The pro wrestling world was shaken up in a huge way when Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon was made public. This lawsuit, which alleges sexual abuse, extortion, and assault, could break the company wide open if private texts and emails are exposed for all to see. To prepare themselves for what’s to come, Nikki and Brie Bella are now speaking out.

The Garcia Twins Respond

The Bella Twins are no longer in WWE, as they allowed their contracts to expire. Now as the Garcia Twins, they are doing their thing in the public eye. After those damning allegations against Vince McMahon, Nikki and Brie had to speak up.

The official Twitter/X account for the Garcia Twins sent out a public announcement about the recent lawsuit and the mountain of allegations that it included. It was made very clear that the WWE Hall of Fame team do not condone anything that the earth-shattering lawsuit alleged, and they support women in every way that they can.

We are shocked and disheartened with the recent allegations against members of the WWE. It has been a lot to process since we found out this past week as you all did. This is something we don’t stand for or condone from anyone no matter who they are. We want all women to feel safe and supported in the workplace and in their everyday lives.

pic.twitter.com/kW2sLGd80u

— Nikki & Brie (@NikkiAndBrie) January 29, 2024

The Bella Twins’ Connection to Vince McMahon’s Big Lawsuit

That lawsuit from Janel Grant wasn’t just against WWE and Vince McMahon, because John Laurinaitis was also named as a defendant. Laurinaitis is also married to Nikki and Brie’s mother.

John and Kathy Laurinaitis were married in 2016, years before the allegations in that lawsuit allegedly took place. Their wedding was also used as a storyline device on Total Divas. As of this writing, Laurinaitis has not released any public statement on this matter, but Vince McMahon’s camp sent out a response of denial.

It was also made clear in McMahon’s statement after his resignation from WWE that he was still claiming total innocence from the allegations in Grant’s lawsuit. SE Scoops will have continued coverage of this story.

Allegations In Janel Grant’s Lawsuit

Former WWE employee Janel Grant has filed a lawsuit against McMahon, accusing him of sex trafficking. The lawsuit, filed on Thursday morning, alleges that McMahon, while serving as WWE’s Chief Executive, subjected Grant to sexual abuse and exploitation. The suit claims McMahon coerced her into sexual relations under the promise of career advancement and later trafficked her to other men within WWE.

Grant, who signed a nondisclosure agreement with WWE in 2022, asserts that she first encountered McMahon in 2019 in their shared apartment building. McMahon purportedly promised her work at WWE and showered her with gifts. The lawsuit further claims that McMahon pressured her into sexual activities to secure her a job. Grant was hired as an “administration coordinator” in June 2019, a position the suit alleges McMahon created for her under John Laurinaitis. However, she reportedly had little work, leading to complaints from other WWE employees and Grant feeling her job was undeserved.

Grant further alleges that McMahon sent explicit messages, increased demands for sex, and used “toys” forcefully during intimate encounters, causing injuries. She claims McMahon shared photos and videos of her with other WWE executives and wrestlers, recruiting others within WWE to have sex with her, including then WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis. The suit alleges Grant’s mental and physical health declined, leading to McMahon sending her to a “celebrity doctor” in November, with McMahon later paying $20,000 for surgery.

The lawsuit contends that Grant was transferred to the talent-relations division in May 2021, working directly under Laurinaitis. A month later, Grant alleges McMahon and Laurinaitis locked her in an office, sexually assaulting her in turns, followed by McMahon assaulting her again a week later.

Before her match for the AEW Women’s Championship at AEW Revolution, Saraya spent time with the Bella Twins.

She tweeted pictures of herself with Nikki and Brie, Renee Paquette and their children. There’s also a photo with Dustin Rhodes.

Paquette shared the tweet with the caption “nothing like a girls hang even if it’s only for a few minutes! The best!”

• Buddy Matthews thinks Malakai Black should challenge for AEW title

Bryan Danielson is taking on MJF for the AEW World Championship in a 60 minute Iron Man match.

The Bella Twins got people talking this week when they were critical of how WWE represented the women on this past Monday’s episode of Raw during the 30anniversary episode. 

After Raw on an Instagram live video, The Bella called out the company for not showcasing the women’s evolution on the show and how Mercedes Mone and Saraya were people who WWE didn’t want to feature.

Although The Bellas was initially advertised for the show, they were pulled due to media commitments this week to promote Nikki’s new reality show on E! Madusa was the only female legend to appear on Raw. 

Nikki started out by noting that whenever you love and have passion for something you want to be appreciated. She said that women have done a lot to make Raw what it is. 

Make Time

“So when you have a three-hour show, and it’s male-dominated and women aren’t being honored, pretty much at all, you just sit back and you’re like, ‘Why aren’t we being appreciated? Like, why don’t you even have a video package showcasing what all these incredible women have done?”

