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Despite a rough exterior associated with the only career involving regular chair shots to the face, professional wrestlers are often just big softies looking for love. If reality TV is any indication on the importance of finding true love, that goes double for female grapplers, as some “total divas” seem more interested in their relationships and potential marriages than anything going on in the ring. Luckily, Vince McMahon is paying the successful ones serious cash for their contributions to his company, so when wrestlers do find love, there are few limits on where they can travel to celebrate it.

Truth be told, we have no idea when the trend of “destination weddings” began, but one thing we can say for certain is that celebrities have played a huge role in why they’re so popular. In a way, destination weddings are a status symbol, as not everyone can fly halfway across the globe to a glorious beach just to throw one particularly romantic party. Of course, once the general public saw rich people using their fortunes to wed in style, it became a popular concept for people of any monetary background, with some even spending their entire life savings just to get married in style.

Obviously, things aren’t so dire for the biggest pro wrestlers in the world. Even if it were, Vince McMahon would probably offer soon-to-be-wed employees a nice little bonus if they let WWE.com break the story with exclusive pictures. When that doesn’t happen, a handful of other wrestlers are bound to be on hand anyway, posting the proceedings on Instagram for all fans to see. In case you missed the marital selfies when they happened, keep reading and learn about 15 wild pro-wrestling destination weddings that only a main event superstar could afford.

Dean Ambrose And Renee Young — Reno, Nevada

Nine times out of ten, the whole point of a destination wedding is to find a literal slice of paradise with gorgeous weather, sprawling beaches, and other such natural beauties. That other 10 per cent of the time, a couple is just trying to get hitched as fast as possible, and the “destination” part is more an issue of finding a place that will sign their marriage license with the least resistance. Leave it to unorthodox couple Dean Ambrose and Renee Young to follow that latter trend, deciding to travel to Reno, Nevada, just a few miles away from Las Vegas, and eloping at one of the state’s infamous 24-hour chapels.

Unlike when Triple H and Stephanie McMahon shared vows this way onscreen, Ambrose and Young were entirely serious about the ordeal, genuinely in love and just wanting to make it official while escaping all the fanfare.

True to form, the couple didn’t even announce their marriage to fans until eagle-eyed Raw viewers noticed Young’s ring.

Jimmy Uso And Naomi — Maui, Hawaii

The latest in a long line of wrestling royalty, Jimmy Uso’s Hawaiian luau style wedding was similarly not all that uncommon to others in the Anoa’i family. Uso himself was born in Arizona, and his father Rikishi in San Francisco, but their family at large hails from Samoa, and they have largely upheld tradition when it comes to their nuptials.

Uso’s wife, Naomi, was surely aware this would be the case when they chose Maui, Hawaii as the destination for their ceremony, where Uso wore the traditional Samoan lei around his neck as he watched her walk down the aisle.

Considering Naomi has long been a cast member of Total Divas, it should be no surprise the WWE-based reality show featured much discussion about their wedding, culminating when they televised the ceremony. WWE cameras also caught the newlyweds start enjoying their honeymoon, which required no travel, as they simply stayed in Maui a few extra weeks.

Cody And Brandi Rhodes — Atlanta, Georgia

With all due respect to Atlanta, Georgia, the former location of WCW headquarters isn’t quite as exotic as some of the other locales on this list. It’s not even all that bright and sunny like a Florida beach, on paper almost making it feel like Cody Rhodes simply wanted to get married in his home state, near where his father Dusty wrestled some of his greatest matches.

However, Cody and his wife Brandi didn’t simply pick out some random place near their house for their big day; in fact, they arguably picked a destination even more unique than those beautiful beaches everyone else seems to prefer.

The Rhodes wedding took place at the Swan House and Atlanta History Center, a historic venue best recognized as President Snow’s mansion in The Hunger Games movies. In addition to being a cinematic landmark, the Swan House has plenty of real historical value to Atlanta as well, with Brandi pointing out she particularly enjoyed the combination of booze and education during their reception.

Drew McIntyre And Kaitlyn Frohnapfel — St. Petersburg, Florida

Not only has Drew McIntyre been married more than once, but it could be said he decided to have destination weddings both times he brides walked down the aisle. First, McIntyre wed former WWE superstar Tiffany in Las Vegas, Nevada, only for that relationship to quickly go south and end in divorce less than a year later. Luckily, things seem to be going better for McIntyre today, as he has since re-married to a woman named Kaitlyn Frohnapfel.

Interestingly, McIntyre’s second marriage also technically started in Las Vegas where he proposed, though the couple traveled to St. Petersburg, Florida before officially tying the not.

At the time, McIntyre was working for Impact Wrestling and various independent promotions as Drew Galloway, but that didn’t stop his old buddies in WWE from being part of the ceremony. In fact, McIntyre’s fellow Scotsman Sheamus was the best man, and Wade Barrett was also a groomsman.

