Brianna Monique Danielson[5] (néeGarcia-Colace; born November 21, 1983),[3][6] also known asBrie Bella andBrie Garcia, is an American media personality and retiredprofessional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure inWWE.
In her last few years in WWE, she only made sporadic appearances, but acted as an ambassador for the company. After her contract with WWE expired in 2023, she and Nikki announced that they would be retiring the "Bella" surname and would be returning to their legal maiden name of "Garcia" professionally, and reintroduced themselves as The Garcia Twins.
Brianna Monique Garcia-Colace was born inSan Diego, California,[7][8] and raised on a farm in thePhoenix, Arizona.[9] She was born sixteen minutes after her twin sister,Nicole, to parents Jon Garcia and Kathy Colace.[10] She is ofMexican andItalian descent.[1] Keensoccer enthusiasts, she along with her sister played for the Scottsdale club in elementary school. She graduated fromChaparral High School in 2002.[10][11][12] She then returned to San Diego for college,[9] and relocated toLos Angeles a year later, where she worked as a waitress at theMondrian Hotel while trying to find anagent.[10]
She then started modeling, acting, and doing promotional work.[1][13] She made her first national TV appearance on theFox reality showMeet My Folks.[10][14] Following this appearance, the Garcia twins were hired to be the World Cup Twins forBudweiser and were photographed holding theWorld Cup trophy.[15] Brie and her sister Nikki were contestants in the 2006 "International Body Doubles twins search".[16] Brie and Nikki later participated in the2006WWE Diva Search, but they did not make the cut.[17]
Starting in December 2007, they managed Derrick Linkin,[18] but this storyline was cut short when Linkin was released in January 2008. They then resumed their feud with Neidhart and Crawford, wrestling them throughout much of 2008.[19] After Neidhart was called up to the WWE roster in April 2008,Milena Roucka took her place in the feud.[19][20] The twins also competed inbikini contests and wrestled against other competitors includingKatie Lea Burchill and Daisy. Their last FCW appearance was on September 2, when they competed in aDivasbattle royal won byMiss Angela.[19]
On the August 29, 2008 episode ofSmackDown, Brianna debuted as Brie Bella and defeatedVictoria.[21] She quickly began a scripted rivalry with Victoria and Victoria's accomplice,Natalya, and had a series of matches against them.[22][23][24] In each match, Brie would roll out of thering and go underneath it, emerging and appearing revived, and then win the match.[22][25] On the October 31 episode ofSmackDown, when Brie went under the ring Victoria grabbed her legs, but a second pair of legs kicked her off, implying that a second person was under the ring.[26] The following week onSmackDown, Brie picked up a win against Victoria and then ran under the ring to escape Natalya and Victoria, but Victoria and Natalya both reached for Brie under the ring, resulting in both Nicole and Brie being pulled out. The twins then attacked them and celebrated afterward.[27] Nicole was then introduced asNikki Bella. The twins had their first official match as a team on the November 21 episode ofSmackDown, defeating Victoria and Natalya.[28] They continued competing in tag team matches over the following months.[29][30][31]
During their first tenure with WWE, both twins used to dressed in matching outfits as seen here
Starting in November, the twins developed an on-screen relationship withThe Colóns (Carlito andPrimo), appearing in numerous backstage segments with them, and accompanying them to the ring. In February 2009, the storyline expanded to includeJohn Morrison and The Miz, whoflirted with the Bellas and took them on adate forValentine's Day.[32][33] The date provoked a rivalry between the teams of The Miz and Morrison and Primo and Carlito, with the four competing for the affection of the twins, who were seemingly unable to choose between them.[34][35] On March 17 onECW, Carlito and Primo, aiming for Morrison and The Miz, accidentally spat apples in the face of Brie.[36] Nikki began to laugh at Brie's misfortune, and a fight broke out between the two, which led to Nikki leaving with The Miz and Morrison, while Brie stayed with Primo and Carlito.[36] Brie won her first match over Nikki in a six-personintergender tag team match onSmackDown the following week,[37] but was defeated by hervillainous sister in their first singles match against each other on the edition of March 31 ofECW, after a distraction from Morrison and The Miz.[38]
On April 15, 2009, The Bella Twins were both drafted to theRaw brand as part of the2009 supplemental draft.[39] On April 27, Brie made herRaw in-ring debut in an eight-Diva tag team match, which her team won. Nikki also made an appearance, reuniting with her twin, as she was under the ring to help Brie during the match.[40] Nikki then made her in-ring debut for the brand the following month in a battle royal but was eliminated byBeth Phoenix.
