Brie Bella Admits To Backstage Heat In WWE Over Total Divas

Brie Bella is best known for her time as an active in-ring competitor in WWE. Bella is currently signed to WWE as an ambassador. She and her twin sister, Nikki Bella, were signed to WWE in 2007 on SmackDown, making their in-ring debut that year as The Bella Twins. Brie is a one-time WWE Divas Champion and is also the first twin in the company’s history to win the championship. It seems the WWE Hall of Famer might have received a bit of heat over attention she received, but it wasn’t in the ring.

The season premiere of “Total Divas” featuring The Bella Twins drew 1.34 million viewers on the E! Network in July 2013. The show was instantly heralded as a competitor to the hit reality series “Keeping Up With The Kardashians.” The Bella Twins were huge parts of that show’s success.

Despite the success of the show, there was some unnecessary drama that brewed backstage in WWE. The Superstars involved in the first season of “Total Divas” became the target of envy, to the point where Brie Bella received “a lot of heat” from her colleagues in the locker room.  

On the latest episode of “The Bellas Podcast,” which included appearances from original cast members Natalya, JoJo, and Ariane, Brie Bella recalled getting unnecessary heat backstage due to her role in “Total Divas.”

“I’m so grateful for the first season cast because it was really scary. I’ll never forget when we were almost done filming the first season, and Russ [executive producer Russell Jay] was like, ‘I really wish this pilot goes through.’ I was like, ‘Pilot? What do you mean?’ He told me the show was not sure to be picked up, and I was like, ‘Wait, I’m so confused. Please don’t tell me we got all this heat backstage for no reason.’”

“The heat was for real. I’ll never forget when it aired, and we were pretty much neck-to-neck with the Kardashians, we became this instant hit, and I was so grateful for all of you [original cast members] for putting your lives out there, for dealing with the backstage drama of everyone hating on all of us for filming. Also, when it aired, we knew we were going to be everyone’s punching bag — with people either loving or hating it. Through the whole drama, we all had smiles on our faces, and kept filming, making amazing television — breaking barriers for women’s wrestling, globally, and opening doors for women in wrestling.”

“And all that for not a lot of money. I always tell everyone that I’m so grateful for all the women of Total Divas because we put up with so much, and still made amazing TV.”

Natalya further pointed out that the cast members were “paid very little” and “hardly had any days off.” The Superstars had to travel regularly for WWE tapings while also filming the reality series. 

In 2021, E! Network canceled “Total Divas” and its subsequent sister show, “Total Bellas,” citing dwindling ratings and a lack of interest from network executives. However, the spin-off show “Miz & Mrs.” featuring The Miz & Co. airs on the USA Network and recently concluded its third season.

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