10 WWE Breakups You Forgot Were HEARTBREAKING

Watch enough wrestling and you start to see things happening before they've even been booked. After all, there are only so many different directions writers can take the simple storylines this biz throws up. Case in point: Daniel Bryan growing increasingly exasperated by AJ Lee's attempts to help him in 2012. Everybody could see what WWE had planned for this. They just didn't know when the bullet would be loaded into the chamber.

Bryan was humiliated by a shock 18 second loss to Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVIII. Pre-bell, AJ had smooched her man with a good luck kiss, so naturally Dan blamed her for taking his eyes off the prize. That was one "mistake" too many. After 'Mania, Bryan berated Lee then dumped her on an episode of SmackDown. Meanwhile, AJ turned on the waterworks and desperately tried to salvage something from their relationship.

This was top tier drama. Lee's selling of everything ridiculous Daniel fired at her was fabulous. Later, she’d get her revenge by leaving Bryan standing at the alter. WRESTLING! WWE were always going to try squeeze a little more juice from the story. Bryan needed his ultimate comeuppance, because he was the one who pushed AJ to the mental brink with his gaslighting behaviour on-screen.

Look, fans knew the score here, and some even revelled in how OTT Daniel's promos were, but Lee produced such masterful facial expressions and realistic tears that it was impossible not to side with her. Really great character work from both, although AJ nods slightly ahead because she had the harder gig. Her distraught puppy dog eyes were outstanding.