On June 29, 2009, they were both traded to theECW brand.[41] They returned toECW the following night onTheAbraham Washington Show, as the special guests.[42] They quickly developed a storyline feud withKatie Lea Burchill, when Nikki defeated her in a match by switching places with Brie behind the referee's back.[43] The following week onSuperstars, Brie defeated Burchill after a similar fashion, and the feud ended in September, when Nikki defeated Burchill onSuperstars.[44][45]
On October 12, the Bellas were traded back to Raw as part of a tri-branded Divas trade,[46] where they predominately appeared in backstage segments with theweekly guest stars and only occasionally competed in matches.[3] On the January 4, 2010, episode ofRaw, Brie participated in a tournament for the vacantDivas Championship, but lost toMaryse in the first round, when a switch resulted in Nikki being pinned.[47] In June 2010, they developed a feud withJillian Hall, when Brie defeated her after switching places with Nikki.[48] The following week, Nikki defeated Hall after switching with Brie.[49] The feud was exacerbated when the Bellas acted as thespecial guest referees during one of Hall's matches. During the match, Hall attacked both twins, but lost the match when Nikki made a fast count, allowing her to be pinned byGail Kim.[50] The next week onSuperstars, the twins defeated Hall and Maryse in a tag team match to end the storyline.[51]
On August 31, The Bella Twins announced they would be part of the all-female third season ofNXT, mentoring Jamie.[52] Jamie was the first rookie Diva eliminated on the October 5 episode ofNXT.[53] In November, the twins began a storyline withDaniel Bryan, when Brie accompanied him to the ring for his match. Following his win, Nikki ran out and the two fought over Bryan's affection, until Bryan broke it up and had them hug each other.[54] They began to manage Bryan and frequently accompanied him to the ring over the next two months.[55][56] In January 2011, both Bellas turned intovillainous characters when they discovered Bryan kissing Gail Kim backstage and assaulted her.[57] They continued to attack Kim, both at theRoyal Rumble and onRaw, and on February 7, they teamed withMelina in a losing effort to Kim,Eve Torres, andTamina.[58][59][60]
The Bellas began feuding with Eve Torres after they appeared aslumberjills during aDivas Championship match between Torres and Natalya on the February 14 episode ofRaw. Following the match, they attacked Torres backstage before Gail Kim and Natalya stopped them.[3] The next week, the twins defeated Torres and Kim in a tag team match.[61] The following week, Nikki won a battle royal to become the number one contender for the Divas Championship, and unsuccessfully challenged Torres for the championship on March 7.[62][63]
On April 11, Brie defeated Torres to win the Divas Championship, marking the first time eithertwin had held a championship in WWE. She also became the first twin to win a singles championship in the WWE.[64][65] Brie went on to successfully defend the championship againstKelly Kelly atOver the Limit, after switching places with Nikki.[66] On a special "Power to the People" episode ofRaw on June 20, Brie defended her WWE Divas Championship against Kelly, who was selected by voters. Kelly then defeated Brie and won the championship. On July 17, Brie challenged Kelly for the championship in a rematch atMoney in the Bank, but failed to win.[67]
The twins spent the majority of the rest of the year in tag team matches, regularly facing Kelly and Torres.[68][69] The Bellas began to show friction for the second time since joining WWE in March 2012, after both twins lost toAJ Lee in singles competition.[70][71] After Brie's match with Lee, Nikki revealed that Brie was rooting forTeam Johnny in the 12-man tag team match atWrestleMania XXVIII, whilst Nikki was rooting forTeam Teddy, thus furthering their dissension.[72]
On the April 6 episode ofSmackDown, Nikki defeated the Divas Champion Beth Phoenix in a non-title match, after Kelly Kelly distracted Phoenix.[73] On April 23, Nikki defeated Phoenix in a lumberjill match onRaw to win the Divas Championship for the first time.[74][75] Brie lost Nikki's championship toLayla atExtreme Rules afterTwin Magic failed, ending her Divas Championship reign after only a week.[76] The following night onRaw, they competed in their last match with the WWE, failing to win back the Divas Championship from Layla in a triple threat match.[77] Later that night, WWE announced on their website that the twins had been fired by Executive Administrator Eve Torres.[78]
On May 1, 2012, the twins appeared at their first independent wrestling show inNewburgh, New York atNortheast Wrestling.[79][80] They later appeared for CTWE Pro Wrestling at theSeason Beatings pay-per-view on December 15, each accompanying a different wrestler to the ring.
