The latest WWE rumors are swirling about one of the superstar couples who has been dating behind the scenes in the WWE. While the first names that come to mind might include John Cena and Nikki Bella or possibly Paige and Alberto Del Rio, the speculation isn’t about them. Instead, it involves a couple that may have split up just before a women’s wrestler makes her “debut” again or her official return to the WWE Raw roster. Here’s the latest on which couple is rumored to have called it quits and more information about her impending return to the roster.
For months now, the superstar couple of Zack Ryder and Emma have been dating. According to CageSide Seats, the couple originally announced they were an item to start off the new year. Around that time, both were featured on WWE programming. As of right now, Ryder has been the one working on television. He appears regularly on SmackDown Live as a member of The Hype Bros tag team along with Mojo Rawley. As for Emma, she’s getting “repackaged” for a major return to the roster. However, it appears that ahead of that debut of her new persona, she may have split up with her real life wrestling boyfriend if the rumors are, in fact, true.
Zack Ryder and Emma at Six Flags theme park in Texas before ‘WrestleMania 32.’ [Image by WWE]
Speculation around the pro wrestling news and rumors world seem to suggest the two are no longer an item, though. In the recent EWrestlingNewspodcast YouTube video, the panel addresses an interesting question where someone asked about the Ryder and Emma situation.
“Do you think the reason Emma is on Raw and Zack Ryder is on SmackDown is like the Paige and Alberto Del Rio situation?”
The question speaks to the idea that WWE had intentionally put Paige on the Raw roster and Del Rio on SmackDown Live in an attempt to keep them apart. However, as things have shaken out so far, it doesn’t look like that helped their cause. The question seems to infer that maybe Emma is on the Raw roster and Ryder on SmackDown for the same reason. According to one of the three panelists, the couple is no longer dating, but there have been no official reports of this anywhere.
Emma will be debuting as a new character named Emmalina on ‘Raw.’ [Image by WWE]
However, there other WWE fans suggesting that social media can give clues of the breakup. It’s been said that Emma unfollowed Ryder on Instagram, which is the platform that helped many people figure out the two were an item. Ryder and Emma were featured in photos together on the site that brought the speculation ahead of them making things official. Now, the unfollowing may be the biggest indicator of their split.
With that said, many fans of WWE are looking forward to Emma’s return. She’ll be debuting as a new persona named “Emmalina” on Raw in the coming weeks. There have been quick promo segments each week during Raw showing model-type photos in a collage. It’s unknown what the character will be, but so far, it appears it will probably be a heel-type.
As of right now, Emma has still been working at WWE live events as a guest referee for women’s matches. She just recently worked as the guest ref in a multiple women’s tag match in Charleston, South Carolina, according to WrestleZone. One has to wonder if she will be involved in matches right away or if WWE plans to use her new character in a different way. It’s always possible she will take on the role of a ringside valet and simply accompany a specific wrestler to the ring.
If Emma and Zack Ryder really did split up per the rumors, was the fact they were on different shows causing a rift? It’s already known that WWE superstars work a grueling schedule year-round, so being apart from significant others can be tough. Many superstars date within the company or industry due to the understanding they have of just what’s involved. Others take significant breaks from appearing with the roster. It’s always possible that a split up came due to it being too much to deal with at the moment for these two superstars on competing brands.
WWE fans, do you feel that Ryder and Emma have officially split up, or is something else is going on? Also, what do you think Emmalina’s role will be when she finally debuts?
[Featured Image by WWE]