For the better part of the last two decades, WWE television has featured the Bella Twins in some form or fashion. The real-life twin sisters, Nicole and Brianna Garcia, must have known what their future could hold; they first entered a WWE Divas Search in 2006. Since then, they’ve bounced in and out of the squared circle, entertaining crowds while winning championship gold.
During that time, Nikki Bella has not only appeared in her share of WrestleManias but has also become a bigger ambassador than WWE would realize, with the WWE-focused reality shows she starred in (Total Divas and Total Bellas) directly contributing to an influx of women watching—and becoming part of—WWE. She’s an entrepreneur, a podcast host, and even a Chief Margarita Officer! For those of you who are unfamiliar with Nikki Bella, though, don’t fret, we’ve got you covered. Here’s everything you need to know about WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella.
Nikki Bella is the older Bella Twin
On November 12, 1983, Nikki was born 16 minutes earlier than her twin sister Brie, in San Diego, California, before being raised in Phoenix, Arizona. They are of Italian and Mexican descent, and both played soccer.
The Bella Twins signed WWE contracts in 2007
Despite not making the 2006 WWE Diva Search finals, the Bella Twins signed WWE developmental contracts in 2007, winning their debut tag team match as The Bella Twins in WWE’s developmental territory at the time, Florida Championship Wrestling, on September 15, 2007, defeating Nattie Neidhart and Krissy Vaine in a tag match. They made their WWE main roster debut almost one year later, with Brie wrestling a singles match on SmackDown on August 29, 2008.
Twin Magic
While Brie was the first Bella Twin to wrestle on WWE TV, we definitely saw Nikki before we were officially introduced to her. One of their earliest tricks was to employ “Twin Magic,” where, during the match, Brie would suddenly retreat under the ring. A little while later, we’d see “Brie” reappear, more refreshed than we’d seen her, easily defeating her opponent. After a while, it was revealed that Nikki would hide under the ring; while Brie hid under the ring, Nikki emerged, posed as her sister, and racked up wins.
W plan, until they got caught.
The impact of Total Divas
In the midst of being at the top of the Divas division in WWE, Nikki and Brie were two of the stars of Total Divas, the reality TV series that found the WWE Divas taking you behind the scenes of their lives on the road and in the locker room. Nikki’s life in particular was a big part of the series, from her relationship with Brie and the rest of their family to her then-relationship with John Cena. Overall, Total Divas had a serious impact on bringing women into watching wrestling, and then eventually becoming wrestlers. Chelsea Green said it herself: “Total Divas got 75 percent of the females in NXT there,” specifically name-checking the Bellas as some of the names people ask her about.
Nikki and Brie’s work on Total Divas was so huge that they spawned a spinoff, Total Bellas, which took viewers further into Nikki and Brie’s lives and ran for six seasons.
Nikki Bella is the longest-reigning Divas Champion
In 2026, women wrestling in WWE has morphed from being seen as special attractions and “Divas” to main-eventing WrestleManias and getting as tough and violent as their male counterparts, and Nikki Bella stands in a weird position in that debate. At 301 days, her second reign as Divas Champion is the longest single reign with the title. During this reign, Paige and AJ Lee aligned to battle against the Bellas, specifically striking back against the “Divas” label affixed to the women’s division. That helped spark the Women’s Revolution, which paved the way for women today.
Nikki Bella, WWE Hall of Famer
Nikki wound down her in-ring career in 2019 after revealing that a cyst was found on her brain, forcing her out of in-ring competition. The Bella Twins entered the WWE Hall of Fame in 2020, and wrestled their final match (at the time) at the 2022 Royal Rumble.
Nikki Bella’s surprise return
To the shock of many, Nikki made her return at the 2025 Royal Rumble as the last entrant with her eyes on championship gold. Nikki has been unsuccessful in regaining championship gold since returning to WWE, with the latest blow being an ankle injury, causing her to miss out on WrestleMania 42, which found Brie winning the Women’s Tag Team Championship with the assistance of a returning Paige. Funny how life works
Nikki Bella is the Chief Margarita Officer at Madam Paleta
Over the years, Nikki and Brie have had their hands in a number of business ventures, from their Birdiebee apparel line and the Nicole + Brizee body care brand to their own brand of wine, Bonita Bonita, and their long-running podcast, The Nikki & Brie Show.
In May 2026, the women-run tequila brand Madam Paleta announced that Nikki joined the brand as their Chief Margarita Officer, with the goal of bringing the brand into stores globally.