After returning to WWE, the twins began dressing in different outfits, as seen here
The Bella Twins returned to WWE on the March 11, 2013, episode ofRaw in a backstage segment with Team Rhodes Scholars (Cody Rhodes andDamien Sandow).[81] On the March 15 episode ofSmackDown, the twins attackedThe Funkadactyls (Cameron andNaomi),[82] and the following week interfered in matches between Team Rhodes Scholars andBrodus Clay andTensai, but were attacked by The Funkadactyls.[83][84] The twins made their in-ring return facing and defeating The Funkadactyls on the March 27 episode ofMain Event after interference from Cody Rhodes,[85] and also defeated them onRaw five days later.[86] The Bella Twins were scheduled to participate in an eight–person tag team match with Team Rhodes Scholars against Tons of Funk (Clay and Tensai) and The Funkadactyls atWrestleMania 29, but the match was cancelled due to time restraints,[86] and instead took place the following night onRaw, where The Bella Twins and Team Rhodes Scollars were defeated.[87] The twins continued theirfeud with The Funkadactyls throughout April, defeating them in standard tag team,[88] and six-Diva tag team matches.[89][90] In June, Nikki suffered afractured tibia.[91]
Upon the debut of theTotal Divasreality television program in July, The Bellas began feud with their co–star on the show, Natalya. Brie and Natalya went on to trade victories in singles competition onRaw and atSummerSlam.[92][93][94] The cast ofTotal Divas then transitioned into a scripted feud with Divas Champion AJ Lee, who mocked the show and cast, turning The Bellasfaces in the process.[94] AtNight of Champions, Brie unsuccessfully challenged Lee for the Divas Championship in a four-way match, which also involved Natalya and Naomi.[95] Following Brie's real-life engagement to Daniel Bryan, their relationship began to be acknowledged on WWE television.[96] Continuing their feud into October, Brie and AJ Lee faced off at theBattleground andHell in a Cell pay-per-views for the Divas Championship, but Brie was unsuccessful.[97][98] Nikki returned to in-ring action on the October 25 episode ofSmackDown, losing to Lee.[99] AtSurvivor Series the following month, the twins were part of the victorious Team Total Divas.[100] The twins failed to win the Divas Championship again atWrestleMania XXX in the Divas Invitational match, which was won by AJ Lee.[101]
Bella in 2014
In April 2014, Brie became involved in her real-life husband Daniel Bryan's ongoing storyline withStephanie McMahon andKane,[102] where as part of the storyline, McMahon threatened to fire Brie if an injured Bryan did not relinquish theWWE World Heavyweight Championship atPayback, which forced Brie to "quit" WWE before slapping McMahon in the face.[103] After Brie quit, McMahon put Nikki in severalhandicap matches as punishment.[104][105][106] After a month absence, Brie returned to WWE television, appearing in the crowd on July 21; following a confrontation, McMahon slapped Brie and was subsequently arrested.[107] In order to have Brie drop the "charges", Brie was rehired and received a match against McMahon atSummerSlam.[108]
At the pay-per-view, Nikki turnedheel by attacking Brie, which allowed McMahon to win the match.[109] The next several weeks saw the twins fight in several backstage and in-ring segments, including a cameo appearance fromJerry Springer onRaw on September 8.[110] As part of the storyline, McMahon declared Nikki the face of theWWE Divas division and granted her a match atNight of Champions for the Divas Championship, which she failed to win.[111][112] Nikki then obtained permission to begin forcing Brie to compete in handicap matches, similar to her punishment at the hands of McMahon, although Brie was able to win them.[113][114] This led to a match between the twins atHell in a Cell, where the loser was forced to become the winner'spersonal assistant for 30 days, in which Nikki defeated Brie.[115] Five days later onSmackDown, Nikki won aHalloween costume battle royal to become the number one contender for the Divas Championship.[116]
Nikki received her title match against AJ Lee on November 23 atSurvivor Series, which she won, with Brie's help, to become a two-time Divas Champion.[117] The duo had reconciled at this point, with Brie also turning heel in the process.[118][119][120] Nikki then went on to retain her championship in three separate occasions – against Lee in a rematch on December 14, atTLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs,[121] against Naomi two days later onSmackDown,[122] and againstPaige atFastlane on February 22, 2015.[123] Paige and AJ then formed analliance against the Bellas[124] which led to a tag team match atWrestleMania 31, where AJ and Paige were victorious.[125][126]