Nikki continued, “I just, I’m someone who they’ve always called ‘No Filter Nikki.’ I know sometimes my team is back there like, ‘Oh my gosh if we could just take her phone.’ It made me upset for all the women, because I know that feeling of walking out to the ring. It happens to some of the men, but where you walk out, and you put your body on the line, you give it your all just to entertain the fans and the TV viewers, and you just come back, and you want to feel appreciated for that.”

Sacrifice 

Nikki stated that some wrestlers have had career-ending injuries, and we shouldn’t go away.

“And even if I feel that if a wrestler even leaves the company or they’re no longer there, it doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be remembered. I wished and I hoped, and maybe that will be more in the future, we still have a way to go, but that women will finally be appreciated for what they do.”

Brie stated that women from the past have paved the road for today’s wrestlers, who are doing amazing things in the company. She added that it’s not about them but the other women that should’ve been at the show. 

If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit with an h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

Saraya, formerly known as Paige in WWE, made her shocking debut tonight for All Elite Wrestling.

Toni Storm put the AEW Interim Women’s Championship on the line against Britt Baker, Athena, and Serena Deeb. Britt Baker somehow got nose busted open again during the match but appeared to have the match won. The D.M.D. set up for for the Lockjaw but Storm countered into a roll-up to retain the AEW Interim Women’s Championship.

After the match, Britt Baker attacked Toni from behind. Serena Deeb joined in on the attack as well as Athena went for the same. Jamie Hayter made her way to the ring and argued with Britt before revealing that their alliance was still strong. Hayter, Deeb, and Britt all attacked Athena and Toni as the crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium booed.

Saraya then arrived and the crowd went crazy. She came down to the ring and the heels retreated. Saraya, Toni Storm, and Athena stood tall in the ring to end the segment.

The Bella Twins React To Saraya’s AEW Debut

WWE Hall of Famers Nikki and Brie Bella took to Twitter to react to Saraya’s shocking debut in All Elite Wrestling. The Bella Twins were cast-mates with Paige on the Total Divas reality show on the E! Network.

Paige also battled Nikki & Brie in WWE during her career, once spraying The Anti-Diva with tanning spray like the nWo. The Bella Twins posted that they got “massive chills” when Saraya arrived in AEW.

“Massive Chills! Love you @Saraya”

The Royal Rumble PPV brought in a lot of surprises but there were also some names who were brought in but never used.

According to PWinsider, Aksana, Kaitlyn and Jillian Hall were all brought in as security precautions in case some talents didn’t pass the medical protocols. They were obviously not used.

Stars such as The Undertaker and Kurt Angle were backstage for the show. They were photographed with other names who appeared at the event

One name that was long-rumored but wasn’t at the show was Paige. She has been teasing potential feuds but there is no word on if it’s leading to anything.

Nikki Bella and Brie Bella ‘The Bella Twins’ made their return at the Royal Rumble. The belief backstage is that we will see more of them for WrestleMania 38.

WWE Hall Of Famer Ivory was among the names who filmed a Table For 3 episode during the weekend. She also entered the women’s Royal Rumble at #18.

• WWE Tried To Bring In Lana For Royal Rumble

Previous reports have revealed that the plans for both the Rumble matches changed numerous times over the course of Saturday.

One of the changes was the return of Molly Holly who was a late addition to the show. The idea was for her to interact with Nikki A.S.H. to help build Nikki up.

Though it doesn’t appear that the changes were for good. The PPV has been slammed by the fans online and backstage morale is also said to be down after the show.

Trish Stratus is warning fans they shouldn’t expect to see her as a surprise entrant in the Women’s Royal Rumble.

Stratus was a guest on the latest Bellas Podcast and spoke to Nikki and Brie Bella about Saturday’s premium live event.

WWE is loading up this year’s Women’s Royal Rumble with a slew of returning legends, including:

• The Bella Twins
• Mickie James
• Lita
• Michele McCool
• Kelly Kelly
• Summer Rae

Aside from these names, WWE also reportedly has some major surprise entrants in store for the event. Consider these links potential spoilers:

• Major Return Planned For Saturday’s WWE Royal Rumble
• Another Former Women’s Champion Discussed for Royal Rumble Return

Trish Stratus in the Royal Rumble?

The Bella Twins interviewed Trish Stratus days before the Royal Rumble, so of course they asked if fans could be in for some Stratusfaction this weekend.

Unfortunately, Trish told the Bellas that she is currently busy filming the semifinals for Canada’s Got Talent, where she serves as a judge.

“They do wrap up at a certain time,” she said. “I’ll be in that headspace, so that’s sort of my focus at the moment. That’s what I have to do. You know how intense it is, I have to be in it.”

Of course, this is exactly what someone would say if they were hoping to keep their Royal Rumble plans under wraps…

Elsewhere in the interview, Trish gave the Bellas advice about parenthood, recalled some amazing adventures from her WWE career and shared some of the wisdom that guided her to seven WWE Women’s Championships.

