Her complicated high-profile relationship with the John Cena may be the number one focus
of the media when it comes to Nikki Bella, but there's so much more to her than her high-status
man candy, and many more layers to this knockout bombshell than her sunny disposition may suggest.
Longest-reigning Divas champ
It's tough for female wrestlers to prove their worth within the male-dominated confines of
the WWE.
And someone who looks like Nikki has to work even harder to win over fans, and gain respect.
But following almost a decade of hard work, Bella shocked the world by becoming the Divas
Champion in 2014.
Not only did she nab the title, but Nikki managed to hold it for a whopping 296 days,
making her the longest-running Divas champ in history.
A bona fide businesswoman
Kicking butt in the WWE, as well as appearing on two hit reality shows, keeps Nikki pretty
busy, but she somehow finds time to run a few businesses on the side, too.
"I think it's absolutely amazing that we have this brand that not only represents Brie and
I, but it also represents our Bella Army."
Forbes sat down with The Bella Twins to discuss their fashion line, Birdiebee, as well as
their wine line, Belle Radici.
Nikki told the mag that she started working at just 15, which she credits for her tireless
work ethic these days.
The two sisters were inspired to start their side gigs following Nikki's 2015 neck injury,
which kept her out of the ring for the best part of a year, as well as the birth of Brie's
baby, Birdie, in May of 2017.
Their clothing line was all about giving back to those less fortunate, but the sisters told
the mag of their wine brand,
"'Cause everyone was kept saying we should be the mayors of Napa, because we were always
there."
"We killed every vineyard there pretty much."
"Yeah."
"Drank every vineyard."
Ringside engagement
Wrestling is all about storytelling, and one particular plot-point fans couldn't get enough
of was poor Nikki's endless waiting for then-boyfriend John Cena to finally pop the question.
Of course, everybody shut up once Wrestlemania rolled around and, in front of the entire
WWE Universe, Cena asked Bella to marry him.
The moment was extra sweet because Cena had previously sworn he would never get married
again.
Bella shared on Instagram that it meant even more that it happened in "a place [they] call
home."
While the couple reportedly split in 2017, they allegedly remain friends, according to
Nikki at an event in October 2018.
"I absolutely adore John.
I love him, and I think he's absolutely an amazing man.
And does it make it tough that our relationship is so out there?
Of course."
Self-made Diva
According to Forbes, the Bella Twins weren't initially selected by the WWE when they competed
in the 2006 Divas Search.
"And you and I were obviously really bad at our hair and makeup."
"Look at our brows."
Refusing to give up without a fight, they badgered producers to give them another shot,
eventually securing a development contract and landing in the training facility.
But it hadn't been an easy road for them before that, either.
When the twins moved to L.A. after college, they worked various day jobs as they hustled
to make their dreams come true.
Nikki told Forbes,
"I always knew that my bills get paid first and dreams come next.
I would always make sure that I made my shifts, bills were paid, saving money, and then I'd
start to do what I loved."
It was wrestling that combined their two loves: sport and entertainment.
Her simply fit approach
Nikki opened up on Total Divas about how fans used to pick on her, explaining,
"Everyone always called me the fat twin and I got body shamed like no other.
[…] I'll never forget when all the fans used to call us the Bella chins."
"I know we all love filters on our Instagram, and we like Photoshops...trust me, even for
me it makes me feel good and hot, but let's also get real."
But after sister Brie encouraged her to be body-positive for the sake of her niece, Birdie,
Nikki began to see herself in a whole different light.
As for how she stays in shape without going too crazy, Nikki explained to BT.com that
it's all about keeping things simple: watching what she eats and varying her workouts as
much as possible.
"I bought my top half, but I'll never buy my lower half, okay, so I'm gonna work it
hard."
After her neck injury, she turned to barre instead of weights, as well as hot yoga.
She said,
"It does get a lot easier watching what you eat, and it's especially important if you
don't have a lot of time to workout.
A lot of people can't realistically work out more than three times a week."
Always challenging herself
Nikki consistently proves herself worthy in the ring, but outside of it, she's a huge
proponent of stepping out of your comfort zone.
In 2017, she competed on Dancing with the Stars' Season 25, and says she'd even like
to get into acting some day.
"I'm just totally going out of my comfort zone here.
You make it look so easy."
She told BT.com,
"I don't think I'd be a breakout movie star but I would love to get that experience.
[…] I would absolutely love to play a villain type role in a superhero movie — why not?"