7 Wrestling Betrayals That Caught Fans By Surprise (& 7 They Saw Coming A Mile Away)

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• There are always plenty of twists and turns in professional wrestling that take people by surprise. This often takes the form of a betrayal, and that has happened even more recently in both AEW and WWE. The Usos betrayed Roman Reigns and then Jimmy Uso betrayed Jey Uso over the course of a few months. In AEW, Jungle Boy turned on his tag team partner Hook, which led to the men fighting at AEW All In on a trip to London. However, while many of the betrayals in professional wrestling come out of nowhere, there are others that have sign posts set up all the way to the twist.

Betrayals in professional wrestling can be fantastic when done right because they will often lead to some unforgettable moments in wrestling history. These are the times when audiences are pulled in for a shocking situation if people don't see it coming, and the fact that fans can be caught off guard by these betrayals is great. On the other hand, there are some that people do see coming and are obvious, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing either. If the story is right, it doesn't matter if it can be telegraphed weeks ahead of time, as people will still be emotionally drawn into the story.

UPDATE: 2023/09/11 14:30 EST BY SHAWN S. LEALOS

There are always plenty of twists and turns in professional wrestling that take people by surprise. This often takes the form of a betrayal, and that has happened even more recently in both AEW and WWE. The Usos betrayed Roman Reigns and then Jimmy Uso betrayed Jey Uso over the course of a few months. In AEW, Jungle Boy turned on his tag team partner Hook, which led to the men fighting at AEW All In on a trip to London. However, while many of the betrayals in professional wrestling come out of nowhere, there are others that have sign posts set up all the way to the twist.

14 Came By Surprise: Hulk Hogan Betrays WCW

One of the most shocking turns in professional wrestling history took place in the 1990s and saw the start of the Monday Night Wars. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash showed up in WCW, leaving WWE for the big bucks of the rival promotion, and they started claiming they were taking over. This led to a six-man match where Hall and Nash said they had a mystery partner, and they faced off against Les Luger, Sting, and Randy Savage. However, Hall and Nash's mystery partner came as as surprise.

RELATED: 10 Most Brutal Faction Betrayals In Wrestling History

With Luger injured, Hulk Hogan showed up and WCW thought their savior arrived. Then, Hogan dropped a knee on Savage and betrayed WCW. He joined Hall and Nash as the nWo and this started the new reign of Hollywood Hogan. No one ever thought Hogan could ever turn heel, but when he did, it ended up as the biggest success story in WCW history.

13 Could See Coming: Ric Flair Betrays Sting

There wasn't just one moment that Nature Boy Ric Flair turned on Sting. There were so many moments that it happened that many fans started to consider Sting the most gullible wrestler alive. If one moment could be picked, it would be after Flair had turned babyface and feuded with Terry Funk. Sting, who was feuding with Great Muta, ended up teaming with Flair as they had enemies in the same stable.

However, Sting made a bad decision. He won a world title match and Flair was the champion. He wouldn't give up his title shot, so the Four Horsemen kicked him out and beat him down. Every WCW fan saw it coming. A few years later, Sting helped Flair again and teamed with him until Flair and Arn Anderson betrayed him at Halloween Havoc 1995 and turned on him again.

12 Came By Surprise: Andre The Giant Betrays Hulk Hogan

Andre the Giant was the most popular wrestler on the planet. Even with the rise of Hulk Hogan, fans still had an undying love for Andre, and he was someone who was just the most likable hero in WWE. However, that all changed when Hulk Hogan was the world champion and Andre received a trophy to show appreciation for his contributions to wrestling.

Andre wanted a world title shot though. Hulk Hogan refused his request because he wouldn't fight a friend. Then, in one of the most shocking moments in WWE history, Andre attacked Hogan, ripped off his cross necklace, and aligned himself with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Andre finished his in-ring WWE career as a hated villain.

11 Could See Coming: Shawn Michaels Betrays Marty Jannetty

Fans seemed shocked when Shawn Michaels betrayed Marty Jannetty during a segment of Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake's Barber Shop. However, while it seemed shocking to see the popular tag team break up, it really wasn't a surprise to anyone who paid attention. Leading up to this moment, Shawn Michaels was growing more arrogant and showing his cocky side. There was even a story in WWE Magazine that hinted that Shawn was about to turn heel.

When Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty showed up at the Barber Shop, it was to make up and become a great tag team again. However, Marty was dressed like the Rockers and Shawn was in a leather jacket and looked as arrogant as ever. When Shawn attacked Marty and threw him through the Barber Shop window, it got a huge response, but the Rockers breakup was no surprise turn.

10 Came By Surprise: Matt Hardy Betrays Jeff Hardy

Tag teams splitting up and becoming rivals is something that most people expect to happen all the time, but that wasn't the case when it came to the Hardy Boyz. They were a team that people didn't think would split and feud as everyone knew how close they were in real life. However, at the Royal Rumble in 2009, Matt Hardy used a chair to attack his brother, helping Edge win the WWE Championship match.

The fact he was helping such a huge rival of his made the situation even more surprising, with this entire storyline catching people off guard. Since that time, the Hardy brothers reunited and the breakup seems so long ago.

