Brie Bella Says 'Total Divas' Opened The Door For Women's Wrestling

WWE Hall of Famer Brie Bella discussed how reality television was a gateway for women's wrestling.

WWE.com

Brie Bella rose to prominence in WWE alongside her sister, Nikki Bella, as part of the Bella Twins.

The pair were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021 and were both front and center as the WWE women's division began a resurgence over a decade ago. That resurgence also involved some crossover appeal with both Total Divas and Total Bellas becoming popular reality shows among women.

During a recent appearance on Redefined with Leslie & Arielle, Bella discussed how her two reality shows helped usher in a new period for women's wrestling.

MORE: Nikki Bella, Alexa Bliss, Trish Stratus And More Make Surprise Women's WWE Royal Rumble Appearances

“I was able to take a step back and say, okay, this is a job, but the one thing I noticed quickly is that even though this is a job, what could we do to change? My sister and I, coming from athletics, and being these soccer players and being able to keep up with the boys. As athletes, because we’re always intermingling with the guys, we all get smart allecy with each other and get that thick skin.

"We already had that mentality going in. My feelings wouldn’t get hurt if people said dumb comments. I always was able to kind of see through people. My sister and I were like, ‘Obviously, this is what they want from women, but we can change that. We do have voices.’

"We heard no, a lot, until we finally heard yes. To this day, I will always thank Total Divas for becoming such a hit show because it did open up the door for women’s wrestling. Women were already doing incredible things at that time, but it opened it up in a way that allowed more spots for women. It allowed us to be showcased, because really the men only were, and it gave us different opportunities that we were all really begging for.

"It was hard. I’m not going to say it was easy, because it wasn’t. There were a lot of times I went back to my hotel room and cried and thought, ‘Do I want to be part of this? Is this what I want?’ I’m also very competitive and I knew, ‘Yeah, they’re not going to win.’ It would fire me up in a way and I’d go back and I knew how to stand up for myself. Having a twin (helped). Nothing I would want my daughter to go through.”

From The Traitors to the Royal Rumble? What can't Nikki Bella do?! #RoyalRumble #TheTraitorsUS pic.twitter.com/knnBaKJanm

— Peacock (@peacock) February 2, 2025

Nikki Bella recently returned to the wrestling ring during this past weekend's WWE Royal Rumble event. Brie Bella remains happily retired from the ring. She's been visible over the last year at AEW events, where her husband, Bryan Danielson, has continued his career.

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