The Bella Twins
Encyclopedia
Brianna Monique Garcia and Stephanie Nicole Garcia (born on November 21, 1983) are American twin
professional wrestlers
. The twins are a professional wrestling
tag team
under the ring name
s Brie Bella and Nikki Bella, collectively referred to as The Bella Twins, and work for WWE on the Raw
brand
.
Before being promoted to the main WWE roster, The Bella Twins wrestled with Florida Championship Wrestling
, where they were trained by Tom Prichard
, and mainly competed in tag team competition. Brie made her debut on SmackDown in August 2008; she debuted first, and as part of her in-ring persona, would disappear under the ring during matches, emerging revived. Eventually, however, it was discovered she was switching places with her twin, Nikki, under the ring in order to gain an advantage. They then competed in tag team matches. Beginning in November 2008, an angle was written in which The Bella Twins developed an on-screen relationship with The Colóns
(Carlito
and Primo
). They were later involved in storyline romances with John Morrison and The Miz
in early 2009 and Daniel Bryan
in 2010. In April 2011, Brie won the WWE Divas Championship.
in a family of Mexican and Italian descent. They played soccer up until college, when they started modeling, acting, and doing promotional work. They made their first national TV appearance on the Fox reality
show Meet My Folks
. Following this appearance, the Garcia twins were hired to be the World Cup Twins for Budweiser
and were photographed holding the World Cup
trophy. They then participated in the 2006 "International Body Doubles twins search". They participated in the 2006 WWE Diva Search
but did not make the cut.
(WWE) in June 2007 and assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling
(FCW), WWE's developmental territory, in Tampa, Florida
. On September 15, 2007 the twins debuted in FCW, dubbed The Bella Twins, by defeating Nattie Neidhart
and Krissy Vaine
with Victoria Crawford as the special guest referee. The duo quickly started a scripted rivalry
with Neidhart and Crawford, and had a series of matches against them throughout October 2007. As a part of their on-screen personas, they switched places behind the referee's back if one of them was hurt. They also occasionally competed in mixed tag team matches, teaming with male wrestlers including Kofi Kingston
and Robert Anthony
. They also made some non-wrestling appearances on Heath Miller's "Happy Hour" promo segment.
Starting in December 2007, they began managing Derrick Linkin, but this storyline was cut short when Linkin was released in January 2008. They then resumed their feud with Neidhart and Crawford, wrestling them throughout much of 2008. After Neidhart was called up to the WWE roster in April 2008, however, Milena Roucka took her place in the feud. They also competed in bikini contest
s, and wrestled against other competitors including Katie Lea Burchill
and Daisy. Their last FCW appearance was on September 2, when they competed in a Divas
Battle Royal
won by Miss Angela
.
. She quickly began a scripted rivalry with Victoria and Victoria's accomplice, Nattie Neidhart, who was now using the ring name Natalya, and had a series of matches against them. In each match Brie would roll out of the ring
and go underneath it, emerging and appearing revived, and then win the match. On the October 31 edition of SmackDown when Brie went under the ring Victoria grabbed her legs, but a second pair of legs kicked her off, implying that a second person was under the ring. The following week on SmackDown, Brie picked up a win against Victoria and then ran under the ring to escape Natalya and Victoria, but Victoria and Natalya both reached for Brie under the ring, resulting in both Nicole and Brie being pulled out. The twins then attacked them and celebrated afterward. Nicole was then introduced as Nikki. The twins had their first official match as a team on the November 21st edition of SmackDown, defeating Victoria and Natalya. They continued competing in tag team matches for the next few months.
Starting in November, they developed an on-screen relationship with The Colóns
(Carlito
and Primo
), appearing in numerous backstage segments with them, and accompanying them to the ring. On the February 13, 2009 edition of SmackDown, John Morrison and The Miz
flirted
with the Bellas backstage. As Morrison and The Miz were scheduled to have a match against Carlito and Primo that night, a stipulation was added that the winning team would win a date with the Bellas on Valentine's Day
. During their date, Primo and Carlito were disguised as waiters and tried to sabotage the date, resulting in the Bellas getting angry with the two. The date provoked a rivalry between the teams of The Miz and Morrison and Primo and Carlito, with them competing for the affection of The Bella Twins, who were seemingly unable to choose between them. On the March 17th edition of ECW, Carlito and Primo, accidentally spat apples in the face of Brie, which was originally aimed at Morrison and The Miz. Nikki started to laugh at Brie's misfortune, and a fight broke out between the two of them, which led to Nikki leaving with The Miz and Morrison, while Brie stayed with Primo and Carlito. This turned Nikki heel
in the process. Brie won her first match over Nikki in a six-person intergender
tag team match on the March 27th edition of SmackDown. In their first singles match, on the March 31st edition of ECW, Nikki pinned Brie after Morrison and The Miz caused a distraction.
