[media-credit name=”Latina Magazine” align=”alignnone” width=”620″]
[/media-credit]
With the series premiere of Total Bellas just around the corner, AOL has given us a short clip to help us get by.
In the two minute clip below we see Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan move in to Nikki Bella and John Cena’s mansion and, as expected, things aren’t quite so easy for the free spirits. The twins also sit down with AOL’s Charles Thorp for an extensive interview. Though a lot of what was said was also shared in their interview with Busted Open Radio, unique highlights such as the the twins’ dream matches, women in support and more are transcribed under the video.
The twins on having their own series: “It’s honestly so surreal when we see stuff like that [points to poster on screen] and it’s a dream come true. I guess we don’t mind putting our lives out there and being an open book – “.
Brie then chimes in saying “because we are twins, growing up, Nikki and I we would lip sync to the Spice Girls together when my parents would have these boxing match parties, and we would play soccer together and then we became WWE Superstars together, and then to have a reality show it’s been incredible that our whole journey’s been together.
Brie on convincing their family to do Total Bellas: “Well it was actually really shocking because Nicole and I were kinda scared to ask Bryan and John, like, “hey we have a spin-off, so now we’re gonna do this and Total Divas!” But actually, they were so for it. And what I think John and Bryan really appreciate about Total Bellas and filming was you get so much from their perspective, which we don’t get in Total Divas. And then bringing our family on board, everyone knows Johnny Ace from WWE – if you’re a WWE fan – and the fact that he’s married to my mother! He’s my stepdad! But to see more of Mama Bella, who everyone loved on Total Divas, and see her engaged and get married, and then our brother, who people love too. But John and Bryan were so excited ‘cos they’re like, “finally we get to sit in the interview chair and they get to hear our point-of-view!””
Brie on showcasing their tough year: “I know definitely from Bryan and myself’s perspective, it’s hard to relive the moments. We had no idea that Bryan would have to retire, and the cameras caught all that. And it was a point where we [were like], “do we just go?” Do we stop the project and go back to Phoenix? And Bryan wanted to power through it. But in the six episodes, you really see someone trying to be so strong and decline as the series goes on, but I think the great thing is so many people will connect with Bryan because we’ve all had dreams taken away when you don’t realize it. The rug just gets swept right underneath you and I think we’ve all been in a position where you think you’re going up and you’re going one way, and all of a sudden it goes crashing down. It was hard as a wife to see that, especially ‘cos I had two months left at WWE, and I was trying so hard to enjoy the ending, but it was hard for me ‘cos of what he was going through. And I didn’t really wanna retire, it’s kind of bitter sweet for me because we wanna be parents and I can’t take back bumps and have a baby bump, unfortunately [laughs], I wish there’s this superpower for it! So, it was wild, and it’s gonna be hard for us to watch but I think now people see Bryan as the GM of SmackDown, so you know there’s a happy ending. But you’re definitely gonna go on one wild ride with him on Total Bellas.”
Nikki on continuing WWE without Brie: “It’s been sad. I’ll admit, when I came out in SummerSlam I didn’t even think about her, I thought only about myself. I was like, “I’m back!” but then after that I got sad. Not having Brie now, I just realize that there was something very special here, especially when we went out into the live crowd, and worked with the WWE Universe, but it is great because I love new challenges. So this is giving me a challenge to make it on my own, without Brie, and I’m enjoying that a lot. But she was my tag partner of ten years, and it’s weird she helped with the nerves when we’d walk out there and she gave me strength and she supported me in so many ways, and I’m lucky because I still get to see Bryan and John every Tuesday – so that helps. But if they were to go away I’d be like “wait, no!””
Nikki on the fan support: “The support for Brie and I is truly unreal. We like to call them our “Bella Army” and I have to admit it’s a very strong army, and we have some in the house! And they’re honestly the reasons we keep going. I feel like I wouldn’t have made the comeback I had, or I wouldn’t have the strength to come back if I didn’t have people like her [points to audience member] or him back there to always give me that support. They keep me strong and make me want to be back in that ring and do what I do, put my life on TV. ‘Cos when you’re in a reality show, Brie and I were like, “okay look, we’re gonna get judged and we understand that but we’re not gonna let it change us. We have to know that people are gonna like us, they’re not gonna like us, they’re not gonna like the way we live, they’re gonna love the way we live. And to Brie and I we’re like, at the end of the day, if someone can watch what we do in life and learn from a mistake we made, and know that they’re not alone, that they’re going through the same struggle, then to us we feel like we win, and what we’re doing is a good thing. So for me, it’s our support system that’s just made us who we are and is the only reason why we are anyone.”
Brie continued saying, “it’s the WWE Universe to the E! audience to just – it’s surreal how global it all is, and just getting the love from everyone. I think people sometimes do look at us like superheroes, like we do wear the capes. But we have so many down moments where you do break down, where you feel your weakness so strong, but it’s our fans that keep us strong and keep us going, and without that I don’t think I would have made it so far in WWE. So if it wasn’t for them, the Bella Army, we wouldn’t be where we’re at today.”
Nikki on the success of women in sport: “For Brie and I it’s been historic. It’s been amazing, we’ve been in WWE for a decade and Brie and I always had a goal to make women mean more in the WWE, and there was a lot of blood, sweat and tears but Brie and I always saw an endgame with that. So to see, not only in WWE but in the world, women becoming stronger, more confident, stronger within, it means everything we’ve done, the hard work, it’s paid off. And it’s such an honor to be a part of this, it’s such a history in the making, and women empowerment to us, it’s not just a trend, it’s something that we want to continue to build and grow, and when I feel like when there’s a world where we’re losing role models, we want this empowerment movement to create more and more role models. So it’s something that’s very special to Brie and I, and especially with WWE, I think when Total Divas was starting to become so big/mainstream, all of a sudden we were looking in our audience and we had more women and girls than ever before. And that changes you, it helps when you have a decision to make, you want to make the right one because you look in the audience and you want to be a role model for them.”
“The one thing that Nikki and I really feel is that for the last decade we have taken everyone on this ride. They have seen us to be very green in the ring, to growing in the ring, to making history at Wrestlemania 32 to reality and we just want to just keep taking people on our journey of life. I feel like for myself, you guys all have seen me on Total Divas, where I’m dating Bryan to he proposes, we get married, I think it’s only fair enough you see us give birth. A natural birth, maybe a water birth? But you know, we’ve all been rooting for Nikki for how long now, that her and John get married? We’re all waiting for him to pop the question, but we just feel like we wanna keep going.”
Brie on the potential of Daniel Bryan returning: “It’s so hard to tell, it’s all based on the doctors. But as of now, no, obviously that’d be Bryan’s dream, I just don’t know if it’s reality. The hardest part is that they don’t look anymore at how he’s doing this year or next year, it’s how is he gonna be in the next 20 years? How is he gonna be in the next 40 years? Which is the scary part. He’ll be at TV on Tuesdays and still bug Vince [McMahon] but I don’t know how much reality that is just because of how serious everything was with him. But you never know, medicine is great, and he keeps on getting better, so there’s always chances and I know he prays everyday for it, so maybe.”
Nikki on her dream match: “Currently, it would be against Becky Lynch for the SmackDown Women’s championship. And I think it would be good on a platform like Wrestlemania, three-four seg match, why not? If it’s my dream… Maybe have no DQs, or street fight… I love Becky Lynch, she’s an amazing WWE Superstar, but I’m not gonna lie, yes, I’m a very good girl right now, but I still have my eye on the prize. That’s never gonna change. So I would love to face her for the SmackDown Women’s championship.
Brie on her dream match: “After I have a baby, and make my comeback after my first child, I would like the Bella Twins to get back together in the ring, and I would love to take on Lita and Trish [Stratus]. I think Team Besties vs Team Bella would be so insane. So that’d be really fun.”
The Bellas also discussed whether they get sick of each other, Nikki’s injury, Bryan working on SmackDown, Brie missing wrestling and more. This can be watched here.
Don’t forget to tune in to Total Bellas on October 5th at 8/7c on E!
Are you on board with these dream matches? Will you be watching Total Bellas? Let us know your views in the comments below!
