WWE
Nikki Bella, the Last of a Dying Breed: The WWE Divas
When it comes to the term “Evolution”, one might tend to think of the growth of a certain thing. Wrestling, throughout the years, has gone through several stages of evolution. When it comes to the WWE Women’s Division, Evolution has shown its best progress in recent years. The Diva Era began with Sunny and is close to its end with Nikki Bella. With the Women’s Revolution in high gear, and the Diva Era long gone, Nikki Bella is the last person to hold the Diva name.
Total Divas
Diva. For years that term was used to describe the female talent of the WWE. These women weren’t wrestlers. They were mostly used to fill in time between the men’s matches. Pillow fights, mud pens, bikini contests, and very little in-ring competition that didn’t end in hair pulling or open hand slap fights. These women had little to no wrestling talent. They relied on their looks to get them a spot on WWE’s roster.
Thankfully, around the end of 2013, the Diva trend faded and made way for the Women Superstars that would lead the charge into a new era: The Women’s Revolution.
Some Divas were lost along the way. For example, women such as Candice Michelle, Jillian Hall, and Christie Hemme.
Others evolved and were taken more seriously as competitors. They shed the Diva name and improved their in-ring skills; Melina, Alicia Fox, and Kelly Kelly.
Some women never let the Diva moniker define who they were. Instead, they helped pave the road for today’s stars long before anyone else; Mickie James, Trish Stratus, Lita, Chyna, AJ Lee, and Kaitlyn, just to name a few.
Of course, in rare occurrences, some Divas have survived longer than most without improving their in-ring capabilities.
Total Bellas
Brie and Nikki Bella were somewhat known before their WWE debut. They appeared on the FOX reality show, Meet My Folks. The twins were the models for the World Cup Budweiser commercial. They competed in the 2006 RAW Diva Search but did not make the finals.
On August 29th, 2008, Brie Bella made her in-ring debut on SmackDown against Victoria. On November 7th, 2008, Nikki made her debut after Brie tried escaping under the ring before she and Nikki were both pulled out from under the ring. This followed several weeks of Brie hiding under the ring and suddenly getting an energy boost once emerging. This was because Nikki would, without the referee’s knowledge, switch places with her twin sister and win her the match.
After their debut, The Bellas hopped around each of the three brands. They were mainly used for backstage segments and only occasionally had a brief match. Anytime they were involved in a rivalry, it ended shortly after a few matches. Their early Diva’s championship reigns hardly lasted a handful of weeks. This wasn’t their fault. They were just talented women in a bad place to be a talented woman at the time.
However, when it came time to actually show they had any in-ring capabilities, it seemed only Brie took it seriously. Nikki appeared to only be there for the fame. Wanting fame and fortune isn’t a bad thing. But when competing in a sport, it would help to have some kind of skill.
Evolution
When it came to Brie and Nikki Bella and their second run with WWE, it was time to prove they could wrestle a decent match. Gone were the days of bra and panties matches, beauty contests, and thirty-second throw away nonsense. Paige, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Emma, and Charlotte had made their presence known in the revamped NXT. They were going to prove to the world that women’s wrestling needed to be taken seriously again.
AJ Lee set the new standard: Women aren’t objects, they are just as good, maybe even better, than the men. Sadly, due to injury and some creative differences, AJ Lee would retire in 2015. With Lee gone and the Diva’s championship about to fade away, who would be crowned the longest reigning champion to lead the new era? Charlotte? Paige? Becky? Sasha?
No… In a sort of poetic way, the last WWE Diva, Nikki Bella herself, would shatter AJ’s record and almost dismantle everything she had worked hard for to make women’s wrestling great again. Maybe it was bad writing. Maybe it was backstage politicking. Whatever the case, it seemed like the Diva way was here to stay. Thankfully, Charlotte later beat Nikki and retired the Diva’s championship. Charlotte Flair, arguably one of the greatest women’s wrestlers of all time, defeated the last WWE Diva and retired the offensive title belt. Brie Bella would later have a few excellent matches with Charlotte, Becky, and Sasha to show she had evolved with the new standard.
Charlotte, Becky, Sasha, Emma, Paige and several others were going to show everyone that WOMEN’s wrestling was the new standard. No more Diva this and Diva that. It was time for a change. And a permanent one this time.
The Last of the Divas
Nikki Bella is the last of the WWE Divas; That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s a sign that change has come and that women will be taken seriously from here on out. It has been rumored that she and Ronda Rousey will main event WWE Evolution for the RAW Women’s championship. If this does happen, then perhaps it ends similarly to the Nikki Bella versus Charlotte match: The future of women’s wrestling defeating what they shouldn’t be seen as anymore.
Nikki Bella is a legend in her own right. She isn’t the best wrestler, but she uses her strengths to get herself noticed. Of course these strengths are what the Diva’s of yesterday used; Their good looks rather than their wrestling ability. Less than a handful of today’s talent show pretty looks instead of actual talent, which is a phenomenal thing to happen.
In the case of paving the way for tomorrow’s women’s Evolution, even the Diva’s deserve a thank you for showing us how far women’s wrestling has come.
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Photo credit: Megan Elice Meadows via Flickr