Listen to Trish Stratus on The Bellas Podcast:

H/T to Fightful for the transcribed quote

The Bella Twins are two of the most accomplished women in pro wrestling history. According to Nikki and Brie, they may have never made it to the WWE Hall of Fame if not for Freddie Prinze Jr.

The Bellas are the latest guests on FPJ’s latest Wrestling With Freddie podcast. During their discussion, Brie recalls that it was Prinze who kept pushing WWE officials to call them up from Florida Championship Wrestling.

“We do give you a lot of credit, because we were down in FCW for so long and they were like, ‘We just don’t know what to do with twins.’” said Brie. “We’re like, ‘Seems like it writes itself.’ It was your ideas that you kept pushing that I think it made people in the company see there was something special.”

Brie recalls training at [former developmental territory] Florida Championship Wrestling and growing frustrated because WWE couldn’t figure out what to do with them.

Things did not get much better once they made it to the main roster and wrestled as “Divas.” After five years on WWE TV, they were ready to leave because they were not happy with the way women were being portrayed on television.

“We did a five-year contract, we were on TV for five years and our five years was coming up,” said Brie. “I remember at that point, we didn’t like how women were treated in WWE. The two minute matches, but we were allowed to have 10 minutes at live events. What we were working on at live events, we could never showcase on TV and our stories didn’t have depth.”

‘There needs to be a massive change here, this is not good.’

Nikki recalls that morale amongst the female wrestlers was at an all-time low during the early 2010’s.

“We needed to find a way to be treated like the men and treated equally,” she said. “That’s what we wanted for the women. We wanted to empower the women. We were about everyone. ‘Who are we getting over today? What’s the story?’ We never worried about getting our shit in. We just wanted everything to be good and for people to be happy.”

Nikki Bella describes morale as “miserable” and hopeless during the lowest points of women’s wrestling in WWE.

“The locker room was becoming so miserable, because girls were working so hard on live events and getting to Raw or SmackDown and being so disappointed. They were losing their will and their hope. We were like, ‘there needs to be a massive change here, this is not good.’”

Total Divas

Brie feels that the Total Divas reality show (2013) was a huge turning point for WWE’s perception of women’s wrestlers.

“Vince is about putting asses in seats,” she said. “He cares about money. The one thing Total Divas did was it showed Vince that people were coming to the shows to see women. It was more than just men. It started being young girls and women buying tickets just to see the Total Divas.”

Years later, WWE ultimately embraced the ‘Women’s Revolution.’ Athleticism and wrestling ability are valued over bikinis and pillow fighting. Women’s wrestling has come a long way since the Bella Twins’ days in Florida Championship Wrestling. They were a big part of that revolution and credit Freddie Prinze Jr. with helping get it started.

Listen to The Bella Twins on Wrestling with Freedie:

H/T to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

The Bella Twins have been hoping to wrestle for WWE again. Unfortunately, it won’t be happening any time soon, if ever.

Nikki and Brie appeared on the Sippin’ The Tea podcast this week and provided an update on their futures as in-ring performers. The show is hosted by former WWE Superstar Ariane Andrew & Matt Dillon.

Nikki said she would love to make a comeback one day so her son Matteo can see her compete. However, it might be several years before that becomes a reality.

“I would love one day, like when Matteo’s maybe three, and he knows it, to have my son be ringside while his mom kicks ass. That would be amazing to me.”

“But because he is my everything, I have to listen to the doctors and as of now, they’ve put me on the retired bench for life. So, it would take a lot of scans, x-rays, and all this different stuff for them to actually approve me to have a run and so that would be unlikely — that will be years down the road.”

Nikki Bella underwent spinal fusion surgery in 2016.

Bella Twins Have Moved Beyond Wrestling

Brie gave her thoughts on the situation. Pro wrestling was a huge part of their lives and they will always love the business. However, Brie feels she has moved beyond pro wrestling and is focusing on other ventures.

“For me, I just feel like I’m in such a different place in my life and a place I really love. We’re gonna be 38 in November and I’m like, you know too, for us to be winemakers and well, I can’t imagine taking a bump right now.”

The Bella Twins retired from active competition back in March 2019. They gave birth to baby boys just one day apart in August 2020.

Earlier this year, the Bellas said they wanted to make a run at the WWE Women’s tag titles. Those plans have now been put on hold indefinitely.

The Bella Twins were met with an unpleasant surprise at Tuesday’s WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony tapings.

Nikki and Brie discussed their experience at this year’ Hall of Fame ceremony on the latest episode of their Bellas Podcast. According to the Bellas, they prepared a speech that was set to run approximately 15 minutes, since that is what they are used to seeing from previous induction speeches. When they arrived at the event, they were caught off guard when WWE told them they were given only 3-5 minutes to speak.

“We had a speech written, but then we realized it was too long because we’re only allowed to do our speech for three to five minutes,” said Brie. “We wrote a 15-minute speech because usually, they are like ’10 to 15 minutes,’ then we found out they were like, ‘No, it has to be three to five minutes.'”

