What About Your Friends?

 Today is National Best Friend's Day. Pro wrestling has been using the story of best friends turned enemies for ages. For good reason it's one of the most relatable and drama filled storylines ever. Over wrestlings history, there have been interesting breaks up between best friends that have become legendary feuds. Here are 5 of my favorite fall outs between best friends in the world of pro wrestling.

5. Kevin Steen/Owens & El Generico/Sami Zayn

These two are pretty much inseperable as talents, even when they're doing their own thing they eventually will cross paths again. They teamed together between 2007-2009 in Pro Wrestling Guerilla and Ring of Honor holding some classic matches in ROH against The Briscoes and The American Wolves. Steen turned on El Generico at ROH Final Battle in 2009 after a loss to The Young Bucks.

The two feuded for a year in Ring of Honor. When both moved to the WWE and started wrestling in NXT many knew it was only a matter of time before they crossed paths. It didn't take long for that to happen, Kevin Steen now known as Kevin Owens debuted in NXT at Takeover:Revolution and later that night celebrated with El Generico now Sami Zayn as he won the NXT championship before turning on him.

The two feuded over the NXT championship and when both were called to the main roster. They have flipped between friends and enemies recently feuding again and wrestling one another at WrestleMania 37 and still feuding with one another. They're chemistry together makes their feuds so good even when lazy booking doesn't give them much to work with. No matter how times they've crossed paths it surpringsly hasn't ran it's course...yet. 

4. Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards 

Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards also known as The American Wolves have teamed together since 2008. They started out in Ring of Honor  and gained success as the wolves winning the ROH tag team championship twice. They eventually both went onto singles paths in ROH but still had each other's backs if needed.

In 2014 the two moved to Impact Wrestling as The Wolves. They enjoyed even greater success as an unit in Impact winning the tag team championship 5 times. They sat on the mountain top of Impact Tag Teams until Davey suffered an ACL injury in 2016.

The two were portrayed as closer than brothers so close, their wives Angelia Love (Davey) and Alisha Edwards (Eddie) were portrayed as just as close. Which made Davey's surprise turn on Eddie even more disheartening, with Angelina attacking Alisha in the crowd as an extra stab to the heart. The two feuded for about two months and honestly could have lasted longer, but it definitely is an underrated best friend turned enemies feud. 

3. Triple H & Shawn Michaels 

Shawn Michaels and Triple H are two well known real life friends and members of the Kliq. They started the legendary faction D-Generation X alongside Chyna and Rick Rude in late 1997. Running rampant through the WWF with their juvenile humor with HBK as the World champion they seemed unstoppable. 

Then  1998 comes along with the Stone Cold wave and HBK's back injury that forced him to take five years off from in-ring competition. In the storyline world, Triple H felt HBK's vision and judgement as the leader was clouded when he allowed Mike Tyson to join D-X as such, he started his own D-X army. HBK comes back later that year and turns on D-X joining the Corporation only to side with D-X again, and get his comeuppance for his earlier betrayal.

Fast forward to 2002 and HBK returns to the WWE and he and Triple H make amends. It's shortlived as Triple H quickly turns on him and a week later brutally attacks him. This leads to their non sanctioned match at Summerslam that year. They continued to feud throughout the fall with HBK defeating Triple H at Survivor Series in the first ever elimantion chamber for the World Heavyweight Championship. Triple H won it from Michaels a month later in a three stages of hell match. 

The two eventually would reunite in 2005 as D-Generation X and work together on and off until HBK's retirement in 2010. 

2. Bayley & Sasha

Bayley and Sasha are real life best friends and they were the MVP's of the WWE during the height of the pandemic. Every week as the Golden Role Models they were despicable heels, annoying, cheaters, cocky, but ever posperous. 

As members of the Four Horsewomen alongside Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. The two have basically been inseperable since their classic match at Takeover Brooklyn in 2015. The connection between the two was instantly felt when they became the first WWE Women's Tag Team Championships in 2019 as the Boss 'N Hug Connection. Their reign deserved so much more, but that's another story for another day.

Fast forward to 2020 Bayley has turned heel, Sasha is a heel and WWE is adjusting to the ever changing landscape bought on by the pandemic. They defeated Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross to become 2 time champions and made appearances on both Raw and Smackdown weekly perfecting the role of agitators. I believe they also made an appearance or two on NXT during this time as well.

There was a period they were tag team champions, Bayley held the Smackdown Womens championship and Sasha was the Raw Womens champion. 

All came crashing down when Bayley attacked Sasha after losing their tag titles and an rematch. The two feuded over the next month culminating in an brutal Hell In the Cell match. 

I understand it for story purposes but these these two were so damn good in their role, breaking up really hurt me lol.

1. Scott Hall & Kevin Nash

Kevin Nash and Scott Hall are also members of the infamous Kliq, and came into WCW together as the Outsiders. As a 12 year old kid who knew wrestling was entertainment and predetermined, but didn't fully understand the scripting and storytelling of it. Scott Hall turning his back on Kevin Nash was gut wrenching to me. 

In the spring of '98 the NWO as a unit was collapsing because simply there were too many egos and alpha males in the pack. This led to the NWO spiltting into two sub groups NWO Hollywood led by Hollywood Hogan and Eric Bischoff, and NWO Wolfpac led by Kevin Nash and Macho Man Randy Savage. Scott Hall was away tending to personal matters but it was all but certain he would join team Wolfpac upon his return.

He returned at Slamboree that year and shockingly turned on Kevin Nash to join NWO Hollywood. If I remember correctly jealousy and tired of being in Nash's shadow lead to Hall's turn and  it was implied Hogan and Bischoff paid for his rehab or had some type of hold over Hall. 

Their feud lasted over the summer into the fall and got weird as Hall's alcohol problem was used in the plot. It culminated at Halloween Havoc '98 with Nash powerbombing Hall and leaving the ring, shortly after Hall left NWO Hollywood becoming a lone wolf until the disaster of a NWO reunion occured in early '99.

This feud didn't have great matches or even an super compelling story after the initial turn, but the way it knocked the wind out of me like an Anthony Ogogo punch gives it a special place on my list.