9 Could See Coming: Dominik Mysterio Betrays Rey Mysterio

A recent betrayal that took place in WWE saw Dominik Mysterio turn on his father, attacking him at Clash At The Castle. This is something that has benefitted his career massively, but it was a situation that people saw coming as the tension between them was becoming clear.

RELATED: 10 Facts You Need To Know About Dominik Mysterio

Rumors had been swirling that Dominik was going to split from his legendary father, and even though most fans were aware of it, the moment itself still got a huge response. The fact it was a father and son moment certainly helped the situation, creating a great spot on the show.

8 Came By Surprise: Seth Rollins Betrays The Shield

The Shield was one of the most impressive units in WWE history, and the reason it worked so well is down to how close they were as a trio from the moment they arrived. Fans often thought a twist was coming, and WWE did tease it several times, but it was always Dean Ambrose people thought would fly off the handle.

However, that wasn't the case and people were stunned when Seth Rollins was the man to cause the split as he attacked his partners with a steel chair. It's something people didn't expect, especially to see him join forces with Triple H, but the surprise ended up working out perfectly.

7 Could See Coming: Kevin Owens Betrays Chris Jericho

The partnership between Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho is one of the greatest in modern history, with the two having instant chemistry and charisma together. People didn't expect them to stick around together for as long as they did, but throughout all of it, everyone thought there would be a betrayal.

When it was clear just how popular Jericho was in this gimmick, KO being the man responsible felt like the obvious call, they teased it and then delivered. Fans knew it was coming, but that segment on Raw is one of the greatest of all time, proving that it worked. Sadly, Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho could have main evented WrestleMania, but they ended up with a shorter match early in the show.

6 Came By Surprise: Dakota Kai Betrays Tegan Nox

In NXT, the friendship between Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox was one that felt genuine and heartwarming. Fans knew they were great friends away from the ring, therefore it was something that people accepted as a tag team, and nobody saw their split coming. They were on the same team to compete in WarGames, and because the match had been so well-built, everyone thought it would happen.

Yet when Kai turned around and attacked her former partner people were left stunned, which also created a great rivalry between them. Since that happened, Kai became such a great villain that it seems almost shocking that she was a babyface with Nox to begin with.

5 Could See Coming: Becky Lynch Betrays Charlotte Flair

Becky Lynch was someone who had been overlooked and underappreciated for far too long heading into SummerSlam 2018. Fans wanted to see Lynch have her moment, but the focus was consistently on Charlotte Flair, which was the case at this show once again. It led to Lynch snapping at the end of the match, beating down her former friend.

RELATED: 10 Candid Photos Of Becky Lynch Outside WWE

While WWE likely thought this moment would lead to a heel turn for Lynch, fans ended up rallying behind her. It was the start of a special run for Lynch, and was more proof that turns people could see coming can still work.

4 Came By Surprise: Tommaso Ciampa Betrays Johnny Gargano

#DIY was one of the greatest tag teams in NXT history, and the duo was very popular with the fans. After NXT Takeover: Chicago was over most people thought they were moving on to something new, especially since it has been heavily rumored that Tommaso Ciampa was hurt at the time.

When WWE put up the usual end of PPV credits at the bottom of the screen, many fans accepted the night was over, but that was all a ruse by WWE. It led to a great surprise as Ciampa turned on Johnny Gargano, betraying his best friend which people didn't expect.

3 Could See Coming: Batista Betrays Evolution

Batista was always placed in Evolution for a reason, and that was to turn him into a major singles star which WWE achieved by having him leave the faction. It was a situation people knew was coming, as Triple H was working hard backstage to make it clear that he wanted to be the true leader. Fans saw Batista hearing these conversations, therefore it was obvious that a twist was going to come, and that happened with his famous thumbs-down moment.

It led to a great rivalry between him and Triple H, which was very enjoyable to see. It also turned Batista into a main event star who was second to only John Cena in the WWE at the time. What is interesting about this turn was that it followed another Evolution turn where the group turned on Randy Orton - which was a legitimately shocking moment.

2 Came By Surprise: Triple H Betrays Shawn Michaels

The friendship and partnership between Triple H and Shawn Michaels is one that always worked in the eyes of the fans, but seeing The Game turn on the Heartbreak Kid was something people didn't see coming in 2002. It got a huge reaction from the crowd at the time and led to an engaging storyline.

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The betrayal of friendship as iconic as this works best when done as a total surprise, and that is exactly what they delivered at this moment for the fans. Over the years, Shawn Michaels and Triple H have betrayed so many people that it never seemed like a surprise. The fact that this one worked so well speaks volumes about the work these two men did leading to this turn.

1 Could See Coming: Randy Orton Betrays Wyatt Family

Randy Orton joining The Wyatt Family was a situation that always felt short-term to most people. The Viper didn't fit in the group, and it was a situation all about mind games as he looked to infiltrate the faction with the focus purely on becoming the WWE Champion. The fact that Luke Harper could see it coming, but Bray Wyatt couldn't is something that made for an engaging storyline with a lot of tension between everyone involved. It was a superb storyline, and seeing Orton burn down the Wyatt Compound was a great moment.