Nikki and Brie Bella Quit WWE and Are Now Going by 'The Garcia Twins'
Nikki and Brie Bella are officially hanging up their WWE belts in retirement -- and returning to their real last name, Garcia, along the way.
The twins made the announcement on their SiriusXM show, newly named The Nikki & Brie Show. "Today we are officially from here on out, the Garcia Twins, Brie and Nikki Garcia," Nikki announced.
Explaining that the WWE stars are focusing on a "new chapter" in their lives, Nikki noted that they both have busy schedules as mothers, entrepreneurs, hosts and executive producers.
"We're going to be 40 in November," Nikki said, explaining that when it came time to renew their contract with the WWE, she and Brie "just knew it was time to head into this next chapter."
Echoing her sister's sentiments, Brie explained that the name change will give her more freedom as she segues away from WWE stardom. Brie said she's "so excited to close the chapter on Brie Bella," and teases, "Let's see what Brie Garcia is going to do next."
Nikki revealed how the duo got their stage name, saying, "Our listeners and everyone in the world right now is asking, 'Why? You had this amazing name that you got from your grandfather, Pop Pop,' who'd always call us 'my bellas, my bellas.' And so why after 17 years is that gone? Brie and I are almost 40, we're gonna be 40 in November. We're mothers, we're entrepreneurs. We're executive producers. We're starring now, we're hosting shows. And when our contracts, when our contract came up with WWE mutually we all knew, like we just needed to head into this new chapter."
Bella responded, "I just wanna thank Brie Bella. Brie Bella, the character that, the name, all of it, that I have been the last, you know, pretty much almost, I don't know, 16, 17 years. I am so excited to close that chapter on Brie Bella. Put that book to the side and open up a new one and see what Brie Garcia's gonna do next."
Nikki and Brie have a storied career with the WWE; the sister duo signed with the professional wrestling company in 2007 and debuted in the ring later that year.
News of Nikki and Brie's retirement comes after a year of uncertainty with the organization. The twins were originally advertised to appear on WWE’s Raw XXX show, however, that plan fell through with Nikki and Brie openly criticizing the show for having a lack of women wrestlers being showcased. The sisters also have openly called out the organization for not backing the success of their joint reality series, Total Divas.
On a personal level, Brie is married to Daniel Bryan with whom she shares a son, Buddy.
Nikki tied the knot with her Dancing with the Stars co-star, Artem Chigvintsev, in August 2022 -- two years after welcoming their son, Matteo, in July 2020.
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