On April 15, 2009, The Bella Twins were both drafted to the Raw brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft. On the April 27th edition of Raw, Brie made her Raw in-ring debut in an eight-Diva tag team match, which her team won. Nikki also made an appearance, reuniting with her twin, as she was under the ring to help out Brie during her match. Nikki then made her official in-ring debut on the May 18th edition of Raw in a battle royal but was eliminated by Beth Phoenix
.
On June 29, 2009, they were both traded to the ECW brand. They debuted on ECW on June 30, 2009 on The Abraham Washington Show, as the special guests. The following Tuesday on ECW Nikki defeated Katie Lea Burchill, by switching places with Brie behind the referee's back. The following week on WWE Superstars
Brie also defeated Burchill after a similar switch. The Bella Twins were then featured on September 10 edition of Superstars, when Nikki defeated Burchill.
On October 12, 2009, the Bellas were sent back to Raw as part of a tri-branded divas trade, where they predominately appeared in backstage segments with the weekly guest stars and occasionally competed in matches. On the January 4, 2010, edition of Raw, Brie participated in the tournament to determine the new Divas Champion tournament match, but lost to Maryse in the first round. During the match, the twins switched places behind the referee's back so it was Nikki who was pinned. In June 2010, they developed a feud with Jillian Hall
, when Brie defeated her after switching with Nikki. The following week, Nikki defeated Hall after switching with Brie. On the July 8th edition of Superstars, the Bellas acted as the special guest referees during a mixed tag team match with Primo and Hall facing Yoshi Tatsu and Gail Kim
. During the match, Hall attacked both twins, but lost the match when Kim pinned her and Nikki made a fast count. On the next episode of Superstars, the twins defeated Hall and Maryse in a tag team match.
On August 31, The Bella Twins announced they would be part of season three of NXT
, mentoring Jamie
. Jamie was the first rookie eliminated on the October 5th edition of NXT. On the October 19 edition of NXT the Bellas heel turn started as Nikki became upset after Kelly Kelly's rookie Naomi kicked Brie in the face during the match. Nikki attacked Naomi and eventually threw Brie (the legal woman) out of the ring and pin Naomi. Over the rest of the season a similar trend of a more aggressive Nikki continued.
On the November 22 edition of Raw, Brie ran out to accompany Daniel Bryan
to his match against Ted DiBiase
who had Maryse
in his corner. Following Bryan's win, Nikki ran out and the two fought over Bryan's affection only to have Bryan break it up and have both of them hug each other. They began to manage Bryan, frequently accompanying him to the ring.
for the first time in their WWE careers. On January 30 at the Royal Rumble
, they once again assaulted Gail Kim, and again the following night on Raw.
On the February 7 edition of Raw, they debuted in their first match as heels, teaming with fellow recently-turned heel Melina
in a losing effort to WWE Divas Champion
Eve Torres
, Tamina
, and Gail Kim
.
The Bella Twins began feuding with Eve Torres after they appeared as lumberjills during a WWE Divas Championship
match between Eve and Natalya on the February 14th edition of Raw. Following the match, they attacked Eve backstage before Gail Kim and Natalya made the save. The following week, The Bella Twins defeated Eve and Gail Kim in a tag team match after using "Twin Magic". The following week, Nikki won a Divas battle royal to become the number one contender for the WWE Divas Championship
after Brie switched with her twin sister. Brie cashed in this title shot on the March 7 edition of Raw, but fell to win. On the March 17 edition of WWE Superstars, The Bella Twins teamed up with Melina and Alicia Fox in a losing effort against Tamina, Gail Kim, Natayla, Eve Torres. The following week on the March 31 edition of WWE Superstars, The Bellas and Melina, defeated Eve, Gail, and Natayla after Brie pinned Eve following another "Twin Magic" switch. On the April 11 edition of Raw, Brie Bella defeated Eve to win the WWE Divas Championship
from her, marking the first time that either twin had held a championship in the WWE. Brie went on to successfully defend the championship against Kelly Kelly at Over the Limit
, after switching places with Nikki again.
