The current run of the Bella Twins in WWE has had its share of ups and downs. Brie Bella returned to the company after many years at the Royal Rumble in January to join her twin sister Nikki Bella. However, just as the Hall of Famers were finding their footing together once again, Nikki injured her ankle on the road to WrestleMania. Brie ended up winning the gold alongside Paige at the big event.
After more than four months, Nikki came back just in time to team with the two as the former Total Divas stars are set to collide with Fatal Influence’s Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid at SummerSlam. We caught up with the Bella Twins ahead of WWE’s biggest party of the summer airing August 1 and 2 on ESPN Plus.
Nikki, you’ve come back from injuries before. How did this one compare to past recoveries at this stage of the game?
Nikki Bella: It was really hard. It’s crazy. With the neck, you just have to keep it propped up and let it heal. But with an ankle, it’s like you have to move it every day. You have to do all this different type of PT work. The mindset was like, “Wow, I really saw something that I wanted in my career that kind of would have put a button in my career, winning the tag titles, especially at WrestleMania. It would have been so incredible. And having that taken away, this time around it gave me a certain fire where I was like, “I’m going to come back so much better and so much stronger. “It let me really get to know my body really well in this era of myself.” I was like, “Oh, I need to work harder on this type of thing. You saw with my run-in on SmackDown. I’ve had so many texts going, “I cannot believe how fast you ran into the ring. How you came in there like a bullet.” I’m just in this mindset that I can do whatever I want to do, and I’m going to do it. I worked really hard these three months to get back.
Nikki and Brie Bella await their opponent during SmackDown at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 27, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images)
And Brie, you had this plan to come back to join Nikki. Then with her on the shelf, the plans had to pivot. That’s a different kind of challenge for you. How was it weathering through all that on your end?
Brie Bella: Yeah, I mean, there were definitely a lot of emotions because when she broke her ankle, I was like, “Well, I can be out with her, and then when she’s healed, we can come back together, unless you guys [WWE] have another idea.” There were just so many different ways we could have played it. We didn’t know what to do, but I told them I was game for anything. Even though I was so bummed for her, when I knew Paige was going to be my tag partner, I was like, “There’s no one better in the world to take Nikki’s position than her.” Paige and I are like sisters. We go way back, and we have really great chemistry, and she’s a lot like Nikki. She’s tough, she’s fearless. So I felt like it was the perfect person to take her spot. But there were a lot of emotions for me because I’m her twin. I was really sad for her, and then I’m like, “Oh gosh.” It was a lot.
The team really organically came together and led to you two and Paige facing Toxic Attraction at SummerSlam. What’s it like working with these emerging talents? Where you are at a point in your career where you are helping others along as well. At the same time, they want to take your spot just as much as you want to maintain it.
Brie: For sure. I think it’s an incredible feeling to know we can come back in this era of women and compete with them. Fatal Influence, they’re tough, they’re strong, they’re incredible in the ring, and to fight with them, it’s tough, and it’s fun. We’re excited for SummerSlam because you get to see the generations. It’s like the generations fighting each other. But Nikki and I have always been big believers in helping women. We saw how the path was paved for us, so we want to keep paving it for the girls behind us, and we know that they’re going to do the same for the newer generations to come.
Nikki: It’s amazing to come back and be able to share your equity and help build others. Hopefully, because we have a certain audience, they get introduced to whoever our opponents are, and they become connected. So, it’s great to give back in that way, and then also to show them that we could still kick ass. It doesn’t matter what era, we could still hang and do it.
What do you make of the landscape of women’s wrestling today? It’s so competitive right now, and everyone’s still fighting for TV time, just like you were. The more things change, there’s still steps forward that can be taken. I believe on Raw when there were no women’s matches, fans were going off about that. What’s your stance on things?
Brie: It is miles ahead than what we were used to back in the day. I’ve actually been so lucky to be on SmackDown because there’s some Fridays where the women have more matches than the men. It’s fun to have so many women competing. The way we look at it is we have live television every week, so it’s a rollercoaster ride with what we’re seeing. I always look at creative and think about what they thought was best for the women. Nikki and I will always fight thinking women deserve more, but we’ll always fight thinking women deserve the most and the best because that’s who we are. That’s who the Bella Twins are.
