aggressively make out with her in-ring rival.
Marie even baited Torrie with a proposition: she'd break off her relationship with Al if Torrie spent a night with her at a hotel. This was later revealed to be a bait and switch, used to tease overexcited fans with the promise of lesbian related content. Following this bizarre pitstop, Marie and Al Wilson tied the knot on "SmackDown" with Marie wearing nothing but lingerie and Wilson in his underwear. The storyline reached its climax, no pun intended, when it was revealed that Wilson had died of a heart attack due to excessive lovemaking. We really wish we were making that last part up, but we aren't and that makes us unfathomably sad.
Kane & Lita
The Kane, Lita and Matt Hardy storyline was, to put it politely, an extremely uncomfortable use of weekly WWE television. In 2004, Kane began showing a disturbing interest in Lita, Hardy's onscreen and real life girlfriend — even going as far as to kidnap her. One fateful night on "Raw," Kane nearly crossed a line, but before he could cripple Hardy, Lita made the save, simply telling Kane that her answer was yes. What this meant wasn't revealed until later on during Hardy's on air proposal to Lita which the Big Red Monster interrupted via the titantron. Kane revealed that the baby that Lita was said to be carrying in kayfabe was not Hardy's but actually his.
This led to a "'Til Death Do Us Part Match" at SummerSlam 2004, where Lita promised to marry Kane if he won. Despite Hardy's best efforts, Kane was victorious and Lita was forced into an unholy union with the devil's favorite demon. The ceremony itself was a dramatic affair complete with a few words from Eric Bischoff and topped off with a surprise attack from Hardy. Sadly, despite his efforts, Hardy was unable to escape with Lita, instead receiving a chokeslam off the stage for his troubles. Following this substantial battering, Kane finished the vows and walked off with his new bride while laughing maniacally. The ethical implications of this storyline are disturbing at best and a true example of WWE's frequent tastelessness during this time.
Edge & Lita
Few wrestlers know how to make a public spectacle more than Edge, and his 2005 wedding with Lita is a prime example. To make an incredibly complicated story short, while Matt Hardy was sidelined with an injury, Lita, his real life girlfriend, began having an affair with Edge. This coming to light resulted in WWE firing a vengeful Hardy and subsequently using this real-life heat for televised drama. Soon enough, Lita was turned heel and betrayed her kayfabe husband Kane, aligning herself with Edge in the process. Officially divorced from Kane, Lita was free to walk down the aisle once again, only this time to wed Mr. Money in the Bank.
The entire ceremony was an intentionally loathsome display from both Edge and Lita who went out of their way to be scummy. As an additional twist of the knife, when the priest asked if there were any objections, Hardy's music hit to a huge ovation. This was revealed to be just a cruel trick by Edge and Lita who then prepared to finish the ceremony. But before their vows could be completed, Kane emerged from a hole in the ring to lay waste to the ceremony! "The Big Red Machine" topped off this vengeful rampage by dropping the priest with a brutal Tombstone Piledriver.
Teddy Long & Kristal Marshall
For as easy as it is to make fun of Teddy Long and his meme-worthy catchphrases, the man has earned his place in wrestling history. However, Long has been a part of some truly baffling and even downright terrible moments in terms of WWE programming. There was his "match" with Eric Bischoff at Survivor Series 2005, a match so bad that Dave Meltzer awarded it negative one-and-a-half stars. Adding to this pile of stinkers, we have Long's wedding with Kristal Marshall on the September 21, 2007 episode of "SmackDown."
After a few weeks of backstage flirting, Marshall ended up telling Long that she was smitten with him, much to his delight. This development led Long to make Vickie Guerrero, an onscreen friend of Marshall, his assistant — basically allowing her to run the show in his absence. Eventually, Long proposed to Marshall and, after she said yes, they set their wedding to take place on an episode of "SmackDown." However, before the two could seal the deal, Long suffered a kayfabe heart attack and collapsed at the feet of his bride-to-be! It was a confounding development for sure, done only to make Guerrero the full-time "SmackDown" general manager, a role she'd devour with gusto. As great as Guerrero's heel run was, it can never be forgotten that its genesis came from this utterly baffling wedding angle.
