5 WWE pairings that led to real-life marriages

The world of WWE often blends reality and fiction together. A lot of Superstar gimmicks are inspired by events or beliefs from their real-life persona, prime examples of this being CM Punk's straight edge persona and Daniel Bryan's gimmick as The New Daniel Bryan.

Since the line between reality and fiction often gets blurry, it is natural that quite a few of the on-screen pairings lead to real life romances backstage. There are many on-screen pairings where the Superstars have ended up dating each other.

Some of these have even led up to marriages. Here is a list of all the WWE Superstars whose on-screen pair up led to a real-life romance and the Superstars involved proceeded to tie the knot.

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#5 Natalya Neidhart and Tyson Kidd

Natalya and Tyson Kidd have actually known each other since they were 12. Tyson was a close friend of the Hart family and graduated from the Hart Dungeon. So technically, this isn't an on-screen pair up that led to a marriage.

It is interesting to note, however, that this WWE couple was part of the stable known as The Hart Dynasty. The team comprised of Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith with Natalya acting as their manager. They made quite a mark on the WWE landscape capturing several titles during their short reign, including the United States Championship (Bret Hart) and the Tag team Championship.

This cat-loving couple started dating all the way back in 2001 before either of them had debuted in the WWE. The two never quite got around to marrying until Total Divas came around.

According to Natalya herself "He never proposed. I don't think we ever had a day off to have a wedding. Working at WWE was like, we land on Wednesday, we go to the gym on Thursday, we fly out on Friday. So it was like, do we have the wedding in Vegas at the little white chapel?"

Natalya admits that being a part of Total Divas is the reason they had an official ceremony and got married. "Total Divas just took charge and they planned a wedding for us in five weeks."

#4 Rusev and Lana

The Ravishing Russian and The Bulgarian Brute were put together by the late great Dusty Rhodes as early as WWE developmental. Lana was introduced as Rusev's social ambassador and the duo had a great heel run as the anti-American, pro-Russian bad guys.

The two became good friends during this period. Their gimmick ended rather prematurely, even though Lana was hugely over with the fans at the time. As a result of this, both their careers floundered but the relationship sustained and they were dating soon enough in real life. Lana claims Vince McMahon was the only one unsure about whether to keep the duo as a package on the main roster.

Once news of their relationship became public knowledge, they were cast on to Total Divas. Their life leading up to their marriage was covered by the show.

#3 CM Punk and AJ Lee

These two found their way to the altar in a very unorthodox fashion. Unorthodox because as a young girl, AJ Lee used to idolize Lita. At one point of time, CM Punk used to date Lita. Regardless of all this drama, the couple prevailed and tied the knot in 2014.

Punk and Lee were involved in an on-screen storyline for much of 2012. While the storyline wasn't much to write about from a wrestling point of view, it did have some pretty entertaining moments.

AJ was being portrayed as the manipulative, unpredictable woman who was in a love triangle (later square) with Punk and Daniel Bryan. Kane later joined this list. So did John Cena, briefly. And Dolph Ziggler. It was a crazy time for Lee. Even Paul Heyman went down on one knee at a point of time!

All in all, the storyline might not have been one of WWE's finest but it was pretty entertaining nonetheless. This duo started dating towards the end of this storyline, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Both Superstars have since left the WWE. While Punk is now signed with Cage Fury Fighting Championships promotion as a commentator, AJ Lee is pursuing a career as a writer and an animal rights activist.

#2 Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella

This couple had a really awkward start. In late 2010, The Bella Twins were put in a storyline with Daniel Bryan where they were competing for his affection. Naturally, Bryan ended up rejecting them both and making out with Gail Kim instead. It was a rather mediocre storyline that didn't garner much audience interest. It did, however, bring Brie and Bryan closer together.

The two got married in April 2014 in a wedding that was filmed for the reality show, Total Divas, which showcases the life of selected female WWE Superstars. The duo has been married for nearly five years now and welcomed their first child into the family back in 2017.

#1 Triple H and Stephanie McMahon

Of course, we saved the best for the last. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon met during an attitude era storyline where Stephanie was playing the innocent daughter of the boss and Triple H the wicked, boss-bashing degenerate.

Stephanie was already in a storyline with Test where they were engaged to be married. So, naturally, Triple H drugged, abducted and married her. The videotape of the marriage was flaunted by DX member just as Stephanie was about to get married.

Stephanie eventually turned heel against her father and triggered The McMahon-Hemsley Era. Romance also developed off-screen for the power couple. The two dated secretly as Vince McMahon wasn't a fan of the idea of his daughter dating a Superstar.

Their storyline ended in 2002. In 2003, the two married in real life. They have two children together. Through the years, the couple has not just contributed to taking WWE to new heights but also made a difference through their charitable efforts such as Connor's Cure.