Tyson Kidd And Natalya Neidhart — Private Beach in Sarasota, Florida

After becoming friends with remnants of the Hart family dynasty in Teddy Hart and David Hart Smith from a young age, Tyson Kidd was basically a member of Stu and the Hitman’s family himself. Of course, the most integral relationship he would form in this regard wasn’t to any of those men, but his future wife and childhood sweetheart, Natalya Neidhart. Truly a couple that has been together their entire lives, Kidd and Neidhart started dating in 2001, sticking together as they trained to become WWE superstars.

In 2013, the couple finally wed after a dozen years worth of dating, traveling from their homes in Canada to Sarasota, Florida for a wedding on the beach. As is the style, their nuptials were filmed by WWE for several episodes on Total Divas.

In early 2015, Kidd suffered a terrible injury that has permanently taken him out of the ring, but his relationship with the company and his wife both appear strong to this day.

Ric Flair And Tiffany VanDemark — The Grand Cayman Island, The Caribbean

If the powers that be ever build some sort of National Wedding Hall of Fame, Ric Flair should certainly be considered for the inaugural class.

As of 2018, the 16-time World Champion has been married four times, and he’s been engaged to wife number five for over a year now. At this point, Flair’s alimony checks are legendary, leading him to a point of near bankruptcy despite having made millions throughout his career.

Chances are each of Flair’s weddings cost him a pretty penny, but not enough information is known about them all for us to get too specific about them. However, we do know the facts of wedding number three, when Flair married Tiffany VanDemark in 2006. The couple traveled to the Grand Cayman island in the Caribbean for their extravagant wedding, alongside Flair’s friend and boss Triple H, who served as the best man. For all he put into the ceremony, Flair’s third wedding was also his shortest, lasting only three years before the divorce was final and he moved on to wife number four.

Gail Kim And Robert Irvine — Napa Valley, California

Flipping the script on tradition, when former WWE Women’s Champion and Impact Wrestling Hall of Famer Gail Kim was set to wed Food Network star chef Robert Irvine, she basically let him do all the work in planning their nuptials. Of course, this makes perfect sense given Irvine’s status as an expert caterer, turning their wedding into a celebration of all things haute cuisine (and also Guy Fieri).

Also on board was the legendary Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, who sang the couple a traditional Japanese song and provided some of his own gourmet recipes.

Naturally, a handful of WWE and Impact wrestlers were on board as well, including The Miz, Santino Marella, and Christy Hemme. Matching Vince McMahon’s fervor for airing his employee’s weddings, the Food Network broadcast Kim and Irvine’s preparations and ceremony in a series of specials called Wedding: Impossible. After enjoying the sunny environment of Napa Valley for their wedding ceremony, the couple had an even more exotic destination in mind for their honeymoon, spending several weeks traveling through Greece.

John Cena And Nikki Bella — Currently Undisclosed Location

Technically speaking, this entry shouldn’t be on the list, and for a very obvious reason. While they have been engaged almost a full year now, John Cena and Nikki Bella still aren’t married, nor are there any specific plans about when they will officially tie the knot. However, it still felt appropriate to mention Cena and Bella on these pages, considering they are without a doubt the most high-profile wrestling couple in the world today.

The wedding itself is still to come, but it could already be said that Cena offered Bella a very unique destination proposal, popping the question in the ring after a match at WrestleMania 32.

For the most part, they’ve kept the planning stages quiet from there, though Bella did give out a few hints — their wedding will most likely be a very classy black-tie affair, and there’s a good chance it could happen at an exotic location. Well, if Vince McMahon doesn’t convince them to have it in the ring, that is.

Roman Reigns And Gelina Becker — Disney’s Castaway Cay In The Bahamas

For all the hate Roman Reigns gets from WWE audiences, there has always been a vocal female contingent supporting his rugged good looks, if nothing else. Unfortunately for these hopeful ladies, Reigns has been locked down for several years now, ever since marrying fitness model Galina Becker in 2014. Despite the icy reception crowds can give the Big Dog, in many respects he’s had a fairytale career, debuting in a major way as one third of The Shield and earning four stints as WWE Champion in less than five years on the main roster. His wedding was similarly of the fairytale variety in an even more literal fashion, taking place at Walt Disney World’s Castaway Cay in The Bahamas.

Going full force with the Disney setting, the wedding reportedly had a strong Aladdin theme,

with “A Whole New World” serving as the backdrop to their first dance.

Randy Orton And Kim Kessler — Las Vegas, Nevada

For all the talk about that which happens in Vegas “staying in Vegas,” the so-called Sin City has also been called the “Marriage Capital of the World,” and it typically applies to the whole world when a couple walks down the aisle.

