Some of the most legendary feuds in professional wrestling involved wrestlers who had real-life animosity outside of the ring. Here are five such examples.
CM Punk is a man who legitimately believed in the straight edge lifestyle he espoused on television. On the flip side, Jeff Hardy wasn’t afraid to party. This was a combustible mix from jump street, and they put it all on display for a worldwide audience to see.
Both of them made choices they surely regret, having aged and evolved. Among the many regrettable ones are the Sunny days incident, the backstage fight, and of course, the now-infamous Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series 1997.
These two did not hold back on each other. Things only got dicier from here. There was a backstage confrontation that led to the threat of a lawsuit after Flair discovered someone leaked the original manuscript of his book to Foley, which was even harsher.
This was the absolute worst kind of story to take and use for wrestling. This was intensely personal, and it played out in front of the entire world. The night in MSG where the entire crowd sl*t shamed Lita is a horrifying example of a line crossed far over by the fanbase.