Brie recalls it being difficult to figure out what to cut and what to leave in the speech.

“To do your Hall of Fame speech and take out that much stuff is really hard,” she continued. “We’re wondering like, ‘How do we condense this. What’s important? We want to thank all these people and tell stories,'” said Brie on the podcast.

Nikki said they planned to spend a large portion of the speech thanking the people who guided their careers to the Hall of Fame. WWE told them to spend most of the 3-5 minutes talking about themselves.

“We’ve always been grateful women and that’s where it’s difficult,” said Nikki. “The majority of our speech is thanking people and they’re like, ‘talk more about yourself.’ We’ve already proven ourselves as Hall of Famers. It’s almost like winning an Oscar. You’re thanking the people who helped you get there.”

• Photos & Insider Details From Tuesday’s WWE HOF Ceremony Tapings

The Bella Twins are headed back to WWE. On the latest episode of The Bellas Podcast, the Total Bellas stars revealed they plan to “take the stage” at WrestleMania 37 in typical ‘Bella style.’

The former Superstars turned reality TV stars are amongst the top attractions headlining this year’s WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Aside from an appearances WrestleMania, Nikki and Brie are in fact planning a return to the ring. The Bellas are expected back on WWE TV in the second half of 2021, with an in-ring return slated for this fall.

The Bellas have expressed their desire to wrestle again on several occasions. Earlier this month, they expressed interest in going after the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. They’ll have their work cut out for them, as the titles are currently held by Shayna Bazsler and Nia Jax.

The Bella Twins retired from active competition back in March 2019. They both gave birth to baby boys just one day apart in August 2020.

Nikki’s husband Artem Chigvintsev said in a recent interview, “She’s been having talks about coming back and doing something together with Brie. They both have kids, and I feel like they still have this unclosed chapter with wrestling. I would not be surprised.”

The biggest obstacle standing in the way of the Bella Twins wrestling again is Nikki’s neck. She’s been working on neck-strengthening exercises in hopes of being able to have one last run performing for the WWE Universe.

Nikki Bella and Brie Bella have talked about returning to the ring in the WWE quite a few times before, and this week they discussed a potential last return and the logistics behind it. The Bella Twins talked about the factors that would play a role in their return and what’s delaying their comeback.

On the latest episode of The Bellas Podcast, Nikki Bella revealed that she really wants to do a WWE return with her sister Brie Bella and go after the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. Nikki said that this would be her last run as a professional wrestler and she would put all the passion and desire that she has for wrestling into this run. However, the biggest hurdle for Nikki is that currently isn’t cleared to wrestle. She has issues in her neck which is the reason why she is unfit to compete as of now. Nikki revealed that she is seeing a doctor who is helping her through her neck issues, with neck-strengthening exercises. She also hopes that the herniation that happened above her bone fusion has gotten better since the last time she went in the ring.

Another issue that could come between Nikki Bella’s comeback is that she wants a second child with fiance Artem Chigvinstev in the near future. Nikki, who is currently 37, said that she does not want to get pregnant when she turns 40 so a potential return has to take place within the next year. Brie Bella asked if that’s possible, considering the issues with Nikki’s neck. Nikki replied that she has to get MRIs and other scans done and things need to be discussed with doctors, and hopefully her neck is in a better condition a year from now, when she finally decides to make a return.

Nikki Bella’s fiance Atrim Chigvinstev has revealed in the past that the twins have been in talks with WWE. “She’s [Nikki] been having talks about coming back and doing something together with [her twin sister], Brie [Bella],” Chigvintsev said in an inteview. “They both have kids, and I feel like they still have this unclosed chapter with wrestling. I would not be surprised.”

When the Women’s Tag Titles were introduced in the WWE, The Bella Twins’ saw this as an opportunity for one last run. “When we left, all of the sudden the WWE Women’s Tag Titles came, and we’re like, ‘Wait a sec, that’s for the Bella Twins.’ Like, we’ve been dying to have tag titles, and so her and I feel like we have one more run in us, and we really want to go for those tag titles,” Brie Bella revealed.

Both Nikki and Brie Bella announced their retirements from in-ring action back in March 2019.

The Bella Twins believe they have one more WWE run left in them. The 36-year-olds were recently interviewed by Michael Lopez on Access and said that the WWE Women’s tag-team titles serve as motivation for them to get back in the ring.

“When we left, all of the sudden the WWE Women’s Tag Titles came, and we’re like, ‘Wait a sec, that’s for the Bella Twins.’ Like, we’ve been dying to have tag titles, and so her and I feel like we have one more run in us, and we really want to go for those tag titles,” Brie Bella said during the interview.

This isn’t the first time the Bella Twins have expressed interest in going after the tag belts. They replied to a WWE post on Twitter regarding current tag champs, Shayna Bazler and Nia Jax.

