Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Nikki Bella
How Nikki Bella built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace (Nikki Bella/Nikki Garcia) is an American professional wrestler and television personality signed to WWE, performing on the Raw brand. She gained prominence as a WWE Diva, becoming a two-time WWE Divas Champion. Beyond wrestling, she has appeared on reality television shows like 'Total Divas' and 'Total Bellas', showcasing her personal life with her twin sister Brie. Nikki's career includes high-profile feuds and championships, solidifying her status as a key figure in women's professional wrestling. She has also ventured into entrepreneurial endeavors and continues to be a prominent figure in entertainment.
2006: TV Appearance and Other Contests
In 2006, Nikki Bella made her first national TV appearance on the Fox reality show Meet My Folks. She was also hired as one of the World Cup Twins for Budweiser and participated in the 2006 "International Body Doubles twins search" and WWE Diva Search.
September 15, 2007: In-Ring Debut at FCW
On September 15, 2007, at a FCW house show, Nicole and her twin Brie, known as The Bella Twins, made their in-ring debut defeating Nattie Neidhart and Krissy Vaine.
October 2007: Rivalry in FCW
Throughout October 2007, Nikki Bella engaged in a scripted rivalry with Nattie Neidhart and Victoria Crawford in FCW.
December 2007: Managing Derrick Linkin
Starting in December 2007, Nikki Bella managed Derrick Linkin in FCW.
January 2008: Derrick Linkin's Release
In January 2008, the storyline with Derrick Linkin was cut short due to his release in FCW.
April 2008: Feud with Milena Roucka
After Nattie Neidhart was called up to the WWE roster in April 2008, Milena Roucka took her place in the feud with the Bella Twins.
August 29, 2008: Brianna Debuts on SmackDown
On August 29, 2008, Brianna debuted on SmackDown as Brie Bella, defeating Victoria.
2008: SmackDown Debut
In 2008, Nikki Bella made her debut for the SmackDown brand.
February 2009: On-Screen Relationship with The Colóns and Storyline with Morrison and The Miz
Starting in February 2009, Nikki and Brie developed an on-screen relationship with The Colóns, appearing in backstage segments and accompanying them to the ring. The storyline expanded to include John Morrison and The Miz, who flirted with the Bellas and took them on a date for Valentine's Day.
April 15, 2009: Drafted to Raw Brand
On April 15, 2009, The Bella Twins were both drafted to the Raw brand as part of the 2009 supplemental draft.
June 29, 2009: Traded to ECW Brand
On June 29, 2009, Nikki and Brie were both traded to the ECW brand.
January 4, 2010: WWE Divas Championship Tournament
On January 4, 2010, Brie participated in a tournament for the vacant WWE Divas Championship, but lost to Maryse in the first round due to a switch with Nikki.
June 2010: Feud with Jillian Hall
In June 2010, Nikki and Brie developed a feud with Jillian Hall, trading wins and losses by switching places during matches.
2010: NXT Season 3 Mentoring
In 2010, The Bella Twins took part in the all-female third season of NXT, mentoring Jamie.
January 2011: Heel Turn and Feud with Gail Kim
In January 2011, both Nikki and Brie turned into villainous characters for the first time in their careers, initiating a feud with Gail Kim.
May 1, 2012: Independent Wrestling Show Appearance
On May 1, 2012, Nikki and Brie appeared at their first independent wrestling show in Newburgh, New York for the promotion Northeast Wrestling.
October 2012: Guest Appearance on Ridiculousness
In October 2012, the twins made a guest appearance on the MTV series Ridiculousness.
March 11, 2013: Return to WWE
On March 11, 2013, Nikki and Brie returned to WWE in a backstage segment with Team Rhodes Scholars.
July 2013: Began Airing on Total Divas
In July 2013, Nikki and Brie became part of the main cast for the reality television show Total Divas.
April 6, 2014: WrestleMania XXX
On April 6, 2014, Nikki competed at WrestleMania XXX in the 14-Diva "Vickie Guerrero Invitational match" for the Divas Championship.
2014: Guest Starred on Psych and co-starred in Confessions of a Womanizer
In 2014, Nikki and Brie guest starred on the television series Psych, in the episode "A Nightmare on State Street", and co-starred in the independent film Confessions of a Womanizer.
2014: Appearance in "Na Na" Music Video
In 2014, the Bella Twins appeared in the music video for "Na Na" by Trey Songz.
February 22, 2015: Retained Championship Against Paige at Fastlane
On February 22, 2015, Nikki retained her championship against Paige at Fastlane.
November 2015: Ranked No. 1 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Female 50
In November 2015, Nikki Garcia ranked No. 1 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Female 50.
December 2015: Named Diva of the Year by Rolling Stone
In December 2015, Nikki Garcia was named Diva of the Year by Rolling Stone.
2015: Voices for The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown!
In 2015, Nikki and Brie provided voices for the movie The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown!.
2015: Turning villainous for the first time since 2015
In 2015, Nikki turned villainous for the first time with Brie after attacking Ronda Rousey.
April 3, 2016: Brief Appearance at WrestleMania 32
On April 3, 2016, Nikki made a brief appearance at the WrestleMania 32 event, celebrating with Brie after she won a 10-Diva tag team match.
August 21, 2016: Surprise Return at SummerSlam
On August 21, 2016, after ten months of inactivity, Nikki Bella made a surprise return as a villain at the SummerSlam pay–per–view, replacing Eva Marie and teaming with Natalya and Alexa Bliss to defeat Becky Lynch, Naomi, and Carmella.
October 5, 2016: Premiere of Total Bellas
On October 5, 2016, Total Bellas, the spinoff show starring Nikki and Brie, premiered on E!.
