10 Most Heartbreaking On-Screen WWE Break Ups
1. Dusty Rhodes & Sapphire
This still breaks my heart today.
Dusty Rhodes' had a fairly underwhelming run in the WWF between 1989 and 1991, yet despite the apparent attempt to humiliate him by putting him in polka dots as the American Dream, Dusty was still immensely popular. He was paired with 'Sweet' Sapphire, an independent wrestler called Princess Dark Cloud who once wrestled a bear. Yes, a bear. The duo were chemistry personified, and seemed to have the strongest of bonds.
Everyone has a price however, even Sapphire. At SummerSlam 1990, Queen Sherri defeated Sapphire by forfeit when the latter didn't show up. Many in attendance were worried, and none more so than Big Dust. Rhodes was scheduled to take on 'Macho King' Randy Savage, and just moments before that match the whereabouts of Sapphire was revealed. 'The Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase came out and told the world that he had bought Sapphire.
Dusty was heartbroken, and lost the match quickly. Segments were shown over the next few weeks of Sapphire doing favours for DiBiase, the plight of the common woman in the need for money to survive. This was distressing on so many levels, but five-year-old John was mostly distraught that Sapphire and Dusty were no longer together.
The audience wasn't the only one heartbroken by this, as the story goes that Sapphire lost all interest in wrestling once her partnership with Rhodes ended. She left the company soon after, some say of a broken heart.