The following night on Raw, they teamed with fellow heels Maryse
and Melina against Kelly Kelly, Beth Phoenix
, Gail Kim, and Eve Torres, however, the match ended in a no-contest following an interruption from Kharma
. On the May 30 edition of Raw, The Bella Twins were defeated by Kelly Kelly and Eve. Later that night, they interrupted and mocked Kharma when she revealed that she was pregnant and that she was taking a year's leave of absence from the WWE.
On the June 6 edition of Raw, The Bella Twins were defeated in a divas tag team match by Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix after Brie was pinned by Phoenix. Their losing streak continued on the June 13 edition of Raw, when they lost a 7 on 7 divas tag team match teaming with Melina, Rosa Mendes, Alicia Fox, Maryse, and Tamina in a losing effort to Kelly Kelly, Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim, Eve Torres, Natalya, AJ, and Kaitlyn
. On the June 20 edition of Raw, a special "Power to the People" edition, where Brie would defend her title
against either Eve, Kelly Kelly, or Beth Phoenix, Kelly was selected by the WWE Universe as her opponent, who defeated Brie and won the Divas Championship. The following week on Raw, Nikki faced Kelly in a Raw Roulette match. A submission match was picked and Nikki lost after tapping out to a Boston crab
. After the match, both of the Bellas attacked Kelly until Eve Torres came to the rescue, throwing both Bellas out of the ring. It was later announced that Brie's rematch for the WWE Divas Championship would take place at the Money In The Bank
pay-per-view.
On July 17, Brie challenged Kelly for the WWE Divas Championship at the Money in the Bank 2011 pay-per-view, but failed to win. On the August 1 edition of Raw, Brie and Nikki both took part in a battle royal to face Kelly Kelly for the Divas Championship at SummerSlam
. They both failed to win but were eliminated last simultaneously at the hands of the victorious Beth Phoenix
. On the August 29 edition of Raw, The Bellas' losing streak finally ended when Brie Bella defeated Kelly Kelly after switching places with her sister Nikki. On the September 29 edition of WWE Superstars, The Bella Twins defeated Chickbusters
(A.J. and Kaitlyn). On the October 27th Edition of WWE Superstars Eve and Kelly Kelly defeated The Bella Twins after Kelly pinned Brie. On the November 29 Live Holiday Edition of Super SmackDown, Brie Bella won a Divas Mistletoe on a Pole match and would receive a Divas Championship match in the future. After the match, Mick Foley confronted Brie and told her that she would not get a Divas Title match but the opportunity to give a kiss to the Superstar of her choice between now and Christmas.
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
professional wrestlers
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
. The twins are a professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
under the ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
s Brie Bella and Nikki Bella, collectively referred to as The Bella Twins, and work for WWE on the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
.
Before being promoted to the main WWE roster, The Bella Twins wrestled with Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling
Championship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...
, where they were trained by Tom Prichard
Tom Prichard
Thomas Prichard is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, working in their developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling as a trainer using his ring name Tom Prichard...
, and mainly competed in tag team competition. Brie made her debut on SmackDown in August 2008; she debuted first, and as part of her in-ring persona, would disappear under the ring during matches, emerging revived. Eventually, however, it was discovered she was switching places with her twin, Nikki, under the ring in order to gain an advantage. They then competed in tag team matches. Beginning in November 2008, an angle was written in which The Bella Twins developed an on-screen relationship with The Colóns
The Colóns
The Colóns were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of real-life brothers, Carlito and Primo. The team worked for World Wrestling Entertainment...
(Carlito
Carly Colon
Carlos Edwin "Carly" Colón, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known internationally by his ring name Carlito. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Entertainment , but was released from his contract on May 21, 2010. In his native Puerto Rico, he is known as both...
and Primo
Eddie Colon
Edwin "Eddie" Carlos Colón is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is currently signed by WWE wrestling on its Raw brand as Primo. He is the son of Carlos Colón, Sr. and the younger brother of wrestlers Stacy and Carly Colón, better known as Carlito in WWE...
). They were later involved in storyline romances with John Morrison and The Miz
John Morrison and The Miz
John Morrison and The Miz were a professional wrestling tag team and former WWE Tough Enough contestants. The team worked for World Wrestling Entertainment on its ECW brand, but also appeared on the SmackDown and Raw brands due to ECW's talent exchanges with those brands during their tenure as a team...
in early 2009 and Daniel Bryan
Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand as Daniel Bryan, and currently holds the SmackDown Money in the Bank briefcase, which enables him to have a World Heavyweight Championship match at any time of his choosing...
in 2010. In April 2011, Brie won the WWE Divas Championship.