Brie (left) posing with Nikki (right) with theDivas Championship in 2015
On April 26, after Nikki, with the help of Brie, once again retained her title against Naomi atExtreme Rules[127] afeud started, with Naomi aligning with the returning Tamina to even the odds against the Bellas, who began showing moreheroic characteristics,[128][129] This change in character was criticized as "sudden", "randomly" and "for no reason".[130] This led to atag team match between the two teams on May 17, atPayback, which Naomi and Tamina won.[131] Two weeks later, atElimination Chamber, Nikki retained her title against Naomi and Paige in atriple threat match, with Brie banned from ringside.[132]
In June, The Bella Twins became villains once again by employingTwin Magic, which helped Nikki retain the title against Paige on the June 1 episode ofRaw and atMoney in the Bank.[133][134] During the feud with Paige,Alicia Fox allied with them to formTeam Bella.[135] AtThe Beast in the East on July 4, Nikki retained the title against Paige and Tamina.[136] After weeks of Team Bella outnumbering Paige, Naomi, and Tamina, Stephanie McMahon called for a "revolution" in the WWE Divas division and introduced the debutingCharlotte andBecky Lynch as Paige's allies, whileNXT Women's ChampionSasha Banks debuted as an ally to Naomi and Tamina, which led to a brawl between the three teams.[137][138] Nikki then lost to Charlotte in a tag team match on the August 3 episode ofRaw,[139] and to Banks on the August 17 episode ofRaw in a non-title match.[140] The three teams faced off on August 23 atSummerSlam in athree team elimination match, in which Team Bella first eliminatedTeam B.A.D., before Team PCB's win.[141]
On the September 14 episode ofRaw, Nikki defended her title against Charlotte, who pinned Brie after the twins had switched places to win the match; however, since the title cannot change hands by disqualification, Nikki retained the championship, and in the process, became the new longest reigning Divas Champion in history, surpassing AJ Lee's previous record of 295 days.[142] Nikkidropped the championship to Charlotte, on September 20, atNight of Champions, ending her reign at 301 days,[143] and failed to regain the title in a rematch on October 25 atHell in a Cell.[144]
Shortly after, Nikki went on a hiatus from television due to a neck injury which would require surgery,[145][146] but returned for one night on December 21, to accept theSlammy Award forDiva of the Year.[147] During this time, Brie continued to compete in singles competition, and in tag team matches with Fox.[147][148][149] After defeating Charlotte in a non-title match on the February 1 episode ofRaw,[150] Brie was granted a match for the Divas Championship atFastlane on February 21, where she failed to capture the title.[151] During that time, Team Bella quietly disbanded and both Brie and Fox transitioned into fan favorites.[152][153]
Brie celebrating her victory alongside her sister Nikki and fellowTotal Divas co-stars on theWrestleMania 32 kickoff show in April 2016
In March, Brie was placed in a feud withLana, who argued that Brie's fans only supported her out of pity for having a "bad husband",[154] and went on to distract and attacked her during and after her matches.[155][156] Brie then aligned herself with fellowTotal Divas cast members Alicia Fox, Natalya, Paige andEva Marie, while Lana aligned herself with Team B.A.D. (Naomi and Tamina),Summer Rae andEmma, leading to a10-Diva tag team match on theWrestleMania 32 kickoff show, which TeamTotal Divas would win after Naomi submitted to Brie.[157][158] Three days later on April 6, Brie confirmed that she would be taking an extended break from in-ring competition, citing family reasons, while also stating that she would continue working for WWE as anambassador.[159]
The Bella Twins returned for the25th anniversary ofRaw on January 22, 2018.[160] Brie later returned to in-ring competition atRoyal Rumble, entering at number 28 in the inaugural women's Royal Rumble match, one number after her sister Nikki, who would eliminate her from the match minutes later.
