Betrayals in WWE have been proven time and again to be an effective key angle within a storyline. Provided that it is carefully planned and well executed by the superstars involved, this turning point often leaves a mark on fans, leaving them with questions and mixed emotions.
Such an act usually leads to branching storylines, making fans even more compelled to witness what happens next. It also shoots up the careers of the parties involved, whether it be the traitor or the one betrayed.
Over the years, the WWE Universe has seen a plethora of these infamous betrayals that are still being talked about to this day. Here are just five of the most notable acts of treachery.
#5. The Mega Powers break up
For those unaware, WWE Legends Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage had a team collectively known as The Mega Powers. It became one of the most popular and dominant wrestling duos back in the late 80s and was managed by Miss Elizabeth, who, at the time, was Savage’s wife.
Tensions grew, though, especially in the case of Savage after he noticed that both Elizabeth and Hogan were too close for comfort. It all blew up during an episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event in February of 1989 where Savage got thrown in the direction of Elizabeth by The Twin Towers’ Akeem.
Hogan, after seeing what happened, carried their KO’d manager to the medical area, leaving his teammate. This infuriated Savage, resulting in him leaving the match. Despite the walkout, Hogan bagged the win for their crumbling team.
Hogan went back to the medical area to check on Elizabeth, but Savage was already there. After a heated argument, a brawl ensued between them signaling the end of their partnership and at the same time kicking off an epic feud that led to them headlining WrestleMania 5.
#4. Big E being booted out from The New Day by Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods
This one’s fresh off the oven as this happened during this week’s edition of WWE RAW.
Fans are well aware of the brewing tension between The New Day members Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. As their stable’s 10th year anniversary approached, fans were expecting to see their other member – former WWE Champion Big E be part of the momentous event.
The superstar did make an appearance to fans’ delight. However, as soon as he addressed the ongoing turmoil within The New Day, not to mention offering his services to them as their manager, things took a huge swerve as he was blamed by Kingston and Woods for not being there for them.
After the hurtful comments and the betrayal Big E received from the folks he considered family, he was asked by Woods to leave the ring before locking hands with Kingston. What a way to celebrate a decade-long friendship.
#3. Seth Rollins turning on The Shield
The Shield – consisting of Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose (AEW’s Jon Moxley), and Seth Rollins was considered one of the most formidable factions during their heyday. Their feud with another supergroup – Evolution (Triple H, Batista, and Randy Orton) sure was epic as they went toe-to-toe in a couple of PLEs in 2014 (Extreme Rules and Payback).
The tactical vest-wearing trio won their matches on both events, However, just when things were falling into place, the RAW following Payback revealed the traitor among the three.
It was Rollins who betrayed them. After calling out Orton (accompanied by Triple H at the time), the Cerebral Assassin mentioned that he always has a plan B, which was a queue for Rollins to attack.
Rollins delivered vicious chair shots to his teammates before handing over a new one to The Viper, who attacked the already downed Ambrose and Reigns.
In an interview with Michael Cole, Rollins explained his betrayal of his team, stating that he just saw the opportunity to be the top star and crushed what he saw as competition. He even went on to say that he never saw Ambrose and Reigns as brothers, but business partners.
#2. Shawn Michaels attacks Marty Jannetty
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty’s The Rockers was one of the longest-tenured tag teams in WWE. One might think that everything was smooth sailing between them considering how long they had been together as tag partners at the time. Just like the wrestling stables on this list, both superstars also had some tensions that ultimately led to their dissolution.
Unbeknownst to Jannetty, the frustration on Michael’s part had been growing as he believed at the time that the former was no longer doing his part for their team to flourish.
It all erupted during Brutus Beefcake’s Barbershop segment in January 1992. At first, it seemed that both of them had patched things up between them after some misunderstanding. All that was thrown out the window when Michaels betrayed Jannetty by attacking him and sending him through the prop window.
Such a betrayal marked the end of their tag team’s almost seven-year run.
#1. Sami Zayn’s betrayal of Roman Reigns
Sami Zayn quickly paid the price when he betrayed The Bloodline’s OTC, Roman Reigns, during the Royal Rumble PLE in 2023.
Roman Reigns defended his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Kevin Owens. However, Reigns did not stop there. He continued the attack on Owens despite the latter being handcuffed to the ropes.
Zayn could not stand the sight of his friend getting brutalized by his group and attempted to convince Reigns to stop. Instead, his Tribal Chief handed him a steel chair, ordering him to hit KO.
Fed up, Zayn hit Reigns with the steel chair and paid for it dearly. He was mauled by the villainous faction except for Jey Uso, who walked out of it.
The spot was highly commended by both fans and pundits for its execution and the emotions that were poured out by the WWE Superstars involved.