Early career
Brianna and Nicole Garcia were born in San Diego, California and raised in Scottsdale, ArizonaScottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
in a family of Mexican and Italian descent. They played soccer up until college, when they started modeling, acting, and doing promotional work. They made their first national TV appearance on the Fox reality
Fox Reality Channel
Fox Reality Channel was an all reality television channel available on cable and satellite television in the United States. It was launched on May 24, 2005 and was owned by the Fox Entertainment Group. It featured many shows that were previously on the Fox network...
show Meet My Folks
Meet My Folks
Meet My Folks is a comedy reality television series which aired on NBC from 2002–2003 and aired in re-runs on MyNetworkTV from 2007-2008...
. Following this appearance, the Garcia twins were hired to be the World Cup Twins for Budweiser
Budweiser
Budweiser is a German adjective describing something or someone from the city of České Budějovice in Southern Bohemia, Czech Republic.Beer brewing in České Budějovice dates back to the 13th century...
and were photographed holding the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
trophy. They then participated in the 2006 "International Body Doubles twins search". They participated in the 2006 WWE Diva Search
WWE Diva Search
The WWE Diva Search is a talent competition held by World Wrestling Entertainment. The first winner was Jaime Koeppe, but she did not receive a contract like subsequent winners of the contest. Other winners included Christy Hemme, Ashley Massaro, Layla El, and Eve Torres. In addition to the winners...
but did not make the cut.
Florida Championship Wrestling (2007–2008)
They were signed to developmental contracts by World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE) in June 2007 and assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling
Championship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...
(FCW), WWE's developmental territory, in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
. On September 15, 2007 the twins debuted in FCW, dubbed The Bella Twins, by defeating Nattie Neidhart
Nattie Neidhart
Natalie "Nattie" Katherine Neidhart is a Canadian professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Natalya....
and Krissy Vaine
Kristin Eubanks
Kristin Eubanks is an American professional wrestler and valet better known by her ring names Krissy Vaine and Kristin Astara.-Professional wrestling career:...
with Victoria Crawford as the special guest referee. The duo quickly started a scripted rivalry
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with Neidhart and Crawford, and had a series of matches against them throughout October 2007. As a part of their on-screen personas, they switched places behind the referee's back if one of them was hurt. They also occasionally competed in mixed tag team matches, teaming with male wrestlers including Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
and Robert Anthony
Robert Anthony
Robert Anthony is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Egotistico Fantastico. He currently performs for various independent promotions, most notably Combat Zone Wrestling where he is a former CZW World Heavyweight Champion, as well as a former World Junior Heavyweight...
. They also made some non-wrestling appearances on Heath Miller's "Happy Hour" promo segment.
Starting in December 2007, they began managing Derrick Linkin, but this storyline was cut short when Linkin was released in January 2008. They then resumed their feud with Neidhart and Crawford, wrestling them throughout much of 2008. After Neidhart was called up to the WWE roster in April 2008, however, Milena Roucka took her place in the feud. They also competed in bikini contest
Bikini contest
A bikini contest is a beauty contest where women compete against each other in bikinis.Bikini contests can take place in bars, nightclubs, at beaches, and beauty pageants. Related companies regularly sponsor such contests to discover and attract new talents to promote their products...
s, and wrestled against other competitors including Katie Lea Burchill
Katarina Waters
Katarina Leigh Waters is a German-born English professional wrestler and valet, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Winter. She is best known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment, performing on its Raw brand under the ring name Katie Lea...
and Daisy. Their last FCW appearance was on September 2, when they competed in a Divas
WWE Diva
Diva is a term used by World Wrestling Entertainment , an American professional wrestling promotion, to refer to its female talent. The term is applied to women who appear as wrestlers, managers or valets, backstage interviewers, or ring announcers....
Battle Royal
Battle royal (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a battle royal is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner...
won by Miss Angela
Angela Fong
Angela Carolyn Fong is a Canadian professional wrestler, model, cheerleader for the CFL's British Columbia Lions and actress best known for her time at World Wrestling Entertainment as known by her former ring names Miss Angela during her time at the developmental territory FCW and as Savannah...
.
Debut, Brand switches and Various Storylines (2008–2010)
On the August 29, 2008 edition of SmackDown, Brianna debuted as Brie Bella under a fan favorite character and defeated VictoriaLisa Marie Varon
Lisa Marie Varon , is an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and fitness competitor of Puerto Rican and Turkish descent...
