WWE: 5 Real Life Best Friends with Great Rivalries
WWE, WWE.com
Sometimes friends make the best foes in WWE. Daily DDT looks at five of the greatest best friends turned in-ring enemies.
“You never hit anyone as hard as your best friend,” says Triple H about feuding with Shawn Michaels during the attitude era. In fact, many pairs of real life friends have squared off in the ring and it often leads to spectacular results. True chemistry resonates in a way that nothing else can, and when performers aren’t afraid of hurting their opponent, they do crazy things.
It’s led to some of the best rivalries and match ups in WWE. Michaels and Triple H are the kings of unlikely friendships, but today we look at five of our other favorite WWE friends with great in-ring encounters.
WWE.com
5. Sasha Banks and Bayley
Women’s wrestling changed that night in 2015. Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY was on its feet for Bayley vs. Sasha Banks. The twenty-minute battle featured heart-racing false finishes, excellent storytelling, and Banks stomping away on Bayley’s hand. When it was over, Bayley held the title above her head and then shared a hug with Banks to cheers from the crowd. It will stand as one of the most pivotal and important moments in women’s wrestling, as well as one of the greatest rivalries of this era. They made history again, main eventing NXT TakeOver: Respect in a 30-minute Ironman Match. It was brutal, Banks threw Bayley into the mini-tron and made Izzy cry.
In a bubble, you’d fully believe that they hated each other. Until, again, they shared a heartfelt hug at the top of the ramp. Banks and Bayley are probably one of the most visible best friends in WWE right now. Even prior to Bayley’s debut on Raw, the two were unabashed about their friendship. Tweeting back and forth over their picks for the Cruiserweight Classic, who was Nakamura’s best friend, or why Bayley wasn’t getting Banks over by wearing her shirt, the word Kayfabe doesn’t seem to mean much to them. “We just clicked right away,“ says Bayley about her real life best friend and long-term rival. Great matches come easily to the two.