While the twins have never held tag-team gold, they are each former Divas Champions. Brie held the title once while Nikki had two reigns with the belt. Nikki’s 307 combined days with the title is second only to AJ Lee’s 406 combined days with that particular championship.

• The Bella Twins On What It’s Like Dealing With Vince McMahon

The full interview with the Bellas van be viewed in the player below:

Nikki and Brie Bella recently revealed that they will be releasing a memoir via Simon & Schuster. The duo will be heading into the WWE Hall of Fame in Tampa this April and ‘Incomparable’ will be available to purchase on May 5th.

The Bella Twins Book

“We’re really really excited about this book but also really really nervous” Brie began on this week’s episode of The Bella Twins Podcast. “You know, Nicole and I obviously as reality stars we’ve always put our lives out there. We don’t hold back the good, the bad, the ugly, you name it, we show it. But one thing that we kind of never told anyone about was our childhood and how we were raised into these strong women. And that is what our book will that you know. From the moment we shared a womb together, to where we’re at today. So we’re really excited for you all. And there’s a lot of stories you don’t know about my sister!”

“maybe I shouldn’t put that in or I should hold back?”

Nikki Bella echoed Brie’s sentiments, saying “it’s true there’s a lot I shared in this book that I’ve actually never talked about beyond my therapist and my sister. Even my mom will be hearing some stories for the first time. And I think you know sometimes we never actually get to hear from people all the time. Do we open up in this way when it comes to writing a book? And then Brie and I sat down with our ghostwriter. It was like therapy sessions.”

Nikki elaborated further, saying “we just started talking about our life and I remember going to, her name’s Elise, and I was like. I don’t know, ‘maybe I shouldn’t put that in or I should hold back?’ And Elise really opened up my eyes to how my stories can help other women and girls out there. Help them make different decisions or be stronger in this situation.”

Brie’s High School Boyfriend

Brie also revealed that there is a chapter about her high school boyfriend, Bear. In the past Brie has been scarce on detail regarding his death, but it is addressed in the book. “One chapter is about Bear” Brie revealed. “He was my boyfriend who passed away in high school [during] my senior year, and the impact of not only him when he was alive what he did to my life and how he changed me, but how his death changed me too. And it changed me in a spiritual way but also just, you know. I thought I literally was on this one path.”

Brie elaborated further, saying “when you have something tragic happening like that, it, it just changes everything. Like the way you live, and we start to look at stuff and I really go in detail. I know everyone always sees my tattoos in my lower stomach; and you’ve heard me speak about him here and there but it’s been very vague and so now you get a really deep look into how my life was affected and just my relationship with him.”

Incomparable will be available to purchase May 5th via Simon & Schuster and Amazon.

The reports of Bella Twins being inducted into Hall Of Fame first came out a couple of weeks ago and then WWE made the induction official on the latest episode of SmackDown.

After the major announcement, the duo of Nikki Bella and Brie Bella appeared on the latest episode of WWE Backstage to talk about their careers and more.

During the interview, The Bella Twins were also asked about their reaction to the news. Answering the question, they revealed that it was Vince McMahon himself, who called to inform them about their induction:

“It’s funny when Nikki and I got the called, Vince [McMahon] called us both, we saw his missed call and my first reaction was, ‘Nikki, what did you say in the press?'” recalled Brie. “We thought we were in trouble, we called Vince back, together, and when he told us, we were shocked, ‘What? This year?'”

Nikki Bella then explained that after working for long and fighting for so many things, having the one man who they look up to call them for the opportunity was incredible.

The Bella Twins also talked about Nikki’s Evolution match against Ronda Rousey and she said that she went in the match thinking it as a David vs. Goliath scenario.

Nikki and Brie will be inducted into Hall Of Fame during the WrestleMania weekend alongside Batista and nWo. Davey Boy Smith, JBL and Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger are the other reported names for this year’s class but they are yet to be announced officially.

More names for this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class have been revealed. 

On Wednesday, the WrestleVotes Twitter account tweeted out a report stating that The Bella Twins and Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger are slated to be inducted into the class. It should be noted that WWE has yet to confirm the news. 

“I’ve heard several names talked about for this year’s Hall of Fame. Was only able to get confirmation on 2 of them as of now, they are The Bella Twins & Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger.”

Liger, who made his name outside of WWE for his work in WCW and NJPW, has had only two matches under the WWE banner – once in 1990 where he defeated Akira Nogami at Wrestling Summit and at the NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn event on August 22, 2015 against Tyler Breeze. Liger retired earlier this year at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14. 

Both Brie and Nikki have had reigns as Divas Champion throughout their careers with WWE. After returning in the summer of 2018, the sisters have announced their retirement from in-ring action. 

WWE has already confirmed that the nWo (Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, and Waltman), as well as Batista, would be inducted into the 2020 Hall of Fame class. 