. She quickly began a scripted rivalry with Victoria and Victoria's accomplice, Nattie Neidhart, who was now using the ring name Natalya, and had a series of matches against them. In each match Brie would roll out of the ring
Wrestling ring
A wrestling ring is the ring stage on which professional wrestlers wrestle.-Configuration and construction:The configuration and construction of the "traditional" ring is very similar to that of a boxing ring, though the wrestling version has three ring ropes...
and go underneath it, emerging and appearing revived, and then win the match. On the October 31 edition of SmackDown when Brie went under the ring Victoria grabbed her legs, but a second pair of legs kicked her off, implying that a second person was under the ring. The following week on SmackDown, Brie picked up a win against Victoria and then ran under the ring to escape Natalya and Victoria, but Victoria and Natalya both reached for Brie under the ring, resulting in both Nicole and Brie being pulled out. The twins then attacked them and celebrated afterward. Nicole was then introduced as Nikki. The twins had their first official match as a team on the November 21st edition of SmackDown, defeating Victoria and Natalya. They continued competing in tag team matches for the next few months.
Starting in November, they developed an on-screen relationship with The Colóns
The Colóns
The Colóns were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of real-life brothers, Carlito and Primo. The team worked for World Wrestling Entertainment...
(Carlito
Carly Colon
Carlos Edwin "Carly" Colón, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known internationally by his ring name Carlito. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Entertainment , but was released from his contract on May 21, 2010. In his native Puerto Rico, he is known as both...
and Primo
Eddie Colon
Edwin "Eddie" Carlos Colón is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is currently signed by WWE wrestling on its Raw brand as Primo. He is the son of Carlos Colón, Sr. and the younger brother of wrestlers Stacy and Carly Colón, better known as Carlito in WWE...
), appearing in numerous backstage segments with them, and accompanying them to the ring. On the February 13, 2009 edition of SmackDown, John Morrison and The Miz
John Morrison and The Miz
John Morrison and The Miz were a professional wrestling tag team and former WWE Tough Enough contestants. The team worked for World Wrestling Entertainment on its ECW brand, but also appeared on the SmackDown and Raw brands due to ECW's talent exchanges with those brands during their tenure as a team...
flirted
Flirting
Flirting is a playful, romantic, or sexual overture by one person to another subtly indicating an interest in a deeper relationship with the other person, and can involve verbal communication as well as body language...
with the Bellas backstage. As Morrison and The Miz were scheduled to have a match against Carlito and Primo that night, a stipulation was added that the winning team would win a date with the Bellas on Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
. During their date, Primo and Carlito were disguised as waiters and tried to sabotage the date, resulting in the Bellas getting angry with the two. The date provoked a rivalry between the teams of The Miz and Morrison and Primo and Carlito, with them competing for the affection of The Bella Twins, who were seemingly unable to choose between them. On the March 17th edition of ECW, Carlito and Primo, accidentally spat apples in the face of Brie, which was originally aimed at Morrison and The Miz. Nikki started to laugh at Brie's misfortune, and a fight broke out between the two of them, which led to Nikki leaving with The Miz and Morrison, while Brie stayed with Primo and Carlito. This turned Nikki heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
in the process. Brie won her first match over Nikki in a six-person intergender
Intergender wrestling
Intergender wrestling, also known as mixed wrestling is a type of professional wrestling match between a man and a woman, and may also refer to tag team matches with both men and women on each team....
tag team match on the March 27th edition of SmackDown. In their first singles match, on the March 31st edition of ECW, Nikki pinned Brie after Morrison and The Miz caused a distraction.
On April 15, 2009, The Bella Twins were both drafted to the Raw brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft. On the April 27th edition of Raw, Brie made her Raw in-ring debut in an eight-Diva tag team match, which her team won. Nikki also made an appearance, reuniting with her twin, as she was under the ring to help out Brie during her match. Nikki then made her official in-ring debut on the May 18th edition of Raw in a battle royal but was eliminated by Beth Phoenix
Beth Phoenix
Elizabeth Kocianski is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE where she wrestles on the Raw brand under the ring name Beth Phoenix, where she is the reigning WWE Divas Champion....
.
On June 29, 2009, they were both traded to the ECW brand. They debuted on ECW on June 30, 2009 on The Abraham Washington Show, as the special guests. The following Tuesday on ECW Nikki defeated Katie Lea Burchill, by switching places with Brie behind the referee's back. The following week on WWE Superstars
WWE Superstars
WWE Superstars is a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that originally aired on WGN America in the United States. It debuted on April 16, 2009 and ended its domestic broadcasting on April 7, 2011...
