4 WWE on-screen friendships that turned sour

Over the years, WWE has featured alliances among its superstars that later on turn into on-screen friendships. A lot of these partnerships were well received by the fandom as their bond lasted for quite some time.

However, some of these friendships were built on a rock-solid foundation, some ended on a bad note. This goes on to show that such camaraderie may not last for all since WWE wants to keep it fresh by rolling out new storylines and angles.

There are a plethora of on-screen friendships within the promotion that later on turned sour. Here are just a few of the most recent ones.

---

#4. Bayley and Damage CTRL

Original members of Damage CTRL during SummerSlam in 2022 (Image credits: WWE.com)

The all-female faction of Damage CTRL is one of the most notable wrestling stables within WWE as of late. It was formed in July 2022 at SummerSlam when Bayley - who just returned from an injury at the time tagged along with IYO SKY and Dakota Kai to confront Bianca Belair after her successful title defense against Becky Lynch.

Through the course of their run as a faction, Damage CTRL enjoyed numerous successes as they captured championship gold, specifically the Women’s Tag Team Championship and the WWE Women’s Championship (IYO SKY).

Tensions rose when Kairi Sane returned to the company in November of 2023 at Crown Jewel. Asuka would later on join the group and reunite with Sane, reforming The Kabuki Warriors under Damage CTRL’s wing. The duo went on to win the Women’s Tag Team Championship, making Bayley the only member of the faction who was yet to capture a title at the time.

Bayley’s lack of achievements and perceived underperformance at the time by her teammates may have been the nail in the coffin for her to be booted out from the faction. Ironically, it was when she was out of the group when she won championship gold during Night Two of WrestleMania XL against her former stablemate, SKY.

#3. Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens

Reigning Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens were buddies back then as they were constantly at odds with a common foe that was The Bloodline. One cannot pinpoint a time when their friendship began, though it is certain that it flourished through numerous alliances inside the ring and branching storylines connected to the aforementioned faction.

There were already hints of Owens turning on Rhodes. They even fought for the latter’s title at this year’s Bash in Berlin Premium Live Eevnt, though the two still hugged it out after their epic match.

The deal breaker for Owens was evidently Rhodes’ decision to team up with Roman Reigns against The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu at this year’s Bad Blood. He was not into the idea at all since he had a long history with the villainous faction.

Owens confronted Rhodes after the match in a parking lot which escalated into a brutal beatdown, signaling The Prizefighter turning heel and effectively ending the on-screen friendship.

#2. Rhea Ripley/Damian Priest and The Judgment Day

Just when everyone thought that things were tight among the members of The Judgment Day, fans were shocked when the group turned on both Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest.

Edge ( AEW's Adam Copeland) was the one who founded the group, alongside Ripley and Priest. Other members - Dominik Mysterio, Finn Bálor, JD McDonagh, and Carlito joined in later on.

Together, they became one of WWE’s most dominant factions crushing all competition that stood in their way. This led to them capturing several championships along the way, which included Ripley’s WWE Women’s World Championship and Priest’s WWE World Heavyweight Championship, along with multiple tag title reigns.

Things began falling apart, though when Ripley got sidelined due to an injury and was left with no choice but to relinquish her championship. Her absence became Liv Morgan’s perfect opportunity to infiltrate the faction and begin her revenge tour. She was seen most of the time alongside Dom who was apprehensive at first but gave in to Morgan’s advances later on

As for Priest and Bálor, things were pretty tense between the two WWE Superstars due to certain differences. Jealousy may have also played a significant factor in this betrayal since Priest was the reigning World Heavyweight Champion at the time, not to mention he was cheered on by fans despite being a heel.

Come SummerSlam 2024, Bálor carried on with his plan which resulted in Priest losing his World Heavyweight Title. A similar fate happened to Ripley when her 'Dom Dom' turned on her by locking lips with Morgan who had just captured the championship from her due to his actions.

#1. WWE Superstars Randy Orton and Kevin Owens’ friendship is the most recent on-screen friendship that turned sour

Similar to the Cody Rhodes saga, the on-screen friendship between Randy Orton and Kevin Owens began with several team-ups against a common enemy - The Bloodline.

Rhodes, Orton, and Owens seemingly had each other’s backs whenever they were at odds with the faction. However, things between them crumbled when Roman Reigns returned.

Things were all good with both Rhodes and Orton since the champ explained why he decided to team up with Reigns for the Bad Blood PLE. Things were different though for Owens as it drove him to attack Rhodes after the event.

However, things went down for Orton and Owens during the October 11 edition of SmackDown when Orton punched KO while trying break things off between him and Rhodes. Owens followed it up with a backstage attack on Orton that same night.

It may well seem that the two superstars are headed for a one-on-one match if WWE’s higher-ups give a nod to it.