Randy Orton and Kim Kessler knew this well when they traveled to Las Vegas for their wedding in 2015, having both been married before and fully understanding the drill.

Thus far, it looks like Orton and Kessler’s marriage is at least going better than any of their previous relationships, still happily together after three years of bliss. At the time they were wed, Orton was on hiatus from WWE due to one of many injuries suffered throughout his career, though he’s since returned to the company and resumed winning World and Tag Team Championships, surely making his wife and new young daughter proud.

Kelly Kelly And Sheldon Souray — Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Unsurprisingly, WWE superstars are hardly the only athletes in the world today spending their millions on extravagant destination weddings. NHL players like former New Jersey Devil and Edmonton Oiler Sheldon Souray have happily gotten in on the trend, as well. Of course, it was kind of a crossover in Souray’s case, as he was marrying former WWE Diva’s Champion Kelly Kelly, real name Barbie Blank. By the time Souray and Blank got together, the original reign of Kelly Kelly had ended, and she was ostensibly retired from wrestling.

However, Souray was still a big enough star to get them on the E! reality show WAGS, which documented their relationship from the beginning.

During the second season, Souray and Blank married on the beaches of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with a handful of wrestlers including The Miz and Maryse on board. Unfortunately for the couple, it wasn’t to last, as they divorced only a little over a year after the ceremony.

“Diamond” Dallas Page And Brenda Nair — Cancún, Mexico

Fans who remember “Diamond” Dallas Page serving as the original people’s champion in WCW surely also recall a gorgeous Nitro Girl named Kimberly standing by his side, and hearing that she was his wife.

That was true at the time, but Page and Kimberly divorced in 2005, leaving DDP to search for love for a second time later in life. The master of the Diamond Cutter found it with Brenda Nair, who he married on the beaches of Cancún, Mexico in 2015.

Having traveled halfway across the globe to wed, not many people followed the couple outside of their families, though at least one of DDP’s old wrestling buddies played a huge role in the proceedings. Former WWE Intercontinental and WCW Television Champion Marc Mero was on board to host a blessing over their wedding meal. Apparently, Mero and Page had been friends for decades, ever since they feuded back when the Marvelous One was still calling himself Johnny B. Badd.

Rusev And Lana — Malibu, California And Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Vince McMahon may not celebrate Rusev Day, but the Bulgarian Brute’s Ravishing Russian bride has been happily at his side before it was even a thing.

In fact, Lana is so in love with the former WWE United States Champion that she married him twice, first on the sunny beaches of Malibu, California, and then for a second time in Rusev’s native Bulgaria.

Born in Florida herself, it’s doubtful either of Lana’s weddings went quite the way she planned them as a girl. Even the one in California was wholly unique for bringing an entire circus theme to the beach, including several live elephants and tents filled with entertainment for their many WWE friends and guests. As one might expect, the wedding in Bulgaria was pretty different from the norm as well, at least to an America. To a Bulgarian, it was the traditional ceremony, which included pretty much Rusev’s entire extended family getting involved to welcome Lana.

Johnny Gargano And Candice LeRae — Disneyland In Anaheim, California

They say a person’s wedding is the happiest day of their lives, so it’s no surprise many couples choose to hold them at the so-called “happiest place on Earth.” Repetition of the core concepts is nothing new to the man known as Johnny Wrestling, who has been tearing up NXT in classic #DIY fashion since his 2015. Gargano’s wife Candice LeRae may be less familiar to WWE fans, though she has made a handful of appearances with the company, most notably during the Mae Young Classic Tournament. Before earning fame with WWE, both wrestlers were famous on the independent scene where they met and fell in love, leading to their Mickey Mouse approved wedding ceremony. Plenty of the couple’s indy wrestling friends were on hand to witness them exchange vows, including Gregory Iron, Son of Havoc, LaRae’s tag team partner Joey Ryan, and of course Gargano’s friend turned NXT foe Tommaso Ciampa.

The Miz And Maryse — Paradise Island, The Bahamas

The short-lived WWE Diva Search concept changed the lives of many women seeking fame in sports entertainment, and not just in the sense it got them on TV.

For Maryse and the original host of the contest, The Miz, it meant finding marital bliss from the moment they locked eyes. That said, it was during Maryse’s long hiatus away from the ring that her relationship with Miz reached hot and heavy stages, as she used the time off to focus on their time together and their wedding.

Maryse definitely knew what she was doing with that free time, planning an extravagant “fairytale” wedding at the One and Only Ocean Club on Paradise Island in The Bahamas. In addition to Miz and Maryse’s many friends from WWE, pop superstar Ryan Cabrera was also on hand to perform a song during the couple’s first dance. No matter what you think about The Miz as a performer, one has to admit his wedding sounded pretty awesome.

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