Away from the ring, shaking hands is also viewed as the ultimate sign of respect among superstars in real life. The men and women of WWE often greet each other at arenas by shaking hands, while opponents usually shake hands backstage after matches.

The unwritten handshake rule has been followed by most WWE Superstars over the last few decades, with the exception of a select few.

In this article, let’s take a look at six WWE/WCW stars who did not shake a co-worker’s hand.

#6 Andre the Giant initially refused to shake Shawn Michaels’ hand in WWE

While Andre the Giant is one of the most respected WWE stars of all time, he is almost among the most feared.

Legendary stories have been told about Andre disliking certain members of the locker room during his time in WWE. The 520-pounder famously had issues with other big guys, notably Big John Studd, while he also had a problem with the up-and-coming Shawn Michaels.

In 2015, Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso wrote an article about Michaels’ WWE career. He mentioned that The Heartbreak Kid attempted to shake Andre’s hand in the late 1980s, but the Frenchman repeatedly rejected him.

Andre finally accepted a handshake from The Heartbreak Kid after they teamed together during a WWE European tour.

Michaels told Barrasso that Andre later admitted to disliking him when they first met. As for the constant handshake refusals, The Eighth Wonder of the World said that was his way of playing a joke on Michaels.

#5 Chyna did not shake Jazz’s hand in WWE

Jazz became a two-time women’s champion during her initial three-year run with WWE between 2001 and 2004.

The wrestling legend joined WWE around the time that Chyna was on her way out of the company after failing to agree to a new contract.

In 2018, Jazz said on the Noonan Speaks podcast that she attempted to shake Chyna’s hand while introducing herself to the then-WWE star. The Ninth Wonder of the World allegedly ignored Jazz and refused to acknowledge her handshake offer.

Jazz previously worked for ECW before joining WWE. She said Chyna’s handshake refusal was unexpected because she had become accustomed to the family atmosphere that existed backstage in ECW.

#4 Chris Masters did not shake Bob Holly’s hand in WWE

While many of these handshake refusals were intentional, former WWE star Chris Masters certainly did not mean to shun a handshake from Bob Holly.

Speaking on The Hannibal TV in 2020, Masters said Holly did not like him from the beginning of his time in WWE’s developmental system. Their relationship became even more strained when Masters failed to shake Holly’s hand on the day of a television taping.

Masters said he once failed to show up to an OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling) taping because he did not think he was needed. He received a telling-off from OVW officials due to his no-show, and Holly happened to be in the same room.

Following the handshake miscommunication, The Masterpiece claimed that Holly tried to face him that night because he wanted to “rough [him] up.” In the end, WWE’s higher-ups booked Holly against Carlito instead.

#3 and #2 Lex Luger and WWE Hall of Famer Sting refused to shake Vampiro’s hand in WCW

Vampiro has never worked for WWE during his three decades in the wrestling business, but he did work for WCW between 1998 and 2001. He feuded with both Lex Luger and Sting in WCW and even joined forces with Sting to face Luger and Ric Flair.

While he later learned a lot from Sting outside the ring, Vampiro’s relationship with the WCW icon got off to a bad start. He revealed on The Steve Austin Show in 2018 that Sting and Luger refused to shake his hand on his first day in WCW.

Vampiro added that Sting disliked his edgy gimmick and questioned whether he worked hard enough. He also clarified that the 2016 WWE Hall of Famer took time out to speak to him and educate him about the wrestling business.

Regarding Luger, Vampiro recalled how the former WWE star once dropped him while trying to perform a bodyslam. He claimed Luger did not have the strength to slam his 220-pound body to the mat.

#1 Triple H did not shake Matt Cardona’s hand in WWE

Matt Cardona (f.k.a. Zack Ryder) worked for WWE between 2005 and 2020. While he spent the majority of that time performing on Vince McMahon’s main roster, he also appeared on Triple H’s NXT brand for two years.

Since leaving WWE, Cardona has created his own weekly podcast, MC! True Long Island Story, on The Major Pod Network. During an episode in August 2021, the former WWE star told an amusing story about Triple H refusing to shake his hand backstage.

Judging by the humorous way that Cardona told the story, he was not annoyed about Triple H’s handshake snub.

Instead, he was genuinely confused about how to react to his former boss rejecting the handshake offer.

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