Throughout her WWE career, Nikki Bella achieved numerous accolades, such as holding the record for the longest-reigning Diva’s Champion. Her accomplishments are a testament to her hard work, dedication, and perseverance in the sport. There is no doubt that she has earned her place as one of the most celebrated female wrestlers in the industry.
The Bella Twins played a crucial role in expanding WWE’s audience through their reality shows Total Divas and Total Bellas, which allowed fans to witness their lives outside the ring. However, despite their contributions, they still receive a significant amount of criticism from certain pro wrestling fans, even to this day.
While speaking on The Sessions, Nikki Bella talked about her time in WWE alongside her sister Brie as well as being part of Total Divas. In fact, Bella reminded fans that Total Divas almost beat ‘The Kardashians.’
“I remember one time Triple H saying perception is reality in this business and we could perceive people however we want. I think that’s what happened to Brie and I. At that time, they made people believe so much that Brie and I only cared about reality TV and we were only there because of our men because they were super cool and doing amazing things as well, like awesome. I think when we were in the run, and I know AJ spoke about it in her book, and I think she has regretted a lot because that could have been a time where we could have empowered women even more and created more change. That was still a fight and that locker room was really difficult. A lot of women could speak about that. I think that was the time when I saw so many women with their heads down that I was like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna fight real hard for this.’ I didn’t have to come back with reality cameras. I already had them with me. But I chose to come back to make sure that we showcase women’s wrestling because I thought what women were doing was so badass and they weren’t being appreciated for it. Honestly, Total Divas should have been praised even more, I felt, because what we were doing was we literally were at the point of almost beating the Kardashians in the ratings. We were shaking the world up and like, what a great time. We could have had the industry behind us, but instead they used it to turn it against us. That was really shocking to me because I was like, ‘But wait, we’re making great changes for Women’s Wrestling. Why are you hating on it?’”
“I think a few, like, as far as the boss, I felt like it was the first time he lost control of what he could make and not make because when Brie and I won Diva of the Year, we got in trouble, and I got yelled at. I remember we came back so happy and it was like, ‘Oh, because you brought in all these new viewers, and the women are now voting for you, and all these new women are here.’ Everyone around was on the floor like, ‘The Bella Twins are getting yelled at for being successful’, because it wasn’t what they wanted because they were the storytellers. They push who they want the crowd to be behind. Perception is reality. That is WWE to a T. Even though the fans think they own it, no, they laugh in the back. ‘No, we own you at the end of the day.’ So I truly believe Total Divas was the first thing they couldn’t control. They couldn’t control the success. They couldn’t control what the mainstream was.”
Nikki Bella
It is to be noted that ‘The Kardashians’ averaged 1.9 million total viewers. Despite the criticism she receives, Nikki Bella remains unsure of why she is targeted by some pro wrestling fans. Nonetheless, her future is uncertain, and only time will tell what lies ahead for her. In any case, she will always have a place in WWE, regardless of any backlash from fans.
H/T to Fightful
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