Bryan Danielson Reveals Why He Agreed to Total Divas Despite Not Enjoying It
Bryan Danielson didn’t like being on Total Divas.
Total Divas is a reality television series that aired on E! from July 28, 2013, to December 10, 2019. The show gave viewers an inside look at the personal and professional lives of female WWE wrestlers, known as Divas, showcasing both their in-ring careers and behind-the-scenes moments.
It spotlighted the dedication and challenges of WWE Divas while also including footage of their personal lives, relationships, and training. The show ran for nine seasons and helped bring more visibility and opportunities to women’s wrestling.
Bryan Danielson Participated on Total Divas To Support Brie Bella
Speaking on the Ned and Josh Podcast, Bryan Danielson reflected on his involvement on Total Divas (and later Total Bellas), revealing that he participated primarily to support his wife, Brie Bella.
He acknowledged the significant positive impact these shows had on women’s wrestling, helping elevate female wrestlers and create new opportunities. Despite recognizing its importance, Danielson shared that he personally found the experience difficult because he values privacy and does not seek fame or constant public attention.
Yeah, I mean, it was never something that I ever desired. I took part in it to help my wife. It was good. It was good for her. Absolutely. To be supportive of her. Because listen, at the time, for women’s wrestling, they weren’t the focus, right? And one of the things that I, it was really hard for me doing it.
I didn’t enjoy doing it, but one of the things that I really appreciate is how much it helped my wife and specifically, like, women’s wrestling, you know, in the sense of, like, my wife, you know, you’ve got lots of women’s wrestlers today who are getting big opportunities who got into wrestling because of Total Divas [or] Total Bellas or whatever that is.
And so I think that’s super cool, and it’s a super cool part of my wife’s, you know, if you talk about, if there is, is there even a real thing such as legacy, you know? If there is, this is, you know, one of the… It’s like, but it was something that was really hard for me, because, yeah, it would be, I don’t, I don’t desire fame, right, and I don’t, and I don’t desire wanting to be recognized. I like my privacy.
Like, so it’s, I’m actually in the middle of reading a book called Solitude. And this guy spends a year alone in the Patagonian wilderness, right? And it’s like the insight and, like, that is what my desire is. Unfortunately, when I graduated [from] high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do besides being a professional wrestler. So, I ended up in this entertainment industry, not even thinking I was going to be successful at it, but here I am.
And then now it’s like, oh, getting privacy is really hard now. And that’s the one thing that I desire most. So, that’s why it was hard for me with the, with the, with the, um, the reality [show]. I don’t want all of my life to be for other people’s entertainment.