Brie also defeated Burchill after a similar switch. The Bella Twins were then featured on September 10 edition of Superstars, when Nikki defeated Burchill.
On October 12, 2009, the Bellas were sent back to Raw as part of a tri-branded divas trade, where they predominately appeared in backstage segments with the weekly guest stars and occasionally competed in matches. On the January 4, 2010, edition of Raw, Brie participated in the tournament to determine the new Divas Champion tournament match, but lost to Maryse in the first round. During the match, the twins switched places behind the referee's back so it was Nikki who was pinned. In June 2010, they developed a feud with Jillian Hall
Jillian Hall
Jillian Faye Fletcher is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is also known for her tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Jillian Hall or simply Jillian...
, when Brie defeated her after switching with Nikki. The following week, Nikki defeated Hall after switching with Brie. On the July 8th edition of Superstars, the Bellas acted as the special guest referees during a mixed tag team match with Primo and Hall facing Yoshi Tatsu and Gail Kim
Gail Kim
Gail Kim is a Canadian professional wrestler of Korean descent, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is the current TNA Women's Knockout Champion and one half of the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions with Madison Rayne...
. During the match, Hall attacked both twins, but lost the match when Kim pinned her and Nikki made a fast count. On the next episode of Superstars, the twins defeated Hall and Maryse in a tag team match.
On August 31, The Bella Twins announced they would be part of season three of NXT
WWE NXT
WWE NXT is a sports entertainment television program produced by WWE that debuted on February 23, 2010. Described as a hybrid between reality television and WWE's scripted live event shows, the premise of the show follows select talent contracted to WWE's developmental territory Florida...
, mentoring Jamie
Brittany Beede
Brittany Beede is an American model and professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she took part in the third season of NXT under the ring name Jamie...
. Jamie was the first rookie eliminated on the October 5th edition of NXT. On the October 19 edition of NXT the Bellas heel turn started as Nikki became upset after Kelly Kelly's rookie Naomi kicked Brie in the face during the match. Nikki attacked Naomi and eventually threw Brie (the legal woman) out of the ring and pin Naomi. Over the rest of the season a similar trend of a more aggressive Nikki continued.
On the November 22 edition of Raw, Brie ran out to accompany Daniel Bryan
Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand as Daniel Bryan, and currently holds the SmackDown Money in the Bank briefcase, which enables him to have a World Heavyweight Championship match at any time of his choosing...
to his match against Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE, where he appears on its SmackDown brand...
who had Maryse
Maryse Ouellet
Maryse Ouellet is a Professional Glamour Model and a former professional wrestler, better known simply as Maryse. She most recently worked for WWE...
in his corner. Following Bryan's win, Nikki ran out and the two fought over Bryan's affection only to have Bryan break it up and have both of them hug each other. They began to manage Bryan, frequently accompanying him to the ring.
Heel Turn; Divas Champion (2011–present)
On the January 24 edition of Raw, the twins discovered Bryan kissing Gail Kim backstage. After it was explained to them that Gail was Bryan's girlfriend, the Bellas assaulted her, turning both heelHeel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
for the first time in their WWE careers. On January 30 at the Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2011)
Royal Rumble was the 24th annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on January 30, 2011 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts....
, they once again assaulted Gail Kim, and again the following night on Raw.
On the February 7 edition of Raw, they debuted in their first match as heels, teaming with fellow recently-turned heel Melina
Melina Perez
Melina Nava Perez is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring mononym Melina....
in a losing effort to WWE Divas Champion
WWE Divas Championship
The WWE Diva's Championship is a unified professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is competed for by WWE Divas. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced in storyline by then-SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero as an alternative to Raw's Women's Championship...
Eve Torres
Eve Torres
Eve Marie Torres is an American dancer, model, and professional wrestler. She is working for WWE on Raw brand. She is a two time WWE Divas Champion.Torres began her career as a model and dancer...
, Tamina
Sarona Reiher
Sarona Reiher is a professional wrestler who is currently signed to WWE, where she is performing on the SmackDown brand, using the ring name Tamina...
, and Gail Kim
Gail Kim
Gail Kim is a Canadian professional wrestler of Korean descent, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is the current TNA Women's Knockout Champion and one half of the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions with Madison Rayne...
.