Edge & Vickie Guerrero
Edge's second stint at the wedding altar was definitely less risque than the first time but in no way less ridiculous. At Survivor Series 2007, Edge resurfaced following time away due to injury and cost The Undertaker his World Title match with Batista. He soon found himself slotted back into the title picture thanks to Vickie Guerrero who was revealed to be Edge's new girlfriend. What ensued can best be described as epically disgusting with the duo fawning over each other to a nauseating degree. This was truly where Guerrero came into her own as a heel authority figure, rigging matches for her Rated-R lover boy.
In another sickening display, Edge ended up marrying Guerrero, with the two set to celebrate their new union on "SmackDown." The episode itself was hijacked by their insufferable reception, complete with the Hardy Boyz tossing the cake onto La Familia. However, the newfound married couple soon received a shocking wedding gift courtesy of WWE Champion Triple H at the show's conclusion. "The Game," with sledgehammer in hand, revealed a secret piece of video tape that Guerrero would be interested in seeing. This video turned out to be Edge making out with his wedding planner, played by a then-debuting Alicia Fox. Edge was shocked, Guerrero began throwing a fit and Triple H would walk off with a sizable grin on his face.
Daniel Bryan & AJ Lee
When it comes to full commitment to a storyline, no matter how absurd, Daniel Bryan and AJ Lee were nothing short of troopers. Despite both respectively being head and shoulders above many of their peers, Bryan and Lee were often slotted into some corny circumstances. The two were put into a relationship storyline with each other in late-2011, which persisted until the next year. This romance was packed to the brim with staggeringly weird developments, including a love triangle (square?) between Lee, Bryan, CM Punk and Kane.
Most infamously, a poorly timed kiss between the two resulted in Sheamus beating Bryan for the World Title at WrestleMania 28 in eight seconds. This resulted in Bryan treating Lee with a subterranean amount of respect, even going as far as to verbally chastise her. Following this eclectic cacophony of drama, spats and misunderstandings, it seemed like Lee and Bryan were heading towards splitsville. However, one night removed from his loss to Punk at Money in the Bank, Bryan rebounded by asking Lee to marry him. The wedding took place on the 1000th episode of "Raw" and it seemed like Lee and Bryan were set to ride off into the sunset. However, Lee revealed to Bryan that she'd been offered the prime position of being "Raw" GM by Vince McMahon. She noted how she'd accepted the position and left D-Bry standing in the ring flabbergasted by what had occurred.
Lana & Bobby Lashley
Sometimes a wrestling segment shoots so high and crashes so hard that it can still result in ample entertainment value. The story of Lana and Rusev within WWE was a bizarre one filled with unexpected developments both in and outside of the ring. The two had been a real-life couple for a significant chunk of their run, though the personal affiliation was never confirmed onscreen. This was until, during a storyline where the two kayfabe-split apart, the couple's real-life engagement was announced on TMZ. From there, the couple was subject to all manner of in-ring buffoonery, basically as a punishment for breaking kayfabe.
Things got knocked for another loop when, following some downtime, Lana resurfaced with a new boy toy, none other than Bobby Lashley. This led to, not only weeks of bickering between Lana and Rusev, but an on-air wedding between Lana and Lashley. The wedding itself was somehow an amalgamation of every WWE wedding trope and cliche crammed into one ridiculously overstuffed segment. Not only did respective exes of Lana and Lashley interrupt but Liv Morgan walked out to vaguely profess her love for Lana. Top it all off with Rusev popping out of a comically large wedding cake and you have the makings of some top-shelf shenanigans. Weirder still, this was the segment that WWE chose to close out the final episode of "Raw" of 2019.