Wrestlers Who Ruined Their Real-Life Friendships

Real-life friendships and personal relationships forming in pro wrestling is common for obvious reasons, with the hectic nature of the business meaning performers often spend more time with their co-workers than their families. Over the years, there have been great bonds formed between wrestlers from WWE and abroad — Adam Copeland and Christian Cage, Mercedes Mone and Bayley, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn just to name a few — with their chemistry onscreen translating to closeness away from the squared circle.

However, in an ego-driven industry, friendships and relationships can also break down. Sometimes, these issues remain irreconcilable — CM Punk and Colt Cabana, for example — while other times wrestlers can end up making amends with their friends turned foes after years of turmoil.

In this piece, we look through 10 real-life pro wrestling friendships that were ruined, and the cause of the splits, as well as the current status of each relationship. 

This is perhaps one of the most well-documented friendship breakdowns in wrestling history, and it stemmed from a genuine real-life romantic affair. After wowing fans together in TLC matches, and dominating WWE's tag team division throughout the late-1990s and early-2000s with their respective partners, Matt Hardy and Adam 'Edge' Copeland had built up a strong rapport backstage and were close companions. 

During the course of their friendship, Hardy had been dating Amy "Lita" Dumas for six years, but things took a sour turn in 2005 when it was revealed she had been having an affair with Edge. In the wake of the revelation, Hardy was released by WWE due to unprofessional conduct, and would briefly work with ROH, before unwavering fan support saw the company bring him back into the fold. Upon his return, Hardy attacked Edge backstage, and the pair would become embroiled in a storyline on "WWE Raw" for a number of months, including a match at SummerSlam 2005. After falling short via nefarious means in a 'Loser Leaves Raw' match on October 3, Hardy would be sent packing to "WWE SmackDown" to continue his career, while Edge remained one of the hottest heels on the red brand and became a multi-time world champion.

In a 2021 interview, Copeland would admit the situation was difficult and claimed he 'never enjoyed it', despite the angle becoming a focal point of WWE programming and leading to a main event push for "The Rated R Superstar". In the years that followed, both men moved on from the bitter situation and ended up marrying their respective wives — Beth Phoenix and Reby Sky — and they have since squashed their beef and are working together once again in AEW.

Two of the hottest young stars in WWE during the mid-2000s were Randy Orton and Mr Kennedy, with both performers rising through the developmental system together and becoming close friends. Both looked destined for big things and were even travel buddies at one stage, but while Orton would become a major player for the sports entertainment juggernaut, winning a plethora of championships throughout his career, the same can't be said for Kennedy, who never tasted world title glory in WWE. 

During a match in 2009, Orton landed awkwardly from a back-drop administered by Kennedy, leading to a frustrated "Apex Predator" going backstage alongside fellow top star John Cena to McMahon to complain that the Green Bay native was 'reckless'. The incident ultimately led to Kennedy being fired by WWE as a result of Orton's complaints, and any semblance of a relationship between the pair had been thrown out the window. 

While they never fully rekindled their friendship from their early days in WWE, Kennedy would reveal in an interview earlier this year that they have buried the hatchet, and took responsibility for his abrupt exit. "I did talk to him, but let me say this — nobody got me fired. I got me fired," he said. "I was very bitter and upset for a few years, and that resentment was directed at the wrong place ... it should have been directed back at me." After leaving WWE, Kennedy would go on to work for TNA, winning the promotion's world title, while Orton continued to cement himself as one of the greatest wrestlers of the modern era, but has been sidelined due to injury since May 2022. 

The only women to be included on this list, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch formed a tremendous bond during their rise to the top of WWE, working their way through developmental and onto the main roster together, culminating in an historic main event bout — with Ronda Rousey — at WrestleMania 35. While both performers had incredible chemistry inside the ropes and were heated onscreen rivals, their friendship away from wrestling had remained strong for many years.

Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, Flair and Lynch fell out and are reportedly no longer close. Their backstage issues would culminate with an awkward segment on "SmackDown" in October 2021, which saw the two champions forced to swap belts following the results of the WWE Draft. Lynch had attempted to play ball, but Flair would drop her championship onto the ground, leading to an intense moment between the pair. After both stars went back through the curtain, an altercation ensued which almost turned physical according to reports at the time. 

Flair and Lynch wrestled each other at Survivor Series that year, but have not worked onscreen together for almost two years. During an interview with "The MMA Hour" in the wake of the incident, Lynch would explain her side of the story and why their friendship is no longer. "My star was rising, we were the best of friends and it all worked when she was on top and I was below," she said. "We could all see the way things were going in 2019 ... I don't think she could take that and hasn't been able to take it. I think it's affected her work even now ... she's got that jealousy and that little devil on her shoulder."

After rising to prominence in WWE during the mid-1990s, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was seemingly destined for greatness, and ended up having one of the most successful careers in wrestling history. During his early years with the company, Austin would become close and travel with two fellow performers — Billy Gunn and Bob 'Hardcore' Holly — building a strong relationship with the latter.

However, as the popularity of "The Texas Rattlesnake" continued to rise, leading to multiple WrestleMania main events, Holly's career never took off to that same level with WWE, and the pair eventually fell out.

While there have only been scarce details over the years, Holly claimed that Austin's ego led to the pair drifting apart — despite the fact the Hall of Famer has remained close with a number of his other colleagues from that time period, including Jim Ross and William Regal. 

The final addition to this list is yet another two-time inclusion, with the previously-mentioned Shawn Michaels also involved in another friend-turned-foe scenario in both kayfabe and real-life. In the early stages of his career, "The Heartbreak Kid" was part of an entertaining tag team known as The Rockers alongside Marty Jannetty, endearing themselves to fans across the globe despite never winning championship gold together. Unfortunately, in 1991 — right around the time Michaels' popularity was beginning to rise — the pair would become embroiled in a shoot backstage fight, and it led to the team splitting up in storyline as well during an iconic moment. 

Since falling out, Michaels went on to become one of the most illustrious performers in the history of the business, while Jannetty failed to find singles success. Over the years, the latter has dealt with personal issues relating to drugs and alcohol, and the former duo have not stayed in contact according to a 2019 interview with Michaels.

"I no longer have a contact number for him," he said. "There are times I see him, he is great, he seems great — other times it's less so. It heartbreaking to me, just as it is to everyone else. I don't know what any of us can do in that aspect. He has made a decision on how he wants to live his life."