This year’s WWE Hall of Fame ceremony is scheduled to take place on April 2, 2020 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, as part of WrestleMania 36 weekend. 

Roman Reigns On John Cena Calling Brock Lesnar “The Best In-Ring Performer Of All Time”

The Bella Twins are both pregnant and their due dates are less than 2 weeks apart. News of the twins’ dual pregnancies was first reported on by People Magazine. The Bellas posed for several exclusive pregnancy announcement photos as well.

“Wait, twins being pregnant at the same time?” Brie told People. “People are going to think that’s a joke. We both are shocked. People are going to think we planned it, but you can’t really plan pregnancy!”

“[It was] a total surprise,” Nikki added. “It took even me a good week to come to terms with like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m pregnant.’ I’m not ready for it.”

Brie & Nikki Bella Both Pregnant

For Brie Bella, this is her second-child with Daniel Bryan. Their first child, Birdie Joe, was born in May of 2017. She spoke to People about how her and Bryan were hoping to have another child but had resigned to thinking they might only have one.

“My husband and I were trying for seven or eight months, but then I felt in my heart it was a sign from God, like, ‘You guys are good with one,’ so we stopped trying,” said Brie. “When we were in France meeting Artem’s family, I felt a little off. I was irritated and uncomfortable in my body. When we got home, I took a test two days before Thanksgiving, and when I saw the positive sign, I was like, ‘Oh, s—!’ “

This will be Nikki Bella’s first child along with her fiance Artem Chigvintsev, whom she met on Dancing With The Stars. She spoke to People about finding out she was pregnant. At the time, Brie had already told Nikki that she was pregnant.

“I was in yoga, and I kept getting this feeling that you need to take a pregnancy test, but I wasn’t even late yet,” says Nikki, who got engaged during a romantic trip to France in November. “And so I’m like, ‘Why do I keep having this feeling? Am I getting twin vibes from her? Because she just told me she’s pregnant?’ “

Nikki would continue to say that she waited until after the pregnancy test confirmed her suspicions before telling Artem.

The full interview with People can be read here.

• Bella Twins Reveal Original Ring Names They Pitched To WWE

Nikki and Brie Bella, collectively known as The Bella Twins, appeared on Kevin Hart’s “Cold As Balls” YouTube show.

On the show, The Bella Twins talked about a lot of different topics. They revealed that they started out as athletes playing soccer before getting into wrestling. They also said that before the Bellas, they came up with names that they pitched to WWE management which are pretty out there.

Nikki would’ve been “Nicole Fo Show” Brie would’ve been “Briezy Fo Sheezy”. Hart gave his opinion and said that he could see why WWE didn’t go with those names.

“We thought it would be really cool, like a tag team. Actually, our first names that we came up with were Nicole Fo Sho and Breizy Fo Sheezy. They didn’t buy it,” said Brie.

Bella Twins also talked about their past experience with cattiness backstage with women in WWE. The women would compete with each other for TV time. They revealed that there would be as many as 20 women competing for one spot and few minutes of ring time.

“Some are like your really good friends, and then some aren’t. And then your dealing with TV time and for so long, women got only a few minutes, so I’d get really catty backstage,” said Nikki.

“One spot, there’d be like almost 20 girls going for that one spot. So there’d definitely be arguments, or girls getting jealous of each other, and you’d see the cat claws come out,” Brie added.

The Bella Twins have revealed details for the upcoming season of their reality series, Total Bellas.

In a post to her Instagram account, Nikki Bella has shared that her former Dancing with the Stars partner and current boyfriend, Artem Chigvintsev, will be joining the cast for the new season. She accompanied the news with an image of the two embracing.

“[…] As I start a new amazing journey with @totalbellas and my life, my @theartemc is starting the same,” she explained.

“I am so excited for him to be on this journey with me. I’m thankful for him to showcase his life, love, ups and downs not only for me but for my Bella Army and my Total Bellas viewers.”

The post then became reflective as Nikki wrote that “Sometimes we have a door shut and we don’t understand why, but honestly there is always a reason. I have been through that. And not through that just as a break up but through that professionally and personally. And when those other doors open they open SO big!”

“We Are In Our Next Chapter Of Our Life”

Her twin sister, Brie, also spoke about the forthcoming season to TVInsider.com. 

Brie admitted that the biggest difference between this season and previous seasons will be that Season 5 features less pro wrestling. Both women are now retired from the ring and are, according to Brie, in the “next chapter of our life.” 

“You’re going to see cameras capturing Nikki’s retirement and her feelings on it. You’re going to see what happened when meeting the doctors. We both thought we were going back this summer. It’s our next chapter in life, which for me means growing my family. For my sister, it’s being in a new relationship with Artem [Chigvintsev] as a new cast member. He will be filming a lot. My sister is also building a house next door to me. I think it will show us as entrepreneurs.”

Total Bellas Season 5 will debut on E! in early 2020 and will consist of 10 hour-long episodes.