The Bella Twins began feuding with Eve Torres after they appeared as lumberjills during a WWE Divas Championship
WWE Divas Championship
The WWE Diva's Championship is a unified professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is competed for by WWE Divas. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced in storyline by then-SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero as an alternative to Raw's Women's Championship...
match between Eve and Natalya on the February 14th edition of Raw. Following the match, they attacked Eve backstage before Gail Kim and Natalya made the save. The following week, The Bella Twins defeated Eve and Gail Kim in a tag team match after using "Twin Magic". The following week, Nikki won a Divas battle royal to become the number one contender for the WWE Divas Championship
WWE Divas Championship
The WWE Diva's Championship is a unified professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is competed for by WWE Divas. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced in storyline by then-SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero as an alternative to Raw's Women's Championship...
after Brie switched with her twin sister. Brie cashed in this title shot on the March 7 edition of Raw, but fell to win. On the March 17 edition of WWE Superstars, The Bella Twins teamed up with Melina and Alicia Fox in a losing effort against Tamina, Gail Kim, Natayla, Eve Torres. The following week on the March 31 edition of WWE Superstars, The Bellas and Melina, defeated Eve, Gail, and Natayla after Brie pinned Eve following another "Twin Magic" switch. On the April 11 edition of Raw, Brie Bella defeated Eve to win the WWE Divas Championship
WWE Divas Championship
The WWE Diva's Championship is a unified professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is competed for by WWE Divas. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced in storyline by then-SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero as an alternative to Raw's Women's Championship...
from her, marking the first time that either twin had held a championship in the WWE. Brie went on to successfully defend the championship against Kelly Kelly at Over the Limit
Over the Limit (2011)
Over the Limit was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE, which took place on May 22, 2011 at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington. It was the second Over the Limit event...
, after switching places with Nikki again.
The following night on Raw, they teamed with fellow heels Maryse
Maryse Ouellet
Maryse Ouellet is a Professional Glamour Model and a former professional wrestler, better known simply as Maryse. She most recently worked for WWE...
and Melina against Kelly Kelly, Beth Phoenix
Beth Phoenix
Elizabeth Kocianski is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE where she wrestles on the Raw brand under the ring name Beth Phoenix, where she is the reigning WWE Divas Champion....
, Gail Kim, and Eve Torres, however, the match ended in a no-contest following an interruption from Kharma
Kia Stevens
Kia Michelle Stevens , better known by her ring names Amazing Kong, Awesome Kong and Kharma. She is signed with WWE, but has been inactive since May 2011 due to pregnancy...
. On the May 30 edition of Raw, The Bella Twins were defeated by Kelly Kelly and Eve. Later that night, they interrupted and mocked Kharma when she revealed that she was pregnant and that she was taking a year's leave of absence from the WWE.
On the June 6 edition of Raw, The Bella Twins were defeated in a divas tag team match by Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix after Brie was pinned by Phoenix. Their losing streak continued on the June 13 edition of Raw, when they lost a 7 on 7 divas tag team match teaming with Melina, Rosa Mendes, Alicia Fox, Maryse, and Tamina in a losing effort to Kelly Kelly, Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim, Eve Torres, Natalya, AJ, and Kaitlyn
Celeste Bonin
Celeste Beryl Bonin is an American model and professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Kaitlyn. She is working for WWE, where she is assigned to the SmackDown brand and also competes in their developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling...
. On the June 20 edition of Raw, a special "Power to the People" edition, where Brie would defend her title
WWE Divas Championship
The WWE Diva's Championship is a unified professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is competed for by WWE Divas. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced in storyline by then-SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero as an alternative to Raw's Women's Championship...
against either Eve, Kelly Kelly, or Beth Phoenix, Kelly was selected by the WWE Universe as her opponent, who defeated Brie and won the Divas Championship. The following week on Raw, Nikki faced Kelly in a Raw Roulette match. A submission match was picked and Nikki lost after tapping out to a Boston crab
Boston crab
The Boston crab is a professional wrestling hold that typically starts with the opponent lying supine on the mat, with the wrestler standing and facing them. It is a type of spinal lock where the wrestler hooks each of the opponent’s legs in one of his arms, and then turns the opponent face-down,...
. After the match, both of the Bellas attacked Kelly until Eve Torres came to the rescue, throwing both Bellas out of the ring. It was later announced that Brie's rematch for the WWE Divas Championship would take place at the Money In The Bank
Money in the Bank (2011)
Money in the Bank was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE, which took place on July 17, 2011 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. It was the second annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view...
pay-per-view.