Nikki: I definitely think we definitely need to get to a point where it’s very much equal to men and women as far as match time because we know what the women can do. The women are very entertaining. They put on incredible matches, and I think people tune in to see that. So, I definitely think that we do need to get to a place where, yeah, I tune in, and I should always see a women’s match no matter what. And more than one, and that’s where I strive to be. That’s why I love being back in this era. I know I’ve always been a big voice in that, and sometimes it has got me in trouble. I don’t mind because I will always stick with what I believe in, especially when women deliver. The women have delivered, as we can see. I mean, look at all of the stars and the matches they have. So, I know as a fan, when I tune in, I want to make sure I see a women’s match, for sure.
WWE
What kind of advice do you pass along to the younger talent in terms of social media? I say that because there have been women who have gone as far as to deactivate their accounts because of some of the messages and comments they receive.
Brie: We’re the queens of knowing hate online. Yeah, I think stories are made up about you. Social media is definitely the biggest thing I feel you really have to help this younger generation out with. It’s their culture, so they have grown up in social media, by being validated by it. It’s how they communicate, everything. We’re kind of those millennials that know how to live without social media. Now WWE superstars have one of the largest fan bases, but then we also have this other fan base that loves to attack us constantly. We laugh at it. We think it’s hilarious, and it has never stopped us. So, Nikki and I are constantly giving them advice that you have to just clear out the noise. You know your worth. You look in the mirror, and all you need to be is the person who looks and says, “I can do it. I’m the best at what I do. I’m here for a reason, and that’s all that matters.”
Nikki: I’ve told some of them that all it shows is you’re becoming more successful because the more successful you become, the louder the people get, good and bad, and that that’s life. When I’ve talked to a few, because I know some have deactivated because of false stories or something else. Rumors start. Assuming they’re a certain type of person that they’re not.
Even with AI. I think it’s creepy. Some of the photos and videos are very disturbing.
Nikki: AI for sure. I feel like we’re in this place in the world where I just ignore it. I see so much online, and so much false stuff. People nowadays just assume if you like something, they assume you’re a certain type of person, or if you’re talking to a certain person. People just assume all this different stuff about your character. Then when it’s about the human character, and you’re like, “That’s not me.” I’ve been very good at ignoring it. It can also be really hard for people, and I could see that too.
You were trailblazers part of the reality show Total Divas. Some on the roster have cited the show as what inspired them to want to wrestle. How would you compare that show to WWE Unreal? Everyone seems to have an opinion about that Netflix show.
Brie: I feel like they are such different shows. In Unreal, you get the mechanics of the business and see the creative team. So much is about how they run the shows. On Total Divas, you got to see us women wrestlers. We went and wrestled, we gave you a sneak peek of the backstage, but not the full insight of what was going on. We showed how we handled our careers with our personal relationships. You got to see more of us outside of the ring, and how we balance everything, our other desires and wants. I know Unreal’s kind of giving a little more of that this past season because they’re going to people’s homes and showing relationships.
Nikki: Theirs comes off more like a documentary style to me, where Total Divas felt so much more pop culture and fun. We had cast vacations. You didn’t always watch us just so focused on everything being about WWE. You saw us have happy hours, and go party, and then also, like, do fun fashion events. When I watch Unreal, they’ll get into personal life stuff, but I feel it’s very much more a documentary style than what our show was so docu-soap.
Any talks of a Total Bellas or Total Divas revival? Are you interested in stepping back into reality TV?
Nikki: We hear that a lot. Brie and I, we talk a lot about this. We definitely would go back to reality TV, but we definitely have boundaries because of our children.
Brie: I don’t want to raise my family on reality television. That’s the hard thing. I want somewhat of a private life. But we always talk about how much we miss it together.
