40 Greatest Stories Wrestling Ever Told

If anyone needs a reference point for just how quickly wrestling programming moves relative to real life, then consider this: Triple H and Stephanie McMahon had only been an onscreen couple for less than a full year by the time Steph was weighing up her emerging feelings for 'Olympic Hero' Kurt Angle in mid-2000.

Test was still fairly fresh in the memories of most fans, for crying out loud.

Even so, the WWF's on fire braintrust went with Kurt wooing McMahon as an irate Trips looked on helplessly wondering how he could lose his girl to this red, white and blue, milk-drinking dork who kissed like Jim from American Pie. It turned into one of the summer's most fascinating stories, and remains an example of wrestling love triangles done right.

Kurt carried an injured Stephanie backstage after putting her in harm's way and then smooched the lips off the 'Billion Dollar Princess'. It was a feisty move by Angle, but McMahon would succumb to those broken freakin' neck charms during the couple's passionate embrace. Insert that trembling with anger Hunter .GIF from 2009's Randy Orton feud here.

The WWF didn't seem to know where they were going with the tale, but that somehow only made it more of a rollercoaster ride that zoomed into 2001. At one point, it really seemed like Steph was going to leave 'The Game' for good and then become Stephanie McMahon-Angle instead. Some of the pseudo-babyface responses from live crowds towards the would-be happy couple are very fun to look back on today.

Wonderful soap opera fare.