Nikki & Brie Garcia Explain Why They Left WWE
The Bella Twins are no more as Nikki and Brie revealed that they are reverting to their Garcia surnames as they brought the curtain down on their long association with WWE.
The Bellas were a key fixture in the women’s division of WWE for years with Nikki and Brie both winning the Divas Championship at different times. The pair’s full-time in-ring careers came to an end towards the end of 2018 but both Bellas were a part of the women’s Royal Rumble match in 2022. The Bellas were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the Class of 2020.
Speaking on the Nikki & Brie Show, Nikki Garcia began by explaining that both she and Brie as well as WWE could see the writing on the wall but says the parting of the ways is not necessarily forever:
“When our contract came up with WWE, mutually, we all knew we needed to head into this next chapter. We are so grateful for the past 17 years. I have learned so much in and out of the ring. I have traveled all over the world, I have incredible fandom. It’s been amazing. This is part of relationships. Whether it’s business, love, this is relationships in life. Sometimes, you come to this part of your life where it’s like, ‘let’s go separate ways. It doesn’t mean it’s forever, but we just know that it’s right.'”
Brie Garcia went on to add that although there are no negatives to their departure, it has been years in coming and she says she finds going back to her roots freeing:
“It doesn’t mean that it’s bad either. When things like this happen, everyone wants to look for the negative. ‘What happened? It had to be something crazy.’ It wasn’t. It was actually something beautiful. [We] thought about it for a while. This has been years coming.
“I want to thank Brie Bella. The character, the name, pretty much that I’ve been the last 16-17 years. Thank you to that name because it caused a lot of change in my life and many lives. It did a lot of great things for me. It’s really fun to end that chapter.
“For everyone, at some point in your life, to do a new change, a new journey. I’m 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 is going to do next.
“[…] It’s weird because I say ‘freeing,’ and a lot of people are like, ‘What does she mean?’ There’s something really freeing about going back to who you were. It’s like you can go back to being your unfiltered, uncensored self. I don’t have to apologize, it’s who I am. I always hate when I have to apologize or be like, ‘sorry, didn’t mean to do that,’ when I actually did.”
The Garcia Twins have been welcomed “to freedom” by a current AEW star who also left WWE after a long stretch in the company.