On July 17, Brie challenged Kelly for the WWE Divas Championship at the Money in the Bank 2011 pay-per-view, but failed to win. On the August 1 edition of Raw, Brie and Nikki both took part in a battle royal to face Kelly Kelly for the Divas Championship at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2011)
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE that took place on August 14, 2011. For the third consecutive year, SummerSlam was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, and it was the 24th annual SummerSlam event...
. They both failed to win but were eliminated last simultaneously at the hands of the victorious Beth Phoenix
Beth Phoenix
Elizabeth Kocianski is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE where she wrestles on the Raw brand under the ring name Beth Phoenix, where she is the reigning WWE Divas Champion....
. On the August 29 edition of Raw, The Bellas' losing streak finally ended when Brie Bella defeated Kelly Kelly after switching places with her sister Nikki. On the September 29 edition of WWE Superstars, The Bella Twins defeated Chickbusters
The Chickbusters
The Chickbusters is a professional wrestling face tag team consisting of Kaitlyn and AJ, both working for WWE and assigned to the SmackDown brand, and also compete in developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling...
(A.J. and Kaitlyn). On the October 27th Edition of WWE Superstars Eve and Kelly Kelly defeated The Bella Twins after Kelly pinned Brie. On the November 29 Live Holiday Edition of Super SmackDown, Brie Bella won a Divas Mistletoe on a Pole match and would receive a Divas Championship match in the future. After the match, Mick Foley confronted Brie and told her that she would not get a Divas Title match but the opportunity to give a kiss to the Superstar of her choice between now and Christmas.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Bella Buster / Ring my Bella (Sitout facebuster)
- Twin Magic (Surreptitiously changing places to hoodwink the opponent and/or the referee, often followed by a sitout facebuster)
- Signature moves
- Jumping snapmare
- Springboard arm drag
- Monkey flip
- Armbar
- Diving crossbody
- Wrestlers managedManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- CarlitoCarly ColonCarlos Edwin "Carly" Colón, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known internationally by his ring name Carlito. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Entertainment , but was released from his contract on May 21, 2010. In his native Puerto Rico, he is known as both...
andThe ColónsThe Colóns were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of real-life brothers, Carlito and Primo. The team worked for World Wrestling Entertainment...
PrimoEddie ColonEdwin "Eddie" Carlos Colón is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is currently signed by WWE wrestling on its Raw brand as Primo. He is the son of Carlos Colón, Sr. and the younger brother of wrestlers Stacy and Carly Colón, better known as Carlito in WWE... - John Morrison andJohn Morrison and The MizJohn Morrison and The Miz were a professional wrestling tag team and former WWE Tough Enough contestants. The team worked for World Wrestling Entertainment on its ECW brand, but also appeared on the SmackDown and Raw brands due to ECW's talent exchanges with those brands during their tenure as a team...
The Miz - Daniel BryanBryan DanielsonBryan Danielson is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand as Daniel Bryan, and currently holds the SmackDown Money in the Bank briefcase, which enables him to have a World Heavyweight Championship match at any time of his choosing...
- Carlito
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "Feel My Body" by Jim JohnstonJim Johnston (composer)James Alan "Jim" Johnston is an American music composer who has been working for WWE since 1985. His work is often accredited to the names Jim Johnston, James A...
(2008–2009) - "You Can Look (But You Can't Touch)" by Kim SozziKim SozziKim Sozzi is an American dance-pop singer originally from Long Island, New York.-Career:Kim Sozzi's career began in 1999 when she signed a contract on Columbia Records for her first major album, Life Goes On. Her first single from the album was "Til I Cry You Out Of Me", followed by "Letting Go"...
and Jim JohnstonJim Johnston (composer)James Alan "Jim" Johnston is an American music composer who has been working for WWE since 1985. His work is often accredited to the names Jim Johnston, James A...
(2009–present)
- "Feel My Body" by Jim Johnston
Championships and accomplishments
- World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
- WWE Divas ChampionshipWWE Divas ChampionshipThe WWE Diva's Championship is a unified professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is competed for by WWE Divas. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced in storyline by then-SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero as an alternative to Raw's Women's Championship...
(1 time) – Brie - WWE Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama - Nikki for the That Article Twitter Feud (WWE.com Award)
- WWE Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Drama - Brie, also for the That Article Twitter Feud
- WWE Divas Championship
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked Brie #21 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
in 2011
- PWI ranked Brie #21 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50