November 21, 2016: Unveiled "The Bella Twins" YouTube Channel
On November 21, 2016, Nikki and Brie unveiled their new YouTube channel, "The Bella Twins", featuring content on various topics.
2016: Teen Choice Award
In 2016, Nikki Bella won the award for Choice Female Athlete alongside her sister at the Teen Choice Awards.
March 2, 2017: Appeared in Lilly Singh's Video
On March 2, 2017, The Bella Twins appeared in YouTuber Lilly Singh's video "When Someone Tries to Steal Your BFF".
April 2, 2017: Engagement to John Cena
On April 2, 2017, Nikki Bella got engaged to John Cena after Cena proposed to her after their mixed tag-team match at WrestleMania 33.
August 21, 2017: Launched Belle Radici Wine Label
On August 21, 2017, Nikki and Brie launched their own wine label called Belle Radici in collaboration with Hill Family Estates and Gauge Branding.
October 30, 2017: Eliminated on Dancing with the Stars
On October 30, 2017, Nikki Bella was eliminated on the 25th season of Dancing with the Stars, where she was paired with Artem Chigvintsev.
November 1, 2017: Launched Birdiebee Brand
On November 1, 2017, Nikki and Brie launched Birdiebee, a lifestyle intimates and activewear brand.
2017: Feud with Natalya Continues
In 2017, Nikki Bella and Natalya kept attacking each other, leading to matches at Elimination Chamber and on SmackDown.
January 22, 2018: Appearance at 25th Anniversary of Raw
On January 22, 2018, The Bella Twins appeared at the 25th Anniversary of Raw.
April 2, 2018: Awarded YouTube Gold Creator Award
On April 2, 2018, The Bella Twins revealed that they were awarded the YouTube Gold Creator Award for reaching 1 million subscribers for their channel.
May 23, 2018: Appeared on American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs Ninja
On May 23, 2018, Bella appeared in the celebrity edition of American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs Ninja.
2018: Heel Turn and Title Pursuit
In 2018, Nikki Bella attacked Women's World Champion Stephanie Vaquer on the November 10th episode of Raw turning heel for the first time since 2018, but failed to win the title at Survivor Series: WarGames.
2018: First singles match since 2018
In 2018, Nikki Bella had her first singles match since 2018 when she beat Chelsea Green
January 28, 2019: Launched Nicole + Brizee Body and Beauty Line
On January 28, 2019, Nikki and Brie launched Nicole + Brizee, a body and beauty line.
March 27, 2019: Launched The Bellas Podcast
On March 27, 2019, Nikki and Brie launched their own podcast, The Bellas Podcast, with the Endeavour Audio network.
June 20, 2019: Ended In-Ring Career
On June 20, 2019, Bella ended her in-ring career after a cyst was found on her brain.
March 2020: Released Memoir "Incomparable"
In March 2020, Nikki and Brie released their memoir Incomparable, which became a New York Times Best Seller.
April 11, 2021: Attacked Bayley at WrestleMania 37
On April 11, 2021, Nikki, along with her sister Brie, attacked Bayley at WrestleMania 37, turning face again.
2021: WWE Hall of Fame Induction
In 2021, Nikki Bella and her sister Brie were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as The Bella Twins.
2021: Launched Bonita Bonita Wine and Baby Gear Collection
In 2021, Nikki and Brie launched another wine label called Bonita Bonita Wine and their own baby gear collection in partnership with Colugo, also joining Colugo as investors and creative advisors.
2021: Podcast Relaunched with Stitcher
In 2021, The Bellas Podcast was relaunched after being acquired by Stitcher, a subsidiary of Sirius XM.
January 7, 2022: Participation in Women's Royal Rumble Match
On January 7, 2022, Nikki participated in the women's Royal Rumble match at Royal Rumble on January 29. This was the final WWE match for both sisters at the time.
February 21, 2022: Premiere of America's Got Talent: Extreme
On February 21, 2022, America's Got Talent: Extreme premiered with Nikki as a judge.
March 14, 2022: Conclusion of America's Got Talent: Extreme
On March 14, 2022, the series of America's Got Talent: Extreme concluded with Nikki as a judge.
October 19, 2022: Joined Barmageddon as Host
On October 19, 2022, Nikki joined Blake Shelton's bar-inspired game show named Barmageddon, serving as the host.
March 2, 2023: Barmageddon Renewed for Second Season
On March 2, 2023, Barmageddon, the game show hosted by Nikki Bella, was renewed for a second season.
March 14, 2023: Announced Departure from WWE
On March 14, 2023, Nikki and Brie announced that they and WWE had mutually agreed to not renew their contracts, and reintroduced themselves as The Garcia Twins.
November 2023: Hosted Twin Love
In November 2023, Nikki and Brie hosted the Amazon-produced dating game show, Twin Love.
2023: End of WWE Contract and Name Change
In 2023, after Nikki Bella's contract with WWE expired, she and Brie retired the "Bella" surname and returned to their legal maiden name of "Garcia" professionally, reintroducing themselves as The Garcia Twins.
June 5, 2024: Competed on The Traitors Season 3
On June 5, 2024, Nikki was named as one of the competitors on the third season of The Traitors, a reality competition series on Peacock.
February 1, 2025: Surprise Return at Royal Rumble
On February 1, 2025, Nikki Bella made a surprise return to WWE as the final entrant in the 2025 Women's Royal Rumble match, eliminating Bayley before being eliminated by Nia Jax.
2025: Return to WWE and Bella Name
In 2025, Nikki Bella reverted to the Bella name upon returning to WWE at that year's Royal Rumble event.
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