The Bella Twins recently announced their retirement from pro wrestling. Despite this, they have already speculated about what could bring them back to the ring.

During the debut episode of their new podcast, The Bellas Podcast, Nikki Bella would candidly address her own retirement announcement. She revealed her reasons behind the difficult decision. She also divulged that she wasn’t allowed to talk about the real reason due to corporate decision making—though it wasn’t specified whether this was a WWE or E! decision.

“Something we really couldn’t air on Total Bellas is that people didn’t realize how hard my comeback was for me to go back to a place that I called home and met the love of my life.”

She continued, “[…] when they showed you that I made the decision [to retire] because I couldn’t hang with the girls in the ring anymore, what they also don’t air—because they never want me to talk about my neck—is … it’s because of my neck.”

“I Would Get Paralyzed Too Or Even Worse”

Nikki would then mention Paige and the unfortunate incident that saw her having to retire from in-ring competition:

“You saw what happened to Paige,” Nikki said. “Paige and I have the same hardware. So if I was to get kicked in the back of the head, I would get paralyzed too or even worse.”

Co-host, and twin sister, Brie mentioned how Nikki would cry in the locker room every single week. The cameras, however, refused to show it. Nikki added that “we weren’t allowed to,” demonstrating the structured nature of the supposed ‘reality’ show.

H/T to ProWrestlingSheet.com for the transcription.

We recently reported on “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey allegedly joining the cast of ‘Total Divas.’ Now, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet, it appears that Nikki and Brie Bella won’t be returning for the next season of ‘Total Divas’ as well.

Stepping away from the show that helped to popularize them to a wider audience, the Bella Twins are actively choosing to instead focus on their spin-off series, ‘Total Bellas.’

The Total Divas cast, as it stands now, includes Carmella, Natalya, Nia Jax, Naomi, and the recently announced Sonya Deville.

From that lineup, it can be assumed that Paige won’t be returning when cameras start rolling for the new season. She is currently promoting her new biopic, ‘Fighting With My Family.’

Sonya Steps In

Sonya Deville stepped in to replace Lana. It was revealed that Lana and Rusev would be removed from the show for being “strongly disliked by the demographic.”

When asked about joining the cast, she responded:

“I have been through things and I am the person I am for a lot of reasons and I love sharing those stories for the fans because it’s relatable. And on that topic, I’ll be on Season 9 of Total Divas, which is something I am super excited about.”

For what it’s worth, Pro Wrestling Sheet stated that Nikki Bella will continue on as an Executive Producer.

WWE has dispatched a lot of their talent to do mainstream media in advance of Sunday’s WWE Evolution show.

The Bellas appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, their second appearance on the show in recent months.

Sasha Banks also appeared as a guest on Friday’s episode of the syndicated talk show, The Real. The Boss appeared on the Conversations With Maria Menounos podcast and spoke about the possibility of WWE Women’s Tag Team titles being introduced at Evolution.

Nikki, Brie, and Ronda Rousey were originally slated for Friday’s edition of Megyn Kelly Today. That appearance was cancelled when NBC made the decision to air a rerun of Kelly’s show. Later reports indicate that Kelly’s show has been cancelled.

Additionally, WWE has announced three roundtable discussions that will air on the WWE Now livestream on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

On Saturday at noon, Cathy Kelley will host a panel discussion featuring Toni Storm, Sasha Banks, and Trish Stratus. The selling point for the discussion is “Then, Now, Forever”, with Stratus representing WWE’s history, Banks the present, and Storm the future.

A second panel will be streamed at 2 PM Eastern on Saturday, featuring three women who will challenge for singles titles at Evolution, Shayna Bayzler, Charlotte Flair, and Nikki Bella.

The third discussion will take place Sunday at 3 PM Eastern. Kelley will discuss the Evolution event with WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon.

Are you excited for WWE Evolution? Make some noise in the comments section.

“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey delivered an impassioned promo against the Bella Twins on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, surprising a lot of fans as to how well delivered, energetic, and genuine she was able to make her words – especially when compared to previous promo time that the former UFC champion, and current Raw Women’s champion, Ronda Rousey has had.

The reason for this stark change is surprising: she wrote the whole promo herself.

“Do Nothing Bellas”

According to Dave Meltzer, the promo was based on her real-life feelings about women who get by in life on nothing but their looks. That spark was the genesis for her promo this past Monday, highlighted by her coining the phrase, “Do Nothing Bellas.”

Speaking about it on Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alveraz commented that the “Ronda Rousey promo Monday […] she wrote the entire thing herself. She did not have a writer. She wrote that. The line about the Bella’s name being a stain on society? She wrote that. That’s how she talks.”

Evolution Sell Out

Since announcing Nikki Bella vs Ronda Rousey at WWE’s Evolution event last week, ticket sales have reportedly increased. With the crowd engaged and reacting positively to the feud as it continues to develop, it appears the WWE has tapped into a prominent feud that continues to escalate as Evolution continues to grow ever closer to selling out.

