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, best known as Nikki Bella (now Nikki Garcia), is an American professional wrestler and television personality currently signed with WWE, performing on the Raw brand. She gained prominence as a WWE Diva, known for her athleticism and in-ring persona. Beyond wrestling, Bella has appeared in reality television, showcasing her personal life and entrepreneurial endeavors. Her career highlights include multiple WWE Divas Championships, establishing her as a prominent figure in women's wrestling during her active years.
2006: Participation in WWE Diva Search and Other Appearances
In 2006, The Garcia twins participated in the WWE Diva Search but did not make the cut. Prior to that, they were hired to be the World Cup Twins for Budweiser and were photographed holding the World Cup trophy.
September 15, 2007: In-Ring Debut at FCW House Show
On September 15, 2007, at an FCW house show, Nicole and her twin Brie, known as The Bella Twins, made their in-ring debut, defeating Nattie Neidhart and Krissy Vaine, with Victoria Crawford as the special guest referee.
October 2007: Scripted Rivalry with Neidhart and Crawford
Throughout October 2007, Nicole was involved in a scripted rivalry with Nattie Neidhart and Victoria Crawford, competing in a series of matches against them as part of their on-screen personas.
December 2007: Managing Derrick Linkin
Starting in December 2007, Nikki began managing Derrick Linkin as part of a storyline in FCW.
January 2008: End of Derrick Linkin Storyline
In January 2008, the storyline involving Nikki managing Derrick Linkin was cut short when Linkin was released from FCW.
April 2008: Feud with Milena Roucka
In April 2008, after Neidhart was called up to the WWE roster, Milena Roucka took her place in the ongoing feud with The Bella Twins in FCW.
August 29, 2008: Brie Bella's SmackDown Debut
On August 29, 2008, Brianna debuted as Brie Bella on SmackDown, defeating Victoria. She then started a rivalry with Victoria and Natalya.
2008: SmackDown Debut
In 2008, Nikki Bella debuted for the SmackDown brand. This marked a significant step in her early WWE career.
February 2009: On-Screen Relationship with The Colóns, Morrison, and The Miz
Starting in February 2009, The Bella Twins developed an on-screen relationship with The Colóns (Carlito and Primo), 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.
April 15, 2009: Drafted to the Raw Brand
On April 15, 2009, The Bella Twins were both drafted to the Raw brand as part of the 2009 supplemental draft. Brie made her Raw in-ring debut on April 27, and Nikki later reunited with her twin, turning face in the process.
June 29, 2009: Traded to the ECW Brand
On June 29, 2009, Nikki and Brie were traded to the ECW brand and debuted the following night as special guests on The Abraham Washington Show.
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 that resulted in Nikki being pinned.
June 2010: Feud with Jillian Hall
In June 2010, The Bella Twins developed a feud with Jillian Hall, with Brie defeating Hall after switching places with Nikki, and the feud culminating in a tag team match victory on Superstars.
2010: Mentoring Jamie in NXT Season 3
In 2010, the Bella Twins participated in the all-female third season of NXT, mentoring Jamie. Jamie was the first rookie Diva eliminated on the October 5 episode of NXT.
January 2011: Turning Heel and Attacking Gail Kim
In January 2011, both Bellas turned into villainous characters for the first time in their careers after discovering Daniel Bryan kissing Gail Kim backstage and assaulting her.
May 1, 2012: First 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, marking a venture outside of WWE.
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 Raw
On March 11, 2013, The Bella Twins returned to WWE on Raw in a backstage segment with Team Rhodes Scholars (Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow), marking their comeback to the company.
July 2013: Main Cast of Total Divas
In July 2013, Nikki and Brie were part of the main cast for the reality television show Total Divas.
April 6, 2014: Competition at WrestleMania XXX
On April 6, 2014, Nikki competed at WrestleMania XXX in the 14-Diva "Vickie Guerrero Invitational match" for the Divas Championship, which was won by the defending champion AJ Lee.
2014: Guest Starring on Psych and Co-starring in Confessions of a Womanizer
In 2014, the twins 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.
February 22, 2015: Nikki Retains Divas Championship Against Paige at Fastlane
On February 22, 2015, Nikki Bella retained her Divas Championship against Paige at Fastlane.
November 2015: Ranked No. 1 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Female 50
In November 2015, Nikki Garcia was ranked No. 1 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Female 50, a significant recognition of her standing in professional wrestling.
December 2015: Named Diva of the Year by Rolling Stone
In December 2015, Nikki Garcia was named Diva of the Year by Rolling Stone, acknowledging her impact and popularity within WWE.
2015: Brie turns villainous
In 2015, Nikki and Brie attacked Ronda Rousey and turned villainous for the first time since 2015.
2015: Voice Acting in The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown!
In 2015, Nikki and Brie provided voices for the movie The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown!.
