WARNING: IF YOU ARE EASILY TRIGGERED BY DIFFERENT VIEWS, THIS IS NOT THE ARTICLE FOR YOU.
I’ve never known female WWE Superstars to present such polarising opinions from the wrestling fans as Nikki and Brie Bella. I should know- I was once that person who would complain about them “wasting my time by being on my TV screen”.
But then something incredible happened – I realised just how much work the Bella Twins did to fight for better opportunities for women in WWE, and they completely changed my opinion, to the point where their recent Hall of Fame induction announcement was met with excitement.
Everyone should be happy that Nikki and Brie are rightfully getting the highest honour in WWE, and this is why…
“But they cannot wrestle.”
Actually, they can. After going into the Diva Search in 2006, Nikki and Brie went to developmental and started their wrestling journey. Yes, they did get called up VERY quickly, but every girl did back then. Do you know who gets a lot of positive praise, but basically went through the exact same call-up process? Michelle McCool. Do people slam her on a daily basis? No, they don’t. There are so many cases of very quick call ups that have been successful and the Bella Twins are an example of this whether die-hard wrestling fans like it or not.
Also, Nikki Bella’s record-breaking Divas Championship reign is nothing to turn your nose up at. She held that belt with pride and brought new eyes to the product as a result of being the face of the WWE’s women’s division.
“But they only got to where they are because of who they were/are dating.”
I’m going to use Michelle McCool again for this. How many people talk about her relationship with Undertaker being the reason for her success? Back then, a LOT, but now we talk about how good she was in the ring. I’m going to say something that not many of you will like- Nikki and Brie got to where they are because of THEIR hard work. As I previously mentioned, they fought hard for women to be treated equally in WWE, but were shut down. They persisted and built their own brand through Total Divas, Total Bellas, Bella Radici and so many other successful ventures. One thing you cannot call Brie and Nikki is lazy- everything they have done they have worked hard for and that is worthy of a HOF spot.
“But there are other people who should be in the Hall of Fame before them.”
I get this argument, I do. Molly Holly, Melina, Jazz and Gail Kim are all better in terms of their wrestling ability. However, one thing that cannot be denied is the impact of the Bella brand over the past decade. As a result of their popularity, WWE has received an influx of new fans who have connected to Nikki and Brie through their ventures and social media.
It can be argued that they have done more in regards to influencing fans than Trish Stratus and Lita because of how big their brand has become and that is a testament to the Bella’s work ethic. It cannot be touched or denied.
Whether you like it or not, Nikki and Brie Bella have had an incredibly successful run in WWE. Without them, the wrestling fanbase would still be men clamouring for the Attitude Era. Women in WWE would not be taken seriously without the Bellas. Without them, we would not have a new influx of women’s wrestlers who have been inspired by their work.
So congratulations, Bella Twins- the HOF induction is very well deserved!
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You can find the author of this article on Twitter @ShirleighShirlz. Thanks for reading!