Nikki: We so much don’t want to be in our homes with cameras because we’re so protective of our kids. We only give a glimpse on social media, but we really try to protect them in so many ways. I miss reality TV with her and with my divas. It’s fun because life gets so busy, so what’s nice about a reality show is you have to go film, and be forced to like yay, you get to hang out with you b*tches today. Then that ends up being a great day. I miss that stuff.
And I’m sure there’s some women in the locker room who wouldn’t mind being a part of the cast, if you asked.
Nikki: I feel like all of them would do it. Mainly, everyone wants Total Divas back so bad. It seems like there has been so many talks of it. I think Divas would thrive in this era right now. What’s going on with Bravo and different networks, too, Divas is so perfect for this era. We were very different from a lot of shows, too. We do have that true empowerment side of women, but then we have that natural drama side of fighting for TV time, and by the looks of it, I mean, people are really fighting for TV time right now.
WWE
How is it kind of managing careers as the kids continue to get older? Especially you Brie, where you and your husband Bryan Danielson have been able to make marriage work so well.
Brie: I’ve been so blessed. I could have only done this comeback if Bryan was able to take a step back from what he was doing. With the kids, it’s always tough. You yearn for them when you’re on the road, especially because I was home with them all the time. So, it has definitely been an adjustment. But knowing that they’re at home with Dad, he has become like a Pinterest dad. Like, his homemade meals, his homemade snacks, he literally will have the kids go on this amazing nature scavenger hunt, and then they have to, with what they found, come up with an arts and craft. Like, he’s just been crushing it as pretty much a stay-at-home dad.
So, I’ve been so blessed, and I honestly couldn’t do it without him. Bryan and I, with our marriage, the number one thing that we have is communication. If anyone’s ever feeling like, you know, they’re not getting enough attention, or they need this type of support. We’re always just vocal about it. We never keep anything in, and I think because we’ve always had that, our marriage has always just been great. I’ve really been blessed. He and I started off as friends and realized we had the same values, beliefs. So when you’re aligned in that way of living, that really helps a marriage.
Nikki: I’m a little different. What has been a blessing for me is when you start co-parenting, you have these days at home without your child. I’m someone who would just sit and cry and be like, “I miss my son.” So the blessing of wrestling have been that nowadays where I wouldn’t have Matteo, I get to be on the road. So, there are days I wouldn’t have him anyways, and now, not that I want to stay distracted, but I get to pour my energy into my career again. Then right when I go home and land, I go straight into mom mode. I actually feel super blessed to have wrestling right now to get me through those times without them because it’s hard. Anyone who’s been through a divorce and has to co-parent, you know, those days without your kids are tough.
Where do you kind of see the future of your careers? Going for those tag titles?
Nikki: I’m on board, if Brie’s not, I’ll go for something else. But before I hang up the Nikes for good, I really would love one last championship run, a really great championship run. That Divas Championship run, and not that I’m saying I’d hold a title for that long, but it just had a lot of impact. Then at the end of the day, when Charlotte [Flair] took that off me, it just made such an incredible character in Charlotte, and I would just love to have that one last championship run that could really pass the torch and equity to someone. I’d also love to have another Evolution PLE (Premium Live Event) especially with Brie. That’s always my favorite [PLE], and I really want to do one more Evolution before it’s all said and done.
Brie: I really want to get in either a ladder match, or Hell in the Cell. I haven’t been in any of those, and I’m like, “Please put me in.” Yeah, I would love that. Maybe I can be a part of any of those. I’ve been so blessed in my career. I’ve done the coolest stuff. I’m having so much fun right now wrestling. I also want to do AAA [in Mexico]. I told Rey Mysterio, “Can you and Undertaker book me?”…Just do some more fun wrestling, but at the end of it, whatever opportunities come my way, I’ve been so blessed in my career. I know, we have been so lucky. I’m definitely satisfied with what I’ve done, but you know what? I’m always liking to do more. I mean, hey, it’s not bad to want more.
WWE SummerSlam, August 1 and 2, 6/5c, ESPN Plus
WWE Raw, Mondays, 8/7c, Netflix
WWE NXT, Tuesdays, 8/7c, The CW
WWE SmackDown, Fridays, 8/7c, USA Network