April 3, 2016: WrestleMania 32 Appearance
On April 3, 2016, Nikki Bella 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, Nikki Bella made a surprise return at SummerSlam, replacing Eva Marie and teaming with Natalya and Alexa Bliss to defeat Becky Lynch, Naomi, and Carmella. This sparked a feud between Bella and Carmella and re-established Bella as a face.
October 5, 2016: Premiere of Total Bellas
On October 5, 2016, Total Bellas, a spinoff of Total Divas starring Nikki and Brie, premiered on E!.
November 21, 2016: Launch of The Bella Twins YouTube Channel
On November 21, 2016, Nikki and Brie unveiled their new YouTube channel, "The Bella Twins", featuring daily content on various topics.
August 21, 2017: Launch of 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: Elimination from Dancing with the Stars
On October 30, 2017, Nikki Bella was eliminated from the 25th season of Dancing with the Stars, where she was paired with Artem Chigvintsev.
November 1, 2017: Launch of Birdiebee Lifestyle Brand
On November 1, 2017, Nikki and Brie launched Birdiebee, a lifestyle intimates and activewear brand aimed at empowering and educating women.
2017: Feud with Natalya
In 2017, Nikki Bella continued her feud with Natalya, with both women attacking each other, leading to matches at Elimination Chamber and on SmackDown.
January 22, 2018: Appearance at Raw 25th Anniversary
On January 22, 2018, The Bella Twins appeared at the 25th Anniversary of Raw.
April 2, 2018: 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: Appearance 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: First singles match since 2018
In 2018, Chelsea Green had her first singles match since 2018.
January 28, 2019: Launch of Nicole + Brizee Body and Beauty Line
On January 28, 2019, Nikki and Brie launched Nicole + Brizee, a body and beauty line.
March 27, 2019: Launch of 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: Retirement from In-Ring Career
On June 20, 2019, Nikki Bella ended her in-ring career after a cyst was found on her brain.
March 2020: Release of Memoir Incomparable
In March 2020, Nikki and Brie released their memoir Incomparable, which became a New York Times Best Seller.
April 11, 2021: Attack on Bayley at WrestleMania 37
On April 11, 2021, at WrestleMania 37, Nikki, along with her sister Brie, attacked Bayley, turning face once again.
2021: WWE Hall of Fame Induction
In 2021, Nikki and Brie Bella were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as The Bella Twins, recognizing their contributions to professional wrestling.
2021: New Business Ventures in 2021
In 2021, Nikki and Brie launched another wine label called Bonita Bonita Wine. They also launched their own baby gear collection in partnership with Colugo and joined Colugo as investors and creative advisors.
2021: Podcast Relaunch
In 2021, The Bellas Podcast was relaunched after being acquired by Stitcher, a subsidiary of Sirius XM.
January 7, 2022: Nikki Participates in Women's Royal Rumble Match
On January 7, 2022, Nikki participated in the women's Royal Rumble match and was eliminated by her sister Brie. 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, Nikki appeared on America's Got Talent: Extreme serving as a judge alongside Simon Cowell and Travis Pastrana. The series premiered on February 21, 2022.
March 14, 2022: Conclusion of America's Got Talent: Extreme
On March 14, 2022, Nikki Bella served as a judge during the conclusion of America's Got Talent: Extreme.
October 19, 2022: Hosting Barmageddon
On October 19, 2022, Nikki joined Blake Shelton's bar-inspired game show named Barmageddon, serving as the host.
March 2, 2023: Renewal of Barmageddon for Season Two
On March 2, 2023, Nikki's show, Barmageddon, was renewed for a second season.
March 14, 2023: Departure from WWE
On March 14, 2023, Nikki and Brie announced on their podcast, "The Nikki & Brie Show", that they and WWE had mutually agreed not to renew their contracts. They subsequently reintroduced themselves as The Garcia Twins.
November 2023: Hosting Twin Love
In November 2023, Nikki and Brie hosted the Amazon-produced dating game show, Twin Love.
2023: Contract Expiration and Return to Garcia Surname
After their contracts with WWE expired in 2023, Nikki 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: Competitor 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. She was banished in the fifth episode, placing sixteenth overall.
February 1, 2025: Surprise Return at 2025 Women's 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.
July 28, 2025: Injury on Raw
On the July 28, 2025 episode of Raw, Nikki Bella suffered an injury while battling Piper Niven during an eight-woman tag team match, with her breast implants being dislocated and then afterwards pushed down right into her ribs after she received an elbow drop.
August 1, 2025: Podcast Episode Reveals Injury
On the August 1, 2025 episode of her and her sister's podcast show Nikki and Brie, Bella revealed that she suffered an injury on the July 28, 2025 episode of Raw.
2025: Return to WWE and Bella Name
In 2025, Nikki retained the Bella name upon returning to WWE and their main roster during the events of that year's Royal Rumble event, marking her comeback to the company.
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