Backs Stabbed: These Are The Best Tag Team Betrayals In The WWE

The stage is set to see one of the WWE’s best partnerships end in betrayal as both Liv Morgan and Alexa Bliss compete against each other at “Money In The Bank.” 

During a recent segment on “RAW Talk,” Morgan admitted that her time with Bliss was some of the most fun of her professional wrestling career. However, she says she can’t really maintain the friendship since grabbing the briefcase at “Money In The Bank” is far more important to her than her partnership with Bliss. 

For what it’s worth, Bliss understood and also said that “there is no friend or fair” when it comes to the next step of their respective WWE careers. In fact, fairness and friendship have not really been a path to success for many WWE Superstars over the years.

Tag-team partnerships can be a powerful force to advance someone in the ring — right up until the moment they’re no longer beneficial. That’s when some of the best decide to strike first and turn on their partner, exhibiting some of the strategy and brutality that goes into a successful ring career. 

While there has been no shortage of tag-team betrayals over the years, the below five stick out as some of the most memorable. 

The Miz And Morrison Split

As detailed in his episode of Peacock’s “Evil,” when “Miz & Mrs” star Mike Mizanin came onto the scene in the early 2000s, no one liked him. While the years have not done much to improve that image, a man named John Morrison did.

The duo vibed well together because they shared an in-your-face, win-at-all-costs attitude that served them well as tag team partners. However, in 2009 that all came to an end. When The Miz was drafted to RAW, it meant their tag-team duo was breaking up. When that happened, he wasted no time in turning on his partner, viciously attacking Morrison and solidifying himself as a solo act. 

The two would eventually mend fences — and subsequently broke them again and again — but it was that first betrayal that sticks in people's memories.

End of The Shield

In 2013, The Shield — a stable consisting of Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins — dominated matches left and right in the WWE ring. During an episode of “RAW,” the group took to the ring to brag about beating another stable, “Evolution,” which consisted of Triple H, Ric Flair, Batista, and Randy Orton. 

Rollins mocked them for not being able to adapt, which brought Orton and Triple H to the ring. With a subtle head nod, it became clear that, despite their victory, The Shield was living its last moments as a team.

Rollins took a chair and attacked Reigns and Ambrose from behind, delivering a vicious beating and officially aligning himself with Evolution. With that, The Shield pretty much dissolved for good. 

Rockers Shocker

Shawn Michaels and Marty Janetty teamed up together from roughly 1985 to 1992 as a tag-team duo calling themselves The Rockers.

They dominated sports entertainment for years but eventually cracks started to show while they were in the WWE (then the WWF). Real-life drama backstage led to the duo showing signs of separation in the ring that ultimately culminated on Brutus Beefcake’s “Barbershop” talk show. While Beefcake interviewed the duo about their beef (pun intended), Janetty famously told Michaels that the choice was his to squash what was going on between them or not. 

Michaels shook Janetty’s hand and got the crowd to cheer that The Rockers were back together. However, it was short-lived. Moments later, Michaels delivered a crisp Sweet Chin Music to Janetty before throwing him through a glass window. With that, the Rockers were no more and Michaels was free to go on to solo success in the WWE. 

Thumbs Down on Orton

In 2004, Triple H was pretty sore about his Evolution stable partner, Randy Orton, retaining the World Heavyweight Champion title that previously belonged to him. After a successful title defense, Triple H, Ric Flair, and Dave Batista joined him in the ring to celebrate. That’s when Triple H gave Orton the infamous thumbs down. 

Batista had hoisted Orton up on his shoulders in what appeared to be an act of celebration. However, on Triple H’s order, he dropped him and the trio viciously beat Orton out of Evolution for good. What ensued was a massive feud between the duo and began the end of the stable for good.  

Batista Returns The Favor

Triple H got his further comeuppance for his betrayal of Orton when he tried to make it so Batista didn’t get his shot at the World Heavyweight Championship either. He schemed behind his own team member’s back and even orchestrated an attack on him.

Batista let Triple H and Flair think that their ruse had worked right up until the moment when Batista was supposed to sign onto SmackDown. Instead, he decided to stay on Raw and delivered the news to his (now former) Evolution team members by power bombing Triple H through a table and beating up Flair. Before the assault began, he gave Triple H the same “thumbs down” move that sealed Orton’s fate just weeks prior.