AtSummerSlam,The Miz defeated Daniel Bryan after an interference from Miz's wifeMaryse.[161] On the followingSmackDown, Miz and Maryse came out, Miz then mocked Bryan's retirement speech two years earlier. Brie and Bryan came out and confronted them. Amixed tag team match with Brie and Bryan against The Miz and Maryse was scheduled forHell in a Cell.[162] At the event, Brie and Bryan were defeated when Maryse pinned Brie.
AtSuper Show-Down on October 6, Brie teamed with sister Nikki and Ronda Rousey in defeating The Riott Squad.[163] Two nights later onRaw, the Bellas and Rousey defeated The Riott Squad in a rematch, and afterwards, Brie joined Nikki in attacking Rousey, with Brie turning heel for the first time since November 2014.[164] On October 28, Brie accompanied Nikki as she faced Rousey for theRaw Women's Championship in themain event of the all women's pay–per–view,WWE Evolution.[165][166][167][168]
On the March 10, 2019 episode ofTotal Bellas, Brie announced that she was retired. On the February 21, 2020 edition ofSmackDown, it was announced that Brie and her twin sister Nikki would be inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame, duringA Moment of Bliss segment. On the January 7, 2022 episode of Smackdown, it was announced that Brie and Nikki would be competing in the 2022 Women's Royal Rumble match. This was the final match for Brie.[169][170]
On March 5, 2023, the twins were in attendance backstage atAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) eventRevolution to support Brie's husbandBryan Danielson.[171] On March 14, 2023, on their podcastThe Nikki & Brie Show, Brie and Nikki announced that their contracts with WWE had expired, and it was mutually agreed to not renew their contracts, as the twins wanted to start a new chapter in their lives. They subsequently reintroduced themselves as The Garcia Twins as "Garcia" was their maiden name.[172] Brie (now called "Brie Danielson") appeared atAEW All In, in support of Bryan'sAEW World Championship match againstSwerve Strickland and celebrated his victory.[173]
On November 21, 2016, Brie and Nikki unveiled their new YouTube channel, "The Bella Twins". The sisters' channel features daily fashion, beauty, travel, fitness, relationship, and health videos, along with dailyvideo blogs, created by the twins themselves.[186] The channel surpassed 3.5 million subscribers before its closure in 2023 following their departure from WWE.[187]
The Bella Twins appeared inYouTuberiiSuperwomanii's video "When Someone Tries to Steal Your BFF" on March 2, 2017.[188]
On August 21, 2017, Brie and Nikki launched their own wine label called Belle Radici in collaboration with Hill Family Estates and Gauge Branding.[189]
On November 1, 2017, Brie and Nikki launched Birdiebee, a lifestyle intimates and activewear brand. The line includes transitional intimates, activewear, and loungewear aimed at "empowering and educating women through mirroring the twins' passion for life, strength, women's health and wellness, and fun."[190]
On January 28, 2019, Brie and Nikki launched Nicole + Brizee, a body and beauty line.[191]
On March 27, 2019, Brie and Nikki launchedThe Bellas Podcast with theEndeavor Audio Network.[192] In October 2021, it was announced that the podcast had been acquired byStitcher.[193] In March 2023, the podcast was renamedThe Nikki & Brie Show following their departure from WWE.[194]
In March 2020, Brie and Nikki released their memoirIncomparable.[195]
In 2021, Brie and Nikki launched another wine label called Bonita Bonita Wine.[196]
In 2021, Brie and Nikki launched their own baby gear collection in partnership with Colugo. Brie and Nikki also announced that they joined Colugo as investors and are now creative advisors.[197]
In September 2013, she revealed her engagement to fellow professional wrestlerBryan Danielson.[202] The couple married on April 11, 2014.[203] Brie and her husband are both vegetarians.[204] The couple have two children together.[205][206] They have publicly discussed their vegetarian or vegan lifestyle as late as 2019.[207]
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