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After 16 years with WWE, the sisters professionally known as the Bella Twins have announced that they are leaving the wrestling entertainment company – and returning to their real names, Brie and Nikki Garcia.
“Today we are officially the Garcia Twins, Brie and Nikki Garcia from now on,” Nikki said Tuesday on the new episode of their SiriusXM show, which is now called “The Nikki & Brie Show.” The twin sisters signed with WWE in 2007 and debuted that year as The Bella Twins. WWE declined to comment.
In the episode, Nikki acknowledged that letting go of the Bella Twins identities was a tough decision, but the sisters felt it was time to move on to a “new chapter” as moms, entrepreneurs, hosts of podcast and executive producers. She also noted that they will turn 40 later this year (their birthday is November 21). When their WWE contract was renewed, according to Nikki, they “just knew it was time to tackle that next chapter,” according to People, who first broke the news.
Last week, Amazon Studios announced “Twin Love,” a new dating contest series hosted by Brie and Nikki Garcia. The show, from ITV Entertainment, is set to premiere this summer on Prime Video and simultaneously on Amazon Freevee in the US and UK. According to the show’s official description, “‘Twin Love’ is a social dating experience that explores the love lives of identical twins. Ten pairs of twins will be separated and placed in two ‘identical’ cast houses, where they will begin a unique and fascinating search for love.
According to their official WWE biography, the Bella Twins’ wrestling career “started out with a bit of deception, as the two identical twins would switch places during Brie’s matches to ensure they got the win. But even after their ruse was discovered, the sisters proved to be tough competitors.
Brie was the first to win a WWE title, winning the Divas Championship in April 2011. Nikki followed that up with her own championship victory and then added a second reign which saw her become the most successful Divas Champion ever. oldest in WWE history.
In other TV credits, Nikki appeared on season 25 of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” in 2017. Both stars of the reality show appeared on E!’s “Total Divas,” then went on to been featured in their own network spin-off, “Total Bellas,” which aired from 2016-21.
Nikki and Brie Garcia are replaced by WME. SiriusXM’s Stitcher in 2021 signed a deal for what was then “The Bellas Podcast,” hosted by WWE Hall of Fame inductees. Brie and Nikki Garcia are producing the show with support from Stitcher.
Separately, Vince McMahon returned to WWE earlier this year – after leaving the company last year amid sexual misconduct allegations – and has been actively looking for a buyer.