72 Real-Life Wrestling Relationships In Pictures (2/3)

As promised, here is the second volume of a mini-series looking at 72 wrestling relationships. All of these wrestling couples are featured in picture form. Check the link for a more detailed introduction and the first 24 couples: Volume #1

25. Io Shirai & Evil *Engaged* (?)

While it has been reported that NXT’s Io Shirai and New Japan’s Evil are engaged to be married, there isn’t much I can find to confirm their existing relationship. They live on different continents, so if it’s true it must be difficult on them.

I only include this pairing in case there is something I’ve missed; which is possible because I can’t read Japanese. It is just as possible that this is an inside joke, seeing as Io Shirai’s nickname is “Evil Of The Sky”.

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26. Jake Crist & Neveah {Married}

Jake Crist & Neveah are childhood sweethearts. They were happily married in 2013 and have two kids. Crist is a former Impact X-Division Champion, but has recently disappeared from TV after his brother Dave Crist was fired after sex abuse allegations came to light.

Neveah has been wrestling since 2004, but finally got her big break in Impact this year, teaming with longtime friend Havok.

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27. Jeff & Karen Jarrett {Married}

Karen is known for being married to Kurt Angle and has two children with him. Some controversy hit TNA Wrestling in 2009, as it was revealed that not too long after Karen had filed for divorce, she started a new relationship with Jeff Jarrett. After finding out, Dixie Carter made Jeff take a leave of absence in 2009. They were soon engaged and married the following year.

The real-life heat between Kurt, Jeff & Karen eventually turned in to a TV angle in 2011. There was a rumor they had an affair, but it was later said this wasn’t the case as Kurt & Karen were separated. The Jarrett’s went on to form Global Force Wrestling, but lost their business investment after merging with Impact Wrestling. In late-2017, they found a way around it and brought back Global Force Wrestling.

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28. Jimmy Uso & Naomi {Married}

Having grown up in WWE’s developmental system FCW and getting promoted to the main roster in the early 2010’s, Jimmy & Naomi formed a relationship. In 2014, they were married on the island of Maui.

They do not have any children together, but take care of Jimmy’s two children from his first marriage. Both have enjoyed championship reigns in WWE, although they’ve had their struggles with Jimmy’s legal issues stemming from several DUI’s.

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29. John Morrison & Taya Valkyrie {Married}

After leaving WWE in 2011, Morrison worked on the independent scene. He likely met Taya Valkyrie in Lucha Underground or Mexico’s AAA in 2014 or 2015, and the relationship grew for at least two years before they got married. They both signed with Impact Wrestling in 2017 and found great success. In 2019, they became a power couple as John held the Impact World Championship at the same time as Taya won the Impact Knockouts Championship.

As villains, they lorded over the promotion for a while. After John lost the title and returned to WWE, Valkyrie carried on and became the longest reigning Knockouts Champion of all time. Morrison hopes his wife will join him one day in WWE, but she’s happy staying with Impact til she is sure WWE will use her in a prominent role.

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30. Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae {Married}

Much like Eddie & Alisha Edwards, Johnny & Candice are a veteran couple in the business. LeRae debuted in 2002, and Gargano in 2005. Before signing with WWE’s NXT brand, they are known for working intergender matches with and against each other. They featured in a documentary discussing their dynamic.

In recent times, WWE has paired them up on TV as obnoxious heels, occasionally taking us to their home. Before this, Gargano is arguably known as the most successful wrestler in NXT history, and for his critically acclaimed feud with long-time friend Tommaso Ciampa.

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31. Jon Moxley & Renee Young {Married}

During the early days of The Shield’s run on the main roster in 2013, Renee Young debuted in NXT as a backstage interviewer. She also co-hosted main roster PPVs. Moxley and Young met and their relationship did not become public knowledge for a while, likely because Moxley doesn’t use social media. In 2017, they finally tied the knot in an impromptu ceremony. When Moxley left for AEW, it was speculated that WWE would somehow punish Young; but she has recently said that nothing changed. Earlier this year, after getting COVID-19 and revealing it to the world, it was reported she had heat with the company as she was not meant to share her diagnosis.

Renee was reportedly upset that WWE did not call to ask if she was alright a couple of weeks later. Jon Moxley’s AEW title defense had to be postponed as he isolated with her. AEW allowed Taz to take a shot at WWE’s handling of the pandemic, by labeling it a “sloppy shop”. Young announced her amicable departure from WWE in August, leaving after SummerSlam. WWE gave her a proper sendoff, with other hosts (Charly Caruso, JBL etc.) who thanked her for doing an amazing job. She cited her reasons for leaving as having accomplished everything she could, as well as the cancellation of WWE Backstage.

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32. Jordynne Grace & Jonathan Gresham *Engaged*

It’s difficult to say where they met, but they worked the independent scene long before they signed their current deals. Grace is the current Impact Knockouts Champion, ending the longest ever reign of Taya Valkyrie. Jonathan Gresham is the current ROH World Tag Team Champion with Jay Lethal, and is also known to have portrayed Suicide in Impact Wrestling for a short time. They announced their engagement in 2018.

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33. Karrion Kross & Scarlett

One of the hottest acts in wrestling in more ways than one, Karrion Kross (fka Killer Kross) & Scarlett (Bordeaux) are destined to create history at each other’s side. Kross recently won the NXT Championship from Keith Lee, but had to vacate it due to an unfortunate injury. And while Scarlett has spent much of her recent years as a manager, she is a wrestler and can work well if needed.

They are more than eye candy, as the pair have natural charisma and will be a domineering force on WWE’s main roster if they can maintain their aura. Together, they have one of the best entrances in the business today. And the crazy thing is… they have yet to showcase their masterpiece in front of an audience. Tick Tock! Time is ticking til they break out in a huge way.

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34. Kassius Ohno & Rachael Ellering

Not much is known about the relationship between former WWE superstars Kassius Ohno & Rachael Ellering (daughter of Road Warriors/AOP manager Paul Ellering), but they sure make a cute couple. Rachael posts the odd picture of them together on her social media, so they are still together, but there’s no telling if they are engaged yet.

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35. Kay Lee Ray & Stevie Xavier

They likely met while working together in Scottish promotion ICW and the revived World Of Sport. Kay Lee Ray has been a champion wherever she goes and has held the NXT UK title for over a year; making her the longest reigning women’s champion in today’s WWE. Stevie Xavier has yet to find his big break, but is working hard for his opportunity.

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36. Kazarian & Traci Brooks {Married}

Many will remember Traci Brooks as a manager in TNA Wrestling for Michael Shane, Robert Roode, and Kazarian (for a short time). While she didn’t win any titles with TNA, she claimed at least ten championships in other promotions. Brooks is also known as the first TNA Knockout to be asked to feature in Playboy; although they didn’t end up using her pictures in the magazine and instead released them online.

Frankie Kazarian is more known for his time in TNA as a former X-Division & Tag Team Champion; along with being the original man to portray the character “Suicide”. Before this, he had a brief stint in WWE, mostly on lesser shows like Velocity. After TNA, he moved on to ROH and achieved tag team success with Christopher Daniels as Bad Influence, and later SoCal Uncensored in AEW. They were married in 2010, a few months before Traci was released from TNA.

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37. Keith Lee & Mia Yim

Having shared stories of abuse by former partners, or from people they have met while out drinking (read Keith Lee’s story if you haven’t already!), it seems fitting that these two lovely people have got together. It surprised me when NXT paired them up on screen, because I had no idea they were together… but it makes sense looking back.

They have been separated a little since Keith Lee moved on from NXT, but I’m sure they spend as much time together as they can. As far as we know, this relationship isn’t a year old yet, so here’s to hoping they make each other happy for a long time.

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38. Kiera Hogan & Diamante

The only known lesbian couple in wrestling is yet another cross-promotional deal. While with Impact Wrestling, Diamante was an original member of the LAX lineup with Konnan, Ortiz & Santana, but an injury sidelined her for a long time. Last year, Kiera Hogan announced to the world that she’s a lesbian and in a relationship with Diamante.

She continues to work with Impact Wrestling, teaming with former NWA wrestler Tasha Steelz. Diamante moved on and has been working with AEW, tag teaming with Ivelisse Velez. Both are still seeking their first big championship victory.

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39. Madison Rayne & Josh Mathews {Married}

They are humorous in several ways. First of all… it’s Josh Mathews. Need I say more? Secondly, Madison Rayne is one of the most successful Knockouts of all time, so she’s clearly out of his league. They have been commenting together since Don Callis stepped back during the COVID-19 pandemic. It makes them the first-ever, full-time married couple to announce a wrestling show.

Not only that, but they purposely act like they aren’t married. You’d think they might play on it, but Madison makes it sound like she wouldn’t get with Josh if he were the last man alive. And he can’t mess with her, otherwise he’s getting it in the neck when they get home. They have their subtle jabs, and you know they’re enjoying playing their characters to spite the other. Don Callis might have a tough time getting his seat back!

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40. Kylie Rae & Isaias Velsaquez *Engaged*

Had I made this list a few days earlier, we’d have missed this one. Kylie Rae is known as one of the first women AEW signed, but she opted out due to mounting pressure coinciding with depression. She signed with Impact Wrestling later, because she had time to recover and it was easier for her to deal with.

Velasquez has worked for several independent promotions, including MLW, CHIKARA, CZW, EVOLVE, Warrior and more. Last year, he worked a match for Impact Wrestling on their All Glory show. It’s not known when and where they met, but Kylie sure looks happy to get that ring! Velsaquez says, “Falling in love with her was the easiest thing I’ve ever done.💛💍 Gem with the solid on using her cuteness to help me out. 🐶❤️”

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41. Maria Kanellis & Mike Bennett {Married}

Leaving WWE in 2010 was not the end of the world for Maria Kanellis. Upon landing in Ring Of Honor in 2011, she met Mike Bennett and they got engaged the following year. By 2014, they were married and have since had two children. Their biggest success was as a power couple in ROH & Impact, but the biggest regret is likely struggling to get WWE management to believe they have the skills to be a major force.

After Mike went on hiatus to deal with his prescription drug addiction, the writing was on the wall. No matter how hard they wanted it, WWE was not willing to pull the trigger, instead choosing to embarrass them with silly storylines. They have since left WWE and have landed a deal with the NWA.

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42. Matt Hardy & Reby Sky {Married}

Before Matt & Reby met on the indie scene, Reby worked primarily as a wrestler, dancer and model. After getting married in 2013, she retired from wrestling and focused on family. Matt has been better since marrying Reby, as he struggled with drink & drugs for a while; so much so he scared fans by posting what they assumed was a suicide note on YouTube. The family played a big part in Matt Hardy’s creation, the “Broken Universe”.

Since leaving Impact, we have not seen much of Reby on TV. She was last seen on a recent episode of Dynamite, while Matt addressed his controversial match with Sammy Guevara. They now have three “Hardy Boyz” named Maxel (as a toddler, he won a match on an episode of Impact), Wolfgang and Bartie.

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43. Mickie James & Nick Aldis {Married}

Working for Impact Wrestling, Mickie James and Nick Aldis (fka Magnus) found each other and fell in love. By 2015, after Aldis had become TNA World Champion, they got married and have one child together.

Since leaving Impact, Aldis has revived the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship with an incredible two reigns. Mickie has found herself back in favor with WWE, so much so she got a title match for the first time in many years. It ended in controversy, but maybe that won’t be the end of her return to the spotlight?

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44. Montez Ford & Bianca Belair {Married}

They met during their time in NXT and were married in 2018. Bianca recently said in an interview, that while she doesn’t mind teaming with her husband on TV, she hopes it’s not what defines her career. She is more than capable of doing great work on her own merit, and I have to agree… she’s one of the best athletes WWE has ever had.

We know Montez Ford has all the charisma in the world, and the Street Profits are having the time of their lives as the Raw Tag Team Champions. But it’s time for Belair to show everyone who the E..S..T (greatEST, bEST etc.) of WWE is.

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45. Natalya & Tyson Kidd {Married}

While some may assume this relationship started (and you wouldn’t be blamed) during The Hart Dynasty days, Natalya and Tyson Kidd were together long before that. 2001 in fact, eight years before their main roster debut! And even then, they did not get married til 2013, meaning they waited well over a decade to tie the knot.

They will celebrate twenty years together next year, which is awesome! It’s a shame Tyson Kidd had to retire and we didn’t get to see what he could do, but at least WWE keeps him on as a producer.

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46. Nikki Cross & Killian Dain {Married}

It’s rare for boyfriend & girlfriend to work full-time on TV together, but this happened for Nikki Cross & Killian Dain when they joined Eric Young’s Sanity stable in NXT. Cross was an original member, while Dain came in later to replace Sawyer Fulton (AKA Madman Fulton in Impact) as the group’s monster. Upon Sanity’s debut on the main roster, Nikki seemed to outshine the rest of the group.

WWE distanced Cross from Sanity and humanized her (she was a complete lunatic in NXT), while the rest struggled for airtime. WWE split them up and Dain returned to NXT, while Cross found a new friend in Alexa Bliss. While not working on the same show anymore, they were as close as ever and got married last year.

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47. Penelope Ford & Kip Sabian *Engaged*

Their engagement was announced earlier this year, and they have become an enjoyable double act on Dynamite. Before this, Ford was known as Joey Janela’s girlfriend and manager, but their relationship ended not long after Dynamite started.

Before AEW, Kip Sabian is known for his work in British Wrestling in promotions IPW:UK and World Of Sport. He was teaming with Jimmy Havoc for a while, but sex allegations and substance abuse encouraged him to go to a rehab clinic and work on his issues. As a young couple, they have a long way to go in their careers.

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48. Peyton Royce & Shawn Spears {Married}

Yet another couple who found love in NXT, Tye Dillinger found his perfect 10 in Peyton Royce between 2015-2017. And although Tye went to the main roster, got released, and now works for AEW as Shawn Spears, it has not hurt their relationship.

They got married last year in August, showing that it doesn’t matter who you are working for, or how old you are (there is an 11-year difference between them), as love will always conquer all.

The third volume can be found at the following link:

72 Real-Life Wrestling Relationships In Pictures: Volume #3