10 Weirdest WWE Odd Couples
Kiss From A Rose.
Vince Russo made Vince McMahon a lot of money campaigning for the concept of Superstars that couldn't get along being forced to for the good of an unclear longterm goal.
For years during his time as editor of the transcendent Raw Magazine (particularly during 1996 and 1997 when the company itself was trailing WCW as industry leader), Russo pitched his own angles between wrestlers that made little sense until he wrote around the logic holes to generate drama. Within several of the fantasy scenarios that ultimately earned him a spot on the writing team, he spoke of heels fighting heels, babyfaces exhibiting shades of grey and strange bedfellow units that created curiosity where there had previously been indifference.
The third dream was realised multiple times as the Stone Cold Steve Austin character caught fire. His proto-"D.T.A" patter resulted in him severing ties with Brian Pillman, barely ever making nice with Tag Team Championship partner Shawn Michaels, and routinely assaulting Mick Foley despite the loyalty the Mankind and Dude Love personas repeatedly showed him.
This all made complete sense to Russo; performers were people, really, and people sometimes work with other people they just don't like. As with many of his concepts at the time, it got over in the hands of a specially-selected few.
It has aged badly beyond those embryonic efforts, but has thrown up some absurdly unique duos along the way...
11. Honourable Mention: ShowMiz
Honourable because it was good despite being a tribute act to another odd couple in itself. Chris Jericho has routinely ribbed The Miz - often on camera - for the ways he's poached bits of his act during their respective careers, but pilfering his old tag team partner in early-2010 was one of the more fruitful transitional periods for both 'The A-Lister' and The Big Show himself.
Formed on a whim by Monday Night Raw guest host Jon Heder, 'ShowMiz' shone immediately, dethroning D-Generation-X to win the Undisputed Tag Team Titles during a time those straps weren't entirely meaningless. Tacitly acknowledging the temporary nature of the team, WWE booked the pair against combos such as R-Truth and John Morrison and The Hart Dynasty just to kill time until a Draft ensured their final severance. Fortunately for the company, the talented twosome used the time together to actually get over.
By the time they surrendered the gold the aforementioned Dungeon graduates on their final Raw as a unit, the loss - and by proxy, the win - actually mattered. DH Smith and Tyson Kidd were bolstered by the former Champions' former friendship, cementing their union as one of the company's more successful passing fancies.