5 Times current WWE Superstars had real-life heat with each other (and the reasons why)

From Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior to Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, WWE Superstars having real-life issues with each other is nothing new.

Back in the 1990s, plenty of rumors existed about people in the wrestling business legitimately disliking each other behind the scenes. The difference in those days is a lot of those rumors were exactly that: rumors.

Now, thanks to the dozens of out-of-character interviews that take place every week, fans often find out the truth about reports from the superstars themselves.

Riddle, for example, explained earlier this year what happened when he tried to apologize to another superstar backstage at Survivor Series 2020. The previous year, Kofi Kingston also opened up about an issue he used to have with a WWE veteran.

In this article, let's take a look at five instances where current WWE stars once had real-life heat with each other.

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#5 WWE Superstars Riddle and Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins’ issues with Riddle began when The Original Bro’s wife, Lisa, took a dig at Becky Lynch on social media in November 2019.

Lisa Riddle is a two-time All-American gymnast and a former competitor on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge reality show. In a since-deleted Instagram post, she bodyshamed Lynch and questioned why WWE’s female superstars do not do more squats.

Riddle told talkSPORT’s Alex McCarthy in July 2021 that both Rollins and Lynch disliked him after his wife’s controversial post.

“I know my significant other said something about Becky that they didn’t like and I also did not like or agree with. Seth didn’t like me after that and I don’t think Becky liked me or my wife either, which is understandable. It is what it is,” Riddle said.

In October 2020, Rollins said after the WWE Draft that he had no interest in facing Riddle at any point in his career.

The Original Bro later clarified that he apologized to Rollins in November 2020 following their participation in the five-on-five men’s Survivor Series match. He told the former WWE Champion that his wife’s post was “bullc**p” and he did not agree with what she said.

According to Riddle, Rollins appreciated the conversation and thought his apology was “really cool.”

#4 WWE Superstars AJ Styles and Paul Heyman

Two-time WWE Champion AJ Styles took several shots at Paul Heyman while talking to fans in July 2020.

The Phenomenal One disliked the way that his friends, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, received their releases in April 2020. Back then, Heyman still worked as the RAW Executive Director, and Styles felt he was responsible for his on-screen allies’ sudden departures.

Speaking on Twitch, Styles said he talked to others in the WWE locker room about Gallows and Anderson’s releases. He claimed that some of his co-workers also had issues with the former ECW owner.

“I talked to a lot of guys about this situation, and you wouldn't believe how many people that I worked with despises this guy because of his lies. It was almost kinda hard to find someone who liked him,” Styles said.

Styles also confirmed that he requested to join SmackDown in May 2020 because he no longer wanted to work under Heyman on RAW.

In January 2021, Styles appeared on SmackDown post-show Talking Smack, which was co-hosted at the time by Heyman. He cryptically referenced Gallows and Anderson’s departures by saying nothing would make him happier than to see Heyman lose his job.

#3 WWE Superstars Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks

Rumors about Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks having heat have existed ever since Banks allegedly gave Bliss a bloodied nose twice in WWE NXT.

Their first main-roster feud began in 2017, which is when The Boss claimed her rival did not know the difference between The Hardy Boyz. She also accused Bliss of pretending to be a childhood wrestling fan.

Shortly after Banks’ comments, Bliss said on ESPN’s Cheap Heat that she was still prepared to do business with the former NXT Women's Champion.

“I’ve seen the things she said about me. If that’s how she feels, that’s fine. But we know that we put it to the side and have a productive, professional match because that’s what it’s all about,” Bliss said.

In 2018, speculation about the superstars’ real-life dislike for one another reignited following Banks’ appearance on Open Late with Pete Rosenborg. The WrestleMania 37 main-eventer answered “not really” when asked if she wanted to feud with Bliss again in WWE.

Fast forward to 2019, and the apparent heat between the two women made its way onto social media. Bliss blocked Banks on Twitter after WrestleMania 35, prompting The Blueprint to tweet that Bliss was scared of her.

#2 WWE Superstars Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton

Randy Orton’s issues with Kofi Kingston started when the two men competed in a Triple Threat match against John Cena on WWE RAW in 2010.

Orton expected Kingston to stay down and receive a Punt Kick towards the end of the match. However, much to The Viper’s frustration, Kingston kept returning to his feet. Orton compromised by hitting an RKO on his opponent before famously yelling “Stupid! Stupid!” at him in the middle of the ring.

Kingston confirmed in an interview on FOX News in 2019 that rumors about Orton attempting to hold his career back were true.

“It was a very real thing, not a storyline thing, when Randy Orton didn't want me to get to a certain point in WWE. As you saw 10 years ago, I was kind of on the rise and logic would suggest that I would have become Champion based on the run I was having at the time and Randy Orton put a stop to all of that,” Kingston said.

Thankfully, there is no longer any real-life animosity between the former WWE Championship rivals. Kingston told the Daily Star in 2021 that he respects Orton and already views him as a Hall of Famer.

#1 WWE Superstars Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair

The inspiration for this article comes from the ongoing rumors about Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair’s problems behind the scenes in WWE.

Once best friends, Flair wrote several nice things about Lynch in her book in 2017. Nowadays, however, it appears that the two women no longer speak outside of work.

Asked recently about their relationship, Lynch said on the SI Media Podcast that she does not trust Flair. She also confirmed they are not friends in real life.

“I don’t know, man. We don’t talk anymore. We don’t talk. So all I’ll say is the locker room needs a hero sometimes. And sometimes somebody’s gotta be a hero. I’m all right being that hero. That’s what I’ll say on that matter,” Lynch said.

Lynch’s “locker room hero” comment was in reference to speculation about their botched WWE SmackDown title exchange segment. According to PW Torch’s Wade Keller, one superstar branded Lynch a “hero” after she stood up to Flair backstage after the incident.

The report went on to state that Lynch is well-liked in the locker room, while nobody wants to work with Flair.