The Garcia Twins speak candidly.
It was in March of this year when it was made public that The Garcia Twins (Nikki & Brie Garcia) would be departing WWE following their deals expiring.
The former Bella Twins served as ambassadors for WWE during the back end of their contracted time with the company. They guest appeared on Amanda Hirsch’s ‘Not Skinny But Not Fat’ podcast and Nikki shared a requirement to be an ambassador for WWE. She stated that one has to make a certain number of appearances per year, either at Premium Live Events, a charity event or something akin to that.
Nikki: When you’re an ambassador, you have to make up to like, 12 appearances a year. So whether they’re at pay-per-views or charity events or whatever they might be having. That’s kind of what you’re supposed to do.
Nikki would dive into no longer having the ‘Bella’ name. She said there was never a conversation with WWE about working something out. She explained that although they weren’t re-signing, they expected a deal to be sorted out where she and Brie could keep the name and WWE would get a cut from their projects while they continued to grow the ‘Bella’ brand. She added that had made a lot of money for WWE.
Four hours before Nikki’s deal expired, she received a legal letter from WWE to establish their ownership over the Bella name. Nikki understands that it’s business and that the name is WWE’s intellectual property, but she and her sister would have continued to build the brand if a conversation took place.
Nikki: I think it’s different for men than women (when it comes to keeping names that the company owns). You know, so, there was never even a conversation. I think a lot of us actually, we thought, oh, maybe there will be a conversation because we have such a huge brand and we were actually making WWE a lot of money. So we actually thought there was gonna be a conversation of like, okay, if you guys aren’t re-signing, let’s talk about the name. Maybe when you do future projects, we take a percentage, you keep the name. I’ll be honest, I got a lawyer letter four hours before my contract was ending. They were ceasing it all. So, and I keep that letter in my office so I could always see it and just know that as I enter this new chapter, I get to see what wasn’t even talked about of something I built for 20 years, but know that I have the power as a woman to build something else for the next 20 years… And it was upsetting because we were attached but also, I get it… business. Like, hey, this is our platform and I get it. I’m very understanding in that way, of, that is their IP. But, we would have continued to build that if there was a talk.
The WWE Hall of Famers expressed that they’d be interested in getting back in the ring. Brie said she’s surrounded by wrestling via Bryan Danielson and they talk about it often. She watches his matches and also likes seeing the AEW women’s division. Nikki said she’d be game to come back if her surgeon clears her.
Brie: Especially because, you know, my husband’s at AEW now. But, I’m still surrounded a lot by wrestling because he and I, we talk about it all the time. He’s fully in it and he just had an incredible match this Sunday at their big pay-per-view, All Out and I watch everything and when I see the women wrestle and all that, I always am like, ‘Ah!!’
Nikki: You get fired up.
Brie: I know… AEW’s for sure more hardcore.
Nikki: They have less rules I would say. They’re allowed to bleed and hit each other with certain objects.
Brie: I would, I for sure would (be open to leaning into that style of wrestling). I definitely have it in me.
Nikki: We want one last run. Especially when our sons are a little older and they could sit and watch their mommies kick ass and if my surgeon allows me to.
Brie: Because of her neck.
The Garcia Twins were last in action as a part of the 2022 women’s Royal Rumble. In September, former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The IInspiration (Jessica McKay & Cassie Lee) shared scrapped plans for a tag title feud with Nikki and Brie. To read more, click here.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit Not Skinny But Not Fat with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
