10 Weirdest WWE Odd Couples

3. Kurt Angle & Trish Stratus

Mandy Rose Otis
WWE

The tragically dull byproduct of one of the company's most engaging ever storylines, Kurt Angle's strictly professional relationship with Trish Stratus felt too much like a tacked-on ending rather than the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

The Olympic Gold Medalist had shot to the top of the company as one of the best rookie all-rounders ever in 2000, but his rivalry with Triple H over Stephanie McMahon's affections was reduced to little more than a petty grievance when 'The Game' balked on actually losing his on-screen (and, evidently, real life) meal ticket to the plot.

In line with Kurt winning the WWE Championship in October and his business agreement with Stephanie having nowhere near the fire their potentially romantic one did, Stratus was airlifted in as a semi-suitable replacement to help propel her up the card with him.

It achieved that stated aim at least, even if she had to go via the problematic scenic route necking on with Vince McMahon every other week. That sideways step was a move in the right direction though - the pairing with Angle was doing nothing for either of them. Such anti-chemistry seemed impossible between two typically magnetic performers, but the company quickly conceded this combination as the rule-proving exception.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett