The Hall of Famer also says she and her sister wanted to appear on the anniversary show, but WWE had nothing for them.
The Bellas Twins made headlines with an Instagram video criticizing how women’s wrestling history was (or wasn’t) honored on Raw XXX Monday night. Nikki Bella addressed those and the issue in general in another IG Live session.
Bella says that while she and her sister Brie did appear for some early promotional material for the 30th anniversary edition of Raw, they weren’t booked for the show — both because WWE creative didn’t have plans to use them, and because the Hall of Famers were on a media tour to support Nikki’s newest E! reality series, which WWE helps produce.
“So, I want to take a second to get on and talk about a few things.
“First about maybe a few wrestling headlines I saw because, as you will see, the narrative will try to get changed so some people look good and others look bad. This is what is so amazing about this platform. We get to actually talk about the truth, right?
“So this week, from Monday ‘til Thursday, Brie and I, and [Nikki’s husband] Artem [Chigvintsev], have been booked on crazy media because the premiere of Nikki Bella Says I Do is Thursday night – a WWE-owned show too, by the way, so why you see trailers on Monday Night Raw, et cetera.
“We were hoping, I think it was weeks ago, there was talks about going to Monday Night Raw. They said they had nothing for us. So, we were booked on media Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Then there was possibly, maybe, an idea. But our whole team, including WWE and everyone else had already booked us for Monday being in New York. Whatever you see of stuff, you know all of a sudden stories change and whatever. That’s to try and clean up and make things look better and throw it on people — nope. We already had all these commitments, per the company we work for and everyone else.
“So, I know people like to throw it on people, but I’m not going to let that happen.”
Her concern about narratives and blame continued as she discussed the #GiveDivasAChance-like social media trend #WWEWomenDeserveBetter that popped off after the twins initial video circulated.
“I also love the fans for sticking up for women. There are so many crybabies, ‘Oh they just whine.’ Let me tell you why people get upset. This is speaking on behalf of the majority of women. ‘Oh, they always make it about them.’ No, just because we speak up, we’re not making it about ourselves. It’s about the women from the very beginning to the ones that are there. I understand why so many people are upset, especially our fans, when it’s something like Raw XXX.
“I remember when I first started watching Raw, as you all know, some of you like to give me shit for it that I wasn’t a fan the day I was born. But I remember when I started watching Raw before I got into wrestling, and I was obsessed with the matches with Beth Phoenix, and Candice Michelle, and Melina, and Mickie James. And that, for me and my era of wrestling when I became a fan, that was Raw to me.
“And people have all their own memories, right? And that’s why it’s so important to have women represent because, for so many of the fans, they have their different eras of Chyna, of Lita and Trish [Stratus], of Melina, Mickie, Michelle [McCool], Beth, Candice, the list goes on of those incredible women of that era. Then, our era with AJ [Lee/Mendez], Paige, Brie & I, and then so on.
“So I love that you’re doing that hashtag, and I think you’re going to see a lot of narratives play because people have to protect themselves, and you’re gonna get a lot of women blamed and have people call them crybabies and all that. It’s like, no, we put in just as much effort and work. All those women do, all of them, from every era.”
The longest reigning Divas champ made sure to point out that all wrestlers should be honored for the risks they take to entertain fans and make money for the company, but she’s certainly not wrong to point out that the public treats women and men differently on this and pretty much every issue.
Will we see some pushback against the Bellas and others unhappy about Raw XXX’s lack of women? Or does this quickly blow over in the lightning fast 2020s media cycle? And will this story boost awareness of Nikki Bella Says I Do for everyone who has a stake in its success?
Give us your thoughts below, Cagesiders.
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