What did you think of her promo? Surprised that she was allowed free reign to script her own words?

Nikki and Brie Bella have made their opinions clear on the evolution of the Women’s division. The WWE Superstar’s official Twitter account sent out a tweet over the weekend. “ev·o·lu·tion The gradual development of something, especially from a simple to a more complex form. Development, advancement, growth, rise, progress, expansion, unfolding, transformation, adaptation, modification, revision. Women honoring empowering & uniting other women at WWE.”

Smackdown General Manager Paige and Carmella commented on an article online earlier this week on the original ‘Divas’ division. The article (entitled How the Divas are damaging the Evolution) was heavily criticised by both Superstars. Paige commented that the Bella Twins were “the OG ladies to help kickstart the #givedivasachance trend” and that “They deserve to be apart of everything and more.” Nikki and Brie’s comments on the tweet appear to be a direct reaction to the article in question.

Brie and Nikki will be teaming with Ronda Rousey in October. The Twins will face the Riott Squad at WWE Super Show-down on October 6th in Australia alongside the RAW Women’s Champion. Brie Bella is also scheduled to face Ruby Riott on this week’s RAW show.

Nikki also recently reacted to the Bella Twin’s return to WWE, mentioning that “I can’t believe I’m going to be tagging with Ronda Rousey. I feel very blessed right now with my life.”

H/T 411 Mania for the transcription

ev·o·lu·tion The gradual development of something, especially from a simple to a more complex form. Development, advancement, growth, rise, progress, expansion, unfolding, transformation, adaptation, modification, revision. Women honoring empowering & uniting other women at WWE.

— Nikki & Brie (@NikkiAndBrie) September 22, 2018

For the first time in three years, the Bella Twins competed on Monday’s RAW from Columbus, OH at the Schottenstein Center. Nikki & Brie took on The Riott Squad’s Sarah Logan & Liv Morgan. The finish of the match saw Nikki hit the Rack Attack 2.0 on Morgan.

• Nikki Bella Receives Custom Air Jordans For RAW Return

Their Bellas’ schedule with the WWE continues as they are slated to work several upcoming shows. Brie has her next match set as she will team up with her husband, Daniel Bryan, to take on The Miz and Maryse at the upcoming Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event on Sunday, September 16, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center.

They will team up with RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. The Riott Squad at the Super Show-Down stadium show on Saturday, October 6, 2018 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia.

Nikki, on the other hand, is slated to work the upcoming WWE Evolution pay-per-view event where she is rumored to take on Ronda Rousey on Sunday, October 28, 2018 in Long Island, New York at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The Bella Twins were back in action over the weekend as they worked a live event on Sunday night in Rochester, NY at the Blue Cross Arena.

Nikki and Brie and Ember Moon defeated the Riott Squad in a six-woman tag team match at the show. This was their first match since the Women’s Royal Rumble back in January. Following their return, the Bellas thanked their fans on Twitter:

“Bella Army we LOVE you beyond words!!!! Your support and love tonight was INCREDIBLE!!! Thank you!!! B&N #WWERochester #BellaArmyStrong.”

The Bella Twins each have several WWE matches scheduled for the coming months. Brie has her next match set as she will team up with her husband, Daniel Bryan, to take on The Miz and Maryse at the upcoming Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event on Sunday, September 16, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center.

Nikki, on the other hand, is slated to work the upcoming WWE Evolution pay-per-view event. You can find out who she is likely to wrestle at this show but keep in mind that it contains spoilers.

The Bella Twins Return

The @BellaTwins have a message for Birdie and @WWEDanielBryan before they return to the ring in #WWERochester! #WWE pic.twitter.com/bJttpR6Wbk

— WWE (@WWE) August 27, 2018

I’m in TEARS! 😭 3 years after we see this entrance together… I’m so happy, so excited. THIS IS LIFE. THIS IS THE TEAM BELLA FOREVER!!!! LOVE YOU ❤️👯‍♀️ N&B #WWERochester @BellaTwins pic.twitter.com/VJciFDazsw

— Sebas (@sebaswrestling) August 27, 2018

https://twitter.com/AnnetteReid24/status/1033905292294152192

#WWERochester Results

• Sasha Banks & Bayley defeated Alexa Bliss & Alicia Fox.
• The B-Team defeated The Deleters of Worlds & The Revival to retain the RAW Tag Team Championship.
• Bobby Roode defeated Jinder Mahal.
• No Way Jose, Rhyno, Heath Slater & Zack Ryder defeated The Ascension, Curt Hawkins & Mike Kanellis
• Akam defeated Tyler Breeze.
• The Bella Twins & Ember Moon defeated The Riott Squad.
• Dean Ambrose & Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins defeated Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre.
• Finn Balor defeated Baron Corbin.
• Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman ends in no contest once Reigns speared Strowman